V&S Group
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
V&S Group (V&S Vin & Sprit AB), founded in 1917, is an international producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages. The group is a wholly owned entity of the country of Sweden. Headquarted in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, the group employs approximately 2,500 people.
Until 1994, the group had the position of a national monopoly for production and distribution, but this was abolished when Sweden joined the European Union in 1995. However, the Swedish alcohol retailing monopoly, operated by Systembolaget, is still in force. As of 2007, the Swedish government intends to sell off the V&S Group before the end of the year.
The acronym V&S comes from the name Vin & Sprit, literally meaning "Wine & Spirits."
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[edit] Organization and brands
V&S Group is divided into three main areas:
- V&S Absolut Spirits handles Absolut Vodka and the other international spirits brands, such as Level Vodka, Frïs Vodka, Plymouth Gin, and Cruzan Rum.
- V&S Distillers handles spirits on the Northern and Central European markets.
- V&S Wine handles wines and fortified wines in the Nordic region.
[edit] Production and distribution
The production of the group's international spirits takes place in Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain, and St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Production of their local and regional spirits takes place primarily in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, and Poland. In Northern Europe, V&S Group is the largest importer and distributor of wine. The group offers their own brands of wine and also produces brands by well-known international companies.
Distribution in the Nordic area is primarily handled through the group's distribution centers in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. V&S Group is represented by the half-owned company Amundsen in Norway, by the subsidiary V&S Eesti in Estonia, and by the company V&S Luksusowa Zielona Góra in Poland. In the United States, distribution is handled by Future Brands, of which the group owns a 49% share. In other regions of the world, distribution is handled by Maxxium, also partly owned by the group.
[edit] Sales
About three-quarters of the group's sales come from spirits, whereas the remaining quarter comes from wine. Vodka is their largest selling spirit, in which Absolut holds the highest sales figures. Geographically, North America is the group's single biggest market, accounting for 44% of total sales in 2005. The Swedish market accounts for one-sixth (approximately 16.6%) of sales. As volume is concerned, the group sold 136.8 million liters of spirits and 87.3 million liters of wine, totaling 224.1 million liters (59.2 million US gallons) of product.
