Penetrating the market through the temporary selection
The basic product range of Systembolaget consists of a selection of products which are available throughout the year in the state monopoly’s 400 stores or so. In addition to these products, Systembolaget each year also offers a number of products for purchase on a temporary basis. These are often rather exclusive wines and are sold in smaller batches with the monopoly guaranteeing a fixed number to be available for purchase and ticking off the bottles as they are sold.
As we are working with quality-focused winemakers, many of which are producing wines in smaller series, targeting Systembolaget’s temporary selection constitutes a viable strategy and one that we have successfully used to introduce producers who lack the larger quantities necessary for a listing in the basic product range on the Swedish market. We have also employed this strategy of winning temporary listings as a way to support brand building. Considering the its relatively small size, Terrific Wines has managed to introduce a rather large number of products to the Swedish market in this way.
An example of a highly successful launch which occurred in this manner is provided by Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines and the Mullineux brand. The South African producer came on board in 2013 and since then Terrific Wines has managed to place a number of its wines in the temporary assortment. Each new launch has been met with much interest and the quantities sold have been in line with Mullineux’ targets for Sweden. From being virtually unknown at the time of the first launch, Mullineux has evolved in Sweden into becoming a well-established and well-known producer of quality wines.