Business school seeks bubbly prof

It must be the dream job for somebody: a business school in France is seeking a professor of Champagne.

Reims Management School (RMS) is creating a chair of Champagne with an associated laboratory.

The school's director, François Bonvalet, said the chair would develop much-needed research into the issues facing the Champagne industry.

Whoever heads it will be an academic with an international reputation in the wine research community.

The job advert says he or she will be expected to drive research in the fields of business strategy, marketing and consumer behaviour.

The Champagne industry directly employs more than 10,000 people. It produces more than 300 million bottles a year, earning more than four billion euros (£2.7bn).

The new department is being funded by famous wineries including Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Krug, Pommery and Laurent Perrier, as well as by the city of Reims and the CIVC Champagne wineries council.