Lumber Liquidators Founder Gets Into the Wine Business

Tom Sullivan, founder of Toano, Va.-based Lumber Liquidators, purchased a winery in the Bordeaux region of France and is in the process of acquiring four more, according to Wine Spectator.

Sullivan purchased the Chateau du Parc in St.-Emilion, France. Wine Spectator said it is considered a lesser-known estate that would allow him to “tap a growing demand for value-priced Bordeaux” wine.

“I had an idea what I was looking for—a good wine that could be marketed and sold with the right promotion,” Sullivan told Spectator. “I personally prefer Bordeaux over other wines. But I go in a restaurant and the Bordeaux on the list is 700 bucks. I think there is a market if you have a reasonably priced wine. People will appreciate it.”

Sullivan, according to Wine Spectator, will act as his own importer in the U.S. market and will sell directly to importers elsewhere, bypassing the traditional wine supply chain in France.

While deals for the other properties have not closed, Sullivan told Wine Spectator, “If everything happens as planned, we’ll have an [annual production of] more than 300,000 bottles.”