Imports back on a premium roll

Patience Gould looks at the dynamics of brands in the Russian market – and finds that there is a growing demand for all ‘things’ premium.

Mention Russia to anyone and it’s odds on that vodka will loom into mind. Indeed voddy is as synonymous with Russia as fish is to chips – but things are a-changing. There is a vibrant imported spirits market and a growing demand for premium and deluxe drinks across the entire spectrum, aided and abetted by the attractions of the western lifestyle.

Russia is a massive spirits market, amounting to 2.4 billion litres, and since 2001 the imported sector has grown by a multiple of 40 – all categories, apart from Scotch, were hit during the recession but the bounce-back has been relatively quick.

The growing demand for premium spirits is also fuelling growth for locally produced brands – that is of course vodka. One player, Russian Standard, is certainly benefiting from this upward trend – and is now the number one premium vodka in Russia.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011 at 2:32 pm and is filed under Feature. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.