“Between 15% and 20% of annual sales are generated during this period. We hope to beat last year’s figures. The shopping period for Easter is not over, so it’s too early for comparisons,” says Daniel Negrescu, Murfatlar brand manager.
Murfatlar is the biggest player on the wine market by revenue. The company is under insolvency to undergo restructuring and has in recent years invested to develop M1. Crama Atelier, a premium product project.
Another top player, Domeniile Tohani, announced two-digit increases for some products in its portfolio. “The start of the year is a good one, better than last year. We have increases of 20-30% and even 40% for some brands. We are definitely speaking of rising consumption. I believe our increases top the market level as we invested in promotion,” says Florin Timau, general manager of Domeniile Viticole Tohani.
The wine market, so far struggling, is covered almost entirely by local production brands and the segment that managed to go into the black is that of premium wines. The trend benefitted the new wineries that have emerged in recent years.
Carrefour, a major player in Romanian retail, shows the best-selling wines in its portfolio are still white wines, with Cotnari and Jidvei as the best-selling brands.
“So far, Easter sales are in line with last year’s. However, we expect a slight increase against last year during this week,” said Teodora Juravle, marketing communication manager of Carrefour.
According to a ZF recent estimate, modern retail networks sell almost one million hectoliters of wine, accounting for 40-50% in total volumes.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)