Retail chains are running out of foreign alcohol

Already in December, Aberfeldy, Dewars, Jack Daniels and Grants whiskeys, Bacardi rum and Baileys and Sheridan liqueurs, European brands of cognac and tequila, whose stocks are coming to an end, may disappear from store shelves.

“We see a serious reduction in the range of imported alcohol: the representation of whiskey on the shelves has decreased by 50% , champagne - by 95%, imported beer - by 40%, and other categories - by 35%. Now the chains are practically selling off their warehouse balances, and in the next couple of months we may face a shortage of popular products", - Igor Karavayev, chairman of the presidium of the Association of Retail Companies (AKORT), told Izvestia.

A reduction in the usual assortment of alcohol will lead to a decrease in sales, which account for a significant part of the retail chains' revenue. According to Karavaev, part of the demand will shift to other categories of drinks. At the same time, the expert fears that some consumers will look for familiar alcohol through shadow sales channels.

Rosalkogolregulirovanie believes that retailers do not take into account all the possibilities of the domestic industry, which is able to meet demand. Thus, from January to September, the volume of production of alcoholic beverages in Russia increased by 12.3%. The Office emphasized the growth in demand for domestic products due to the reduction in the share of imported goods.

In mid-September, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed establishing parallel channels for importing foreign alcoholic beverages. According to Forbes, the head of the department, Denis Manturov, called for resolving the issue of parallel imports of alcoholic beverages by the end of September, so that retail chains could create stocks for the New Year holidays. The Ministry of Finance promised to consider the proposal of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to allow the import of part of the alcohol using the parallel import mechanism.

“The proposal to legalize the parallel import of alcohol carries significant risks of an avalanche of low-quality, expired, defective alcohol, as well as counterfeit and counterfeit alcohol entering the Russian market. Such drinks pose a direct danger to the life and health of citizens", - the Association of International Spirits Producers believes, where they noted that the task of parallel importers is to make a profit, and not to preserve the reputation of the brand.