Challenges and prospects of the alcohol market
The 20th Russian Conference on the Alcoholic Beverages Market – AlcoCongress 2025 has started within the conference programme of Prodexpo 2025. It is organised by the Alcoexpert analytical group together with EXPOCENTRE AO and is a key event for alcohol industry professionals,
The main topic of this year's conference is Alcohol Market 2025: Challenges and Solutions. The agenda is full of discussions on relevant issues of import substitution, development of Russian winemaking, branding, and logistics. Yuri Yudich, Head at AlcoCongress, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech, stressing the importance of analysing the current challenges for adaptation and further growth of the market.
Yuri Yudich reminded that the first congress was held 20 years ago as an event for regional alcohol distributors. Various topics related to this market segment were discussed. And despite the constant threat of the introduction of state monopoly on alcohol sales, all these years the market is alive and continues to work.
During the first focus session, experts and representatives of leading companies discussed the current state of the wine market. Pavel Funtikov, Head at the Alcohol and Tobacco Client Group at Nielsen Russia, presented an analysis of how Russian and imported alcoholic products were adapting to changing conditions.
"We live in the time of rapid change, when alcohol markets are changing very quickly," said Pavel Funtikov. "That's why our company has prepared an analytical material dedicated to market development and trends for 2024."
The main report and expert speeches outlined the main figures of production and sale of alcoholic beverages in this country. The participants discussed new duties and logistical restrictions on imports, and the issues of state support for domestic winemaking.
In the second part of the event, experts discussed trends on a so called strong shelf, including the growing categories of Russian gins, whisky, and other strong drinks. An interesting discussion was sparked by forecasts on the substitution of global brands with Russian analogues. Presentations and discussions on consumer preferences, the impact of branding and the role of bloggers in promoting Russian products were of particular interest to all participants.
The final part of the congress was a discussion of the most popular drinks: beer, cider, and mead. Experts emphasise that the Russian beer market is demonstrating significant growth and diversification, while the popularity of cider continues to grow.
AlcoCongress 2025 promises to become a starting point for new solutions and initiatives in the alcohol market, confirming its reputation as the most important industry platform.
Press Service, EXPOCENTRE AO
