Residents of the Vologda region buy alcohol in neighboring regions
Due to the restrictions introduced in the Vologda region, alcohol, the sale of alcohol in March decreased by more than 27%. In the neighboring regions – the Arkhangelsk and Leningrad regions, where the inhabitants of the Vologda region began to go more often to buy alcohol, the fall of sales turned out to be much less significant.
The retail sales of alcohol with a fortress of more than 9%, without a cider, Poire and mead, in the Vologda region in March 2025 amounted to 153.5 thousand decalpers (DAL), decreasing by 27.2% a year by the year, followed by market participants (Kommersant has). This is a 9.6 percentage of a more pronounced decrease than in the North-Western Federal District (North-Western Federal District): 17.6%, up to 2.14 million. The Rosalcoletabakcontrol explained “Kommersant” that they also note a reduction in legal retail sales of alcohol in the Vologda region. The press service of the Governor of the Vologda Oblast Kommersant did not quickly respond.
In Russia, as a whole, sales of strong alcohol in March fell by 19.4% a year by the year, up to 15.82 million. This is dictated by an increase in excise taxes and an increase in retail prices (see Kommersant on April 11). In the Vologda region, an additional factor was the reduction from March 1, 2025 of the sale of alcohol: from 12:00 to 14:00 on weekdays. The anti -alcohol campaigns of regional authorities cause serious fears in retail, contributing to the closure of part of the stores (see Kommersant on April 3).
The decline in consumption of strong alcohol in the Vologda region partially leveled the ability of the population to adapt to restrictions: some consumers began to purchase alcohol for the future, subsequently reselling it from hand (see “Kommersant” of April 7). Many reoriented on the acquisition of alcohol in the public catering establishments, said an independent expert of the alcohol market Alexei Malsin.
The director of the analytical agency of the digitry Vadim Drobiz suggests that some consumers in the Vologda Oblast could start buying alcohol in neighboring regions. At the same moment, Mr. Malsin draws attention, indicating that the less pronounced reduction in retail sales is characterized by the subjects adjacent to the Vologda region. So, in the Leningrad region, the sales of strong alcohol, according to market participants, showed in March a decrease by 15.2% year by the year, in the Arkhangelsk region – by 16.8%.
The owner of the Kaluga Liker-Vodka Plant (CLVZ) Pavel Pobedkin also noticed that alcohol sales in the Vologda region are falling more noticeably than in neighboring regions. The trend is also fixed by the commercial director of Stellar Group Alexander Grevtsov.
A decrease in retail sales in the Vologda region will be compensated by neighboring regions and in the future, according to Alexei Malsin. The President of the Alcopr Guild Andrei Moskovsky recalls that consumers were preparing for restrictions on the sale of alcohol since last fall: many created alcohol reserves that have run out over time. Yuri Karyakin, deputy general director for commercial issues of Tatspirtprom, believes that, evaluating the effect of restrictions for the Vologda region, it is important to take into account the sales of moonshine devices, poisoning with surrogate alcohol, etc.
But the general tendency to reduce alcohol consumption in Russia can change. Vadim Drobiz draws attention to the fact that in the first quarter of 2025, the indicator, in fact, returned to the level of 2019–2020. It recalls that in 2022, stress of the population increased to surge in alcohol sales due to the beginning of the military conflict in Ukraine.
Pavel Pobedkin considers the decline in sales of alcohol temporary: consumers adapt to an increase in its value, as already happened in other product categories. The expert draws attention to the fact that many consumers switched to beer drinks, they are inexpensive due to the minimum excise tax.
