Imported beer will be 10% cheaper, whisky prices will drop by 35%, dairy products, especially imported cheese and UHT milk, will cost 10% less. Importers also expect the price of chocolate and chocolate products to be 15-20% lower in 2007 compared to December 2004, the moment when taxes started to go down gradually from more than 45% to the current level of 10-20%.
"The elimination of the customs duties will lead to a drop in the price of whisky by about 35%, which will double sales on this segment," says Tudor Furir, general manager of Pernod Ricard Romania, the importer of Chivas Regal and one of the biggest importers of spirits in the country. Officials at Cristalex, the importer of Teacher's, in turn believe imported alcoholic beverages will be 10-15% cheaper after accession.
The total volume of imported alcoholic beverages now covers 2% of domestic consumption; however, imports may account for 10% of the market in the next five to ten years, once customs duties have been dropped.
Market research institute Gfk says one of the main post-accession trends on the consumer goods market is the shift in control over the market and implicitly over the price from producers to retailers, which will generate a continuation of the trend that sees products on the single market become cheaper due to a fiercer and fiercer competition among merchants.
Carrefour Romania, the biggest player on the hypermarket segment expects European Union accession to boost imports of consumer goods significantly. Its goal is to achieve as low a shelf price as possible for such products.
Andreea Mihai, Carrefour Romania's marketing manager stated that the products directly imported by Carrefour might end up being cheaper than those of the Romanian suppliers after accession, due to the international negotiating power of the French group.
Carrefour has several re
