Japan alcohol giant Suntory Holdings Ltd. plans to enter the Russian market independently by the end of the year. The largest producer of whisky in Asia is considering the possibility of buying assets in Russia and opening its own office in Moscow, reports the Japanese agency Nikkei.
The experts say Suntory’s exclusive distributor Veld-21 has failed to prolong its license, which was valid till June 30, 2011.
Four thousand decaliters of Japanese whisky were sold in 2010 in Russia. This is just 0.25% from the whole import of the product. At that the world sales of just one brand of Suntory Holdings Ltd, Suntory Kakubin whisky, made up 2.51 mln decaliters. For the last four years the sales of Suntory whisky is rising 30-40% annually.
Author: Irina Fomina