ARMENIAN BRANDY ROSE IN PRICE IN RUSSIA

PanARMENIAN.Net - The principal suppliers of Armenian brandy to Russia, namely Yerevan Brandy Factory being a member of Pernod Ricard international group and Great Valley company rose prices for their production. As commercial director of Pernod Ricard Rus company Oleg Bukin told Mediamax agency, the 10-20% rise of wholesale prices for Armenian brandy can be explained by poor harvest of grapes reaped in Armenia. At the same time he added that "according to data available, this fact had hardly influenced upon the retail price". In his turn, chairman of the committee of directors of Great Valley company Tigran Arzakantsian told Vedomosti newspaper that the company intends to drive the prices for its production equal with those of its principal rival, Yerevan Brandy Factory. However Rusimport company being the main exporter of Armenian brandy to the Russian market considers that "the producers extremely dramatize the problem of stuff trying to approve the rise in prices". In the words of the deputy to the company chairman Vladimir Sokolnikov, the rise in prices for grapes will not noticeably influence upon the brandy prices. "Many plants have considerable supply of brandy spirit, which can give them the opportunity to fill up the lack of raw materials", - he stated. According to Sokolnikov, Russian consumers are not ready to pay high price for Armenian brandy. Meanwhile Business Analysis agency director Andrey Sterlin holds another opinion. "There is a group of consumers preferring Armenian brandy only. They will certainly react to the rise in prices, however they will not become less in number. Even if Armenian brandy costs 50% more expensive, it will be cheaper than the French one", - Sterlin noted.