OREANDA-NEWS Alcohol concern Pernod Ricard (whiskey brands Chivas Regal, Jameson, Ballantine's, Absolut vodka, Ararat cognac and others) plans to close its representative office in Russia. This is reported by the Kommersant newspaper with reference to sources.

Since August 8, as the General Director of the Russian structure of the company JSC "P.R.Laurent Piye was replaced by the former Minister of Agriculture of Armenia, who headed the Yerevan Brandy Factory (EKZ), which is part of the group, Ignatiy Arakelyan. He clarified that at the moment the manufacturer is undergoing the necessary procedures to stop operating activities, the company has no other plans. According to the source of the publication on the market, from "P.R.Rus" almost all employees have left, and the remaining ones can leave it by the end of August.

The main brands of Pernod Ricard will remain in Russia due to parallel imports, according to Vadim Drobiz, director of the analytical company CIFRRA. The closure of the representative office is explained by the increased pressure on brands abroad, as shown by the case of Bacardi after publications about the continuation of their work in the country, he adds. Brand awareness and its consumers will remain on the market, despite the loss of a built distribution network, the expert believes.

Alexander Stavtsev, head of the WineRetail Information Center, confirms that today international alcohol brands in Russia may have several independent importers. The work on building centralized supplies to large players will have to start anew someday, the specialist said.