Soaring Sales? Wholesalers Say Not For Them.

EDITOR’S NOTE:  We need more data points. Please email lperdue@wineindustryinsight, or post to the comments sections on this and the previous story. All confidences respected.

WHOLESALERS NOT SEEING SALES BOOM

The astounding retail sales for the four-week-period ending January 25, 2009 0ver the same period in 2008 (Wine Sales Skyrocket…) are not being seen by wholesalers who have emailed Wine Industry Insight.

“I’m not seeing increases in wholesale to trade,” a major West Coast distributor told WII. “Perhaps retailers that we sold to in December are cleaning out their inventories.”

Other distributors and wholesalers have told WII about January 2009 declines of close to 40% depending upon the wine varietal and origins. Overall, dollar sales of European and California wines from the wholesale channel have both slipped in the 20 to 3o percent range.

The only category to grow — Chilean wines —  have eked out modest single-digit growth.