10% Rise in Volume; Earnings Remained Stable
Austrian Wine Exports for First Half of 2009: Crisis-proof
(AWMB, September 2009) - Austrian wine has been holding its ground surprisingly well during these difficult economic times. In the first half of this year, the record level of export earnings achieved in the previous year remained practically unchanged (-1.8%). Also during the first half of 2009, an export volume increase of 10% was recorded.
“We were anticipating this development because of the big harvest in 2008,” said Willi Klinger, general manager of Austrian Wine Marketing Board. “Also, the trend towards favourably priced wines during the economic crisis had been predicted.”
Also, the development of Austrian wine exports to its most important export market, Germany, remained extremely important. Although bottled wine underwent a slight drop in volume (-4-5%), there was a rise in actual value (+1.15 %). This is because Austrian wine has been increasingly successful in German supermarkets and discount stores, especially in the price categories between € 3 and € 6. With bulk wine exports, there was a 30% increase in volume - yet at the same time, a 3% drop in profit was recorded; this was due to the difficult situation of the international bulk wine market, which has been felt domestically as well. Overall, with the most important sales partners in Germany, there was a 9% rise in quantities and a slight increase in value (+0.5%).
For the second main export market – Switzerland – the volume of bottled wine increased by 17.7%, and bulk wine volume rose by 43 %. Bottled wine earnings declined by 3%, while bulk wine earnings, on the other hand, increased by nearly 8%.
“In Switzerland, we’ve been recording high growth rates for several years now,” Klinger explained. “And we’re currently reaching a broader customer segment through more favourably priced wines. All in all, the average price of more than € 4 per liter is extremely positive.”
For the USA, the economic crisis had an impact on Austrian wine exports to that country during the first half of 2009. There were drops in both volume (-9%) and value (-18%); also contributing to this decline were the changes in the US import structure. Fortunately, at present, the US export situation is veering upward again.
“For the Austrian wine industry overall, the export figures - considering the economic climate - are very positive,” states Klinger. “Perhaps by the end of this year, we even may reach again the level of record export earnings set in the previous year. In any case, there should be a significant rise in export volume this year.”
Download:
>> Export Countries - First Half Year of 2009 (xls-File, 89 kB)
Press information, September 2009
AWMB, Susanne Staggl
Tel.: +43 1 503 92 67
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