Volume sales of wine in the Italian large-scale retail trade are falling, but are still higher than in the pre-COVID period, while e-commerce is also slowing, new data has shown.
These are the findings of the Nomisma Wine Monitor Report prepared in collaboration with NielsenIQ on the balance of wine sales in 2021.
Wine sales in the large-scale retail trade in Italy decreased by 1.2% year-on-year in volume terms in 2021, but grew 5% in value.
Higher Sales Than 2019
Overall, the level of sales remains higher than in 2019, up by 5% in volume and 13% in value, reflecting a move towards more premium wines.
Volume sales of sparkling wines and champagnes are growing at a double-digit rate (+23%), while still wines closed 2021 down 4.5% in volume but up 0.3% in value.
In January, a separate study showed that Italian sparkling wine production set a new record high in 2021.
Supermarket Sales
Sales in hypermarkets, supermarkets and small self-service stores, which account for 64% of the volumes of the off-trade channel, dropped by almost 2%, compared to an increase in value terms of 5.2%.
With regard to other formats, wine sales dropped both in value and volume in discount stores (-2% and -4% respectively), while cash & carry registered a growth of almost 20% in value and 15% in volume, confirming the recovery in consumption in the HoReCa segment in 2021.
During 2021, e-commerce sales in the off-trade channel increased 22% in value and 19% in volume compared to the previous year.
However, there was a 13% annual reduction in volume of e-commerce sales during Q4 2021, related to a 'boom' in online purchases in 2020 following restaurant closures and limits imposed on Italians to celebrate Christmas and New Year's Eve at home.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Drinks news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
