IRAN: BOTTEGA (PROSECCO), 'DUE TO THE WAR, SALES IN DUTY-FREE STORES ARE COLLAPSING, INSTITUTIONS ABSENT'

In duty-free shops in war-affected areas, overall sales have dropped by 50%, which isn't exactly bad news, given that peaks of 85% were recorded in April/May. Furthermore, shipping times throughout Asia have doubled, partly due to the circumnavigation of Africa, but mostly due to the lack of available ships and the general confusion that has arisen.” This is the comment of wine entrepreneur Sandro Bottega, famous for his Prosecco exported worldwide, in the aftermath of the resumption of fighting between Israel and Iran.

"Both freight transportation costs and airline ticket prices have doubled," continues entrepreneur Sandro Bottega. "As for production costs, we, as a company like Bottega, are among the fortunate ones, as by using energy from alternative sources, we have a lower impact than others. But this only concerns the wines, spirits, and liqueurs we produce; for glass, cardboard, and other products, we too are subject to soaring market prices."

"On the domestic front, I appeal to our institutions to at least stamp out undeclared work, the structural scourge that has penalized our country's competitiveness for decades. The majority of tax revenues (primarily personal income tax) are paid by employees and, consequently, by companies that comply with the rules. Our institutions must therefore intervene quickly with rigorous controls, severely sanctioning companies that employ undeclared workers and fail to pay the appropriate contributions required by law. The digital technologies are there; now all that's needed is the political will to do it. Undeclared work is a scourge not only for workers, but also for virtuous companies that suffer from unfair competition from companies that, for this very reason, charge lower prices, destabilizing the market," concluded wine entrepreneur Sandro Bottega.