Russians will be offered French champagne for the New Year

Officials are going to allow parallel imports of alcohol

Alcoholic beverages may be included in the list of goods for parallel imports. The Ministry of Industry and Trade believes that the import of alcoholic beverages into Russia without the consent of the copyright holder under the conditions of sanctions should not be prohibited and legally limited. Experts generally welcome this initiative and believe that the state gives citizens the opportunity to stock up on their favorite varieties for the New Year holidays. The Ministry of Finance also warns of the risk of saturation of domestic counters with counterfeit goods.

Lovers of imported alcohol, who risked losing the opportunity to enjoy their favorite drinks due to the departure of most foreign brands from the Russian market, can breathe easy. At the initiative of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the list of goods allowed for parallel import is supposed to be replenished with alcoholic beverages, which will represent a wide range of elite and budget varieties of champagne, cognac, vermouth and whiskey.

A few months ago, the department of Denis Manturov opposed the inclusion of alcoholic products in the list of goods that can be imported into Russia without the consent of the copyright holder. However, the exit from the domestic market of manufacturers of a number of well-known and sought-after brands of alcohol, apparently, changed the opinion of officials. The export of drinks to our country was suspended or restricted by several multinational companies representing, for example, Jack Daniel’s, Johnnie Walker and Hennessy brands. As a result, according to the results of the first half of the year, imports of only strong alcohol (in particular, whiskey and vodka) decreased by more than 40%. Imports of foreign cognac and brandy fell by 11%, gin – by 26%, liqueurs by 36%. Another drop in the supply of alcohol from abroad is predicted in the second half of the year.

First, the owners of Russian bars and restaurants sounded the alarm, who considered that their stocks of imported spirits, with the actual loss of access to official distributors, would be used up in a maximum of six months. Then representatives of retail chains began to predict similar problems. As a result, the return of domestic consumers’ access to foreign alcohol through parallel imports was formulated in a letter from the Association of Retail Companies to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Grigorenko. And now this decision is supported by the relevant ministry.

The majority of Russian consumers who prefer simpler and cheaper drinks would hardly have noticed the absence of imported alcohol, says Vadim Drobiz, director of the Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets. In turn, connoisseurs of noble shades of bourbon or Calvados in difficult economic conditions could do without their favorite varieties for a while. Moreover, there are few of them in our country. The loss of the opportunity to freely purchase a bottle of branded premium brandy affects the lifestyle of every tenth Russian. In addition, according to a member of the Guild of Marketers, an expert on the alcohol market Ruslan Bragin, gourmets who are tuned to strictly defined brands could agree to overpay in order to enjoy the taste of the usual drink. After all, small quantities of liquor could also be delivered through dubious schemes.

Nevertheless, parallel import, which will legalize the purchase of goods by intermediaries in third countries for further sale on domestic trading floors, will not only avoid the latter scenario, but also provide the population with the opportunity to legally and without difficulty purchase their favorite foreign brands for the New Year holidays. True, in the current conditions, foreign alcohol will have to go to our country through neighboring states, in particular, through Armenia and Kyrgyzstan, which can increase the cost of already expensive imported alcohol by about 15-20%.

Meanwhile, not all government officials agree with the legalization of parallel imports of alcohol. The Ministry of Finance, which recently rejected the relevant proposal, opposes it. The department of Anton Siluanov believes that such a mechanism will stimulate the widespread distribution of counterfeit products. Bootleggers in transit countries will be tempted to simply re-stick labels, supplying illegal products to Russia. Therefore, it is possible that many Russians will have to wait a while with the tasting of Scottish scotch and not clap the cork from the French “don perignon” on New Year’s Eve.