Easter Shopping Frenzy: Wine, Easter Product Sales Surge

Cosmina Capalău

Every Easter brings sales to a peak for almost all categories of commodities. Adriana Pita, Head of Corporate Communication & PR for Real Hypermarket told BURSA that, in this time of the year "the best selling products are specific to the season - meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, sweets. Sales of basic products such as flour, sugar, oil etc. also increase significantly. In the non-edible department, sales are driven by Easter decorations and toys."

Similarly, Andrada Paun-Vrapciu, Head of Corporate Communication for METRO Cash & Carry Romania & Moldova, confirmed the upward sales trend for the aforementioned categories of commodities, but pointed out that "as METRO Cash & Carry Romania is focused on business customers, sales are directly influenced by the results of the businesses of our customers. Based on our estimates, consumption will focus on less expensive products and cost reduction. The Easter meal will in many cases be based on basic products. Therefore, our resellers will prefer such products," she added. Moreover, the METRO Cash & Carry representatives told BURSA that "considering the said circumstances, we are expecting sales in the pre-Easter period to be similar to the volume we reported in 2008."

• Wine prices to decrease, sales to increase 30%

The price of wine is set to decrease during the Easter period as demand will likely increase. Sales are expected to rise 30%, according to Rares Marinescu, Commercial Director of Cramele Recas. According to him, wine is the only alcoholic beverage traditionally associated with Easter, so many winemakers usually offer three bottles for the price of two. As for alcoholic beverages, Marinescu is confident that the price will remain constant, as the demand for spirits will be much lower than the demand for wine.