Russia: Baltika to achieve healthy annual sales despite deep cold this winter

Baltika, Russia's leading brewery, announced on February 3 its special warmed railway carriages and warehouses would help it to achieve healthy annual sales despite a spell of deep cold this winter, according to Reuters.

Baltika, jointly owned by Scottish & Newcastle and Carlsberg, said in a statement that a fall in temperatures by 1 degree below an average monthly norm typically results in a fall in beer sales by 1 percent. This is because cold weather leads to lower consumption, a cut in the time that outlets work or their closure due to power cuts, as well as disruptions to transport.

Russia has been suffering from a strong cold spell for weeks with temperatures in some regions reaching record lows. But Baltika said that its fleet of railway carriages and warehouses maintained warmth regardless of the weather.

"On top of that, a positive sales trend which the company showed last year ... allows us to hope that a fall in sales in the period of strong frosts will be compensated by active promotion of goods during the rest of the year," the statement said.

03 February, 2006