Whiskey and cognac are running out in stores - Newspaper Kommersant No. 175 (7376) of 09/22/2022

Whiskey and cognac are running out in stores - Newspaper Kommersant No. 175 (7376) of 09/22/2022



Large retailers, whose range of imported alcohol has already declined by 40-95% yoy, are waiting for up to half of the leftovers to be washed off the shelves in the next three months and prices to rise. The market participants consider the parallel import of alcohol as a way out of the situation, which is opposed by distributors and manufacturers. Against the background of the threat of a shortage, the chains want to start importing well-known brands themselves, experts say.

The range of imported alcohol in federal networks in June-August decreased by 40-95% year-on-year, depending on the category, and in the next three months it may decrease by another 40-50%. Such data was provided to Kommersant by the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT; includes X5 Group, Magnit, Lenta, Auchan, Azbuka Vkusa, etc.). The companies did not provide separate comments.

According to ACORT, imports of alcoholic beverages from large chains over this period decreased by 60-100%.

In particular, the supply of sparkling wines from the Champagne region was completely stopped, the import of whiskey fell by 70%, French cognac and imported beer fell by 60%. Against this background, purchase prices for imported alcohol have increased by 27-40% since February, and by 70% for some items, ACORT says.

Alcohol imports to Russia are declining with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and a new wave of sanctions. According to the results of the first half of the year, the import of all strong drinks decreased by almost 35%, to 32.65 million liters, and whiskey - by almost 50%, to 11.8 million liters. As part of the sanctions, the United States completely banned the shipment of alcohol to the Russian Federation, and the EU - alcohol more than €300 per unit. A number of companies themselves stopped deliveries or left the market. The reduction of activities in the country at the end of June was announced in Diageo (Bell's, Johnnie Walker, Captain Morgan, Baileys). And Beam Suntory (Jim Beam) and Edrington (Macallan) announced the sale of the Russian distributor Maxxium Russia to local management.

AKORT has already applied to the government with a request to include a number of alcoholic brands in the list of permitted parallel imports. Last week, the draft additions to the list were published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, including the brands Moet, Veuve Clicquot, Absolut, Hennessy, Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam and others. Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov 19 September pointed outthat a decision on the parallel import of alcohol must be made before the end of September. The Ministry of Agriculture said that they had sent their position on the issue to the Ministry of Finance, where they did not answer Kommersant's questions on Wednesday.

Igor Karavaev, Chairman of the AKORT Presidium, says that the parallel import of departed alcohol brands is the best way to replenish the assortment in anticipation of high demand during the winter holidays, and licensing, EGAIS, labeling with special marks allow you to be sure of the quality and authenticity of products. In addition, he adds, the departure of popular brands leads to a decrease in competition and threatens to increase the purchase prices for alcohol, as well as an increase in the share of the shadow market.

Leonid Rafailov, general director of alcohol distributor AST, says that some global companies may resume deliveries, and allowing their brands to parallel imports will become an obstacle.

Definitely not gone until Bacardi (Martini, Dewar's, William Lawson's), Pernod Ricard (Chivas Regal, Jameson, Absolut) and Campari, he points out. Sergey Ponomarev, director of government relations in Eastern Europe at Bacardi, believes that parallel imports could result in a "flurry of counterfeit products." Bacardi did not stop deliveries to customers, and he considers talk of a shortage of imported alcohol exaggerated.

President of Ladoga (produces Tsarskaja vodka, Barrister gin, Fowler's whiskey, etc.) Veniamin Grabar says that replenishment of the assortment takes time and the willingness of large retailers to revise the matrix in favor of Russian drinks and the remaining import suppliers. Luding Group is launching new brands of vodka, cognac, gin and whiskey, and is also seeing an increase in demand for spirits in Armenia and Georgia. Alexander Lipilin, executive director of the wine trading company Fort, notes that even parallel imports will not help fill the shortage of Scotch whiskey, and in the cognac segment you can find replacements from small producers. Distributors and manufacturers do not see the threat of rising prices. Mr. Lipilin admits the disappearance of discounts and promotions.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail information center, notes that this year the share of large chains in wine imports may reach 70%, and now they have a chance to import famous brands directly. This will meet demand and increase the value of the assortment, which is especially important for hypermarkets, large supermarkets and specialized stores. For Russian distributors and manufacturers, he adds, “the departure of the big brands has, of course, made it easier to compete.”

Anatoly Kostyrev



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