WINE AND GDO IN THE FIRST 4 MONTHS OF 2021: SALES GROW BY 180 MILLION EUROS

Wine sales in the large-scale retail trade in the first quarter of 2021 increased by 22 million liters, for a value of 180 million euros, with an increase in volume of 8.1% compared to the same period of the previous year and, in value, by 20%. This is what emerged today during the Vinitaly webinar organized by Veronafiere as part of a program of virtual meetings to approach the Vinitaly Special Edition to be held from 17 to 19 October in Verona. IRI's research for Vinitaly highlighted strong growth in sparkling wines and a more moderate growth in wine. It should be emphasized that in the first quarter of 2020 there were two months of lockdown, compared to four in 2021, and that bubbles at the time had suffered a sharp decline, also due to the climate of concern for the advent of the pandemic. The wines that recorded good performances in 2021 are those with designation of origin, with notable ideas for regional wines, while in the field of bubbles the sample is always Prosecco, see attached tables ( IRI data, Ipermercati Supermercati Libero Servizio Piccolo Discount On Line * IRI panel ). As for regional wines, the growth trend over the last year and a half is confirmed and pushes the distribution brands to increasingly follow the tastes and preferences of consumers. It is therefore expected that the wine shelf in supermarkets will increasingly be a mix made up of a hard core of wines that cannot be missing and a share of novelties. To underline the three-digit leap that E-commerce has made in the period of the pandemic, passing from a form of purchase considered elitist and with a limited number of users to one considered by many as necessary and convenient. " Large-scale distribution must prepare for a soft landing, because record sales in the pandemic period will tend to normalize with the reopening of the Horeca channel - said Virgilio Romano, IRI Business Insight Director - Large-scale distribution will have to work to preserve and improve the news that emerged. in the last year and a half. 2021 will probably be a year of transition towards the true return to normality, with sales that could remain at a good level, provided that wineries and distribution know how to maximize the opportunities deriving from the innovations that have emerged in the last year, e-commerce and regionalisms " . The IRI statistics were commented on during the webinar, moderated by the journalist Luigi Rubinelli , by: Alessandro Masetti, Grocery Manager of Coop Italia; Gianmaria Polti, Head of Beverage Carrefour Italy; Pietro Rocchelli, from the Maurizio Rocchelli Srl consulting firm; Federvini, Mirko Baggio (Sales Manager Italy of Villa Sandi Spa); Unione Italiana Vini, Enrico Gobino (Marketing director of the Mondodelvino group) . " Today's webinar - declared Giovanni Mantovani, Director General of Veronafiere - reaffirms the historic centrality of large-scale distribution within the Vinitaly schedule, thanks to the presentation of IRI sector data and the activities of the GDO Buyers' Club, the '' area dedicated to b2b meetings between exhibitors and operators of large-scale distribution. Veronafiere and Vinitaly have always kept the engine running and are now ready to re-ignite the business in attendance, to capitalize on every slightest opportunity for recovery with a schedule of events starting from June that will culminate in the Special Edition of Vinitaly in October and the 54th edition. edition of Vinitaly in 2022 ". During the round table the approach to the large-scale distribution of wineries working in the Horeca canal was emphasized. But how should wineries that begin to relate to large-scale distribution behave? “ They must conceive a strategic and not an opportunity approach - observed Pietro Rocchelli - following a long-term perspective and being aware of the transition. Certainly they cannot think in terms of mere placing the excess wine in the warehouse ”. And the large-scale retail trade shows attention to this trend: “ Several new labels previously destined for the Horeca world have entered the shelves. Large-scale distribution is available and attentive to these requests - declared Gianmaria Polti of Carrefour - Several new things are happening: for example, white wine is growing more than 10%, more than red, and 6 sparkling wines are in the top ten of our sales. teaches. In the future we have to improve the readability of the shelf, then work on merchandising and introduce new services, such as chilled wine ". Alessandro Masetti of Coop Italia confirmed the IRI analysis, observing that "it will be difficult for wine in large-scale distribution to grow significantly in 2021 " and confirming that the increase in value in the first quarter of 2021 "was not determined by increases of price ". Masetti also underlined the good performance of MDD wines, private label: " In 2021, we record a double-digit increase in our" Assieme "wines and a good performance of" Fior Fiore "wines which have an average price above 8 euros. a bottle ". Mirko Baggio, representative of Federvini , said that " the trend of an increase in medium-high range wines on the shelf is confirmed, and therefore an increase in the average price of wine ". Baggio also recalled the success of a new entry on the shelf: “ Prosecco Doc Rosè which alone already explains 10% of all volumes of Prosecco Doc ”. Enrico Gobino, representative of Unione Italiana Vini , highlighted the importance of the online channel: “ It is a channel whose growth will continue, we will see to what extent, even after the pandemic and which all wineries must supervise. Just as the growth of higher quality wines will continue. Today large-scale distribution has the opportunity to consider wine as a qualifying element of its offer ".

• Attached are the slides of the IRI research for Vinitaly. The webinar recording will be available on the Vinitaly YouTube channel, 24 hours after the event. the recording will also be available on the Vinitaly YouTube channel