Today sees the launch on Seedrs of a campaign for Domaine Chanzy SA, a leading Burgundy winemaker. What makes this campaign exceptional is that it is part of Domaine Chanzy’s IPO on the London Stock Exchange’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM). The ticker symbol will be “WINE”.

Last September, Seedrs broke ground by hosting the first-ever equity crowdfunding campaign for a quoted company, Chapel Down. That campaign was huge success, raising £3.95 million through its crowdfunding and placing components.

At the time, our Chief Investment Officer, Tom Davies, said on Bloomberg that he thought it was only a matter of time before we started seeing IPOs raised through Seedrs. Even he didn’t realise that it would happen so soon.

Domaine Chanzy is looking to raise a minimum of £1.9 million to fulfil the ever-increasing demand for its award-winning wines and satisfy its working capital requirements. Upon admission, the winemaker will be the only French company listed on AIM. In parallel with crowdfunding campaign, Domaine Chanzy is raising funds through a placing led by several City corporate finance firms.

The Domaine Chanzy campaign is a significant step forward for equity crowdfunding in Europe and opens up the opportunity to participate in IPOs to a much wider range of investors. Here are a few reasons why we think it’s so interesting:

  • Investors large and small will be able to invest as much or as little as they like, from £10 up.
  • In addition to the shares they purchase, investors will be offered substantial discounts on Domaine Chanzy wines. Those who purchase a minimum of 1,000 shares (£1,200) will be entitled to discounts of up to 55% on wines ranging from Domaine Chanzy’s entry-level offerings to its premier Grand Cru.
  • The shares will qualify for Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) relief.
  • Investors who invest through Seedrs will be represented by us as nominee. This means that they will not need to establish separate brokerage or trading accounts. Investors will be free to sell their shares on AIM at any time (provided that sufficient demand exists).

We are proud that a company with a regional wine making heritage that goes back almost 250 years chose Seedrs to raise funds in an innovative way. It’s a great opportunity for the company to raise investment from a larger, more diverse, base of investors, enhance its profile among UK and other potential consumers in Europe and an appealing way to build long-term brand engagement among a wide base of investors.

Our vision has always been to provide a platform for people to invest in the businesses they believe in. Being a part of the AIM float for Domaine Chanzy further showcases our dedication to innovating fundraising and democratising investment.

To see Domaine Chanzy’s campaign, please visit: https://www.seedrs.com/chanzy.