‘Nigeria sells N120bn per year in wine’

The Nigerian wine market has been reputed to be the leader in terms of revenue generation in Africa. In this interview, Alexandre Carneiro, chief executive officer, Blue Arrow Limited, marketers of Carlos Rossi wine in Nigeria, tells FUNKE OSAE-BROWN how the brand is repositioning itself and changing the game of wine consumption in Nigeria.

Tell us about the brand Carlos Rossi

Carlo Rossi is a globally successful wine brand, occupying number one spot in many of the markets we operate in. We currently sell our wines in 75 countries around the globe including 10 African markets, Russia, Asia and the USA. The Nigerian wine category is developing quickly as consumers seek to enjoy drinking wine and reflect their sophistication.

Annual wine sales in Nigeria were worth over N120bn in 2013 and the market is growing at +12 percent YOY (source: Euromonitor 2013).  We first brought our wines to Nigeria in 2002 and we’ve sold more and more each year. Carlo Rossi is now a leading wine brand, well known and loved by Nigerians. With so much choice, consumers look for well-known brands like Carlo Rossi to offer quality and reassurance.

Since the launch we’ve been expanding the number of outlets that sell Carlo Rossi. We are now selling crisp and fruity Carlo Rossi White, sweet and refreshing Carlo Rossi Rosé and deliciously smooth Carlo Rossi Red. Carlo Rossi wines are made from grapes grown in California, USA. With ideal climate and soils, innovative technology & heritage, it’s no wonder that the USA is the No.1 New World wine region.

Do you have a strong presence in Nigeria yet?

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Our award winning wines are incredibly popular because of their deliciously smooth style which makes the wines easy to enjoy. They also offer great value for money. Carlo Rossi is the ideal choice for those who are fashion conscious and choose brands with international class.

Carlo Rossi adds a touch of affordable style to your life with its eye catching packaging. That’s why this collaboration between Carlo Rossi and Nigeria Fashion Week is a perfect partnership. Looking forward to 2015, we want to introduce our delicious wines to a wider audience through increasing our marketing efforts.

We also recently conducted research in Nigeria because we are always keen to hear what consumers want. We’re currently working on some exciting new products which we hope to reveal next year.  Carlo Rossi wines are widely available across Nigeria in markets, supermarkets, bars, clubs and restaurants. Carlo Rossi can be found in all the leading Nigerian stores and supermarkets chains at very affordable price.

What is the market share of Carlos Rossi in the Nigeria wine market?

Nigeria is a country that has two different markets. One is what we call the account market. People who don’t go to the open market to buy but they purchase wines from shops, like Shoprite, Park n Shop etc.

Then there is another market that is the open market like Balogun, Mushin etc. In both, Carlos Rossi is among the top three. In Balogun, for instance, it is a price oriented market. In the price segment of wine, Carlos Rossi is top. When you talk about Red wine, there are different prices of red wine.

Do you have wines that are cheaper?

Carlos Rossi has what we call economy price. We are not in the low end in price. The price of Carlos Rossi per bottle is about N1,000 on the shelf. In the medium price, we are top one. Nigeria sells N120bn per year in wine. That is a big figure.

Next year, we hope to own ten percent of that figure. We are talking of sixty million litres of wine in sales worldwide. We have 450 choices of wine. We own the biggest collection of wine in terms of variety worldwide.

What steps are you taking to make Carlos Rossi more visible in the market?

With such a heritage and market equity, we have to keep up with that momentum. So we are expending a lot on distribution, within the hotels, cafe, night clubs segment.

One of our strategies is to extend the distribution with this segment. Also we are expanding our distribution in the open market. We are finding new opportunities in the South. We don’t sell at all in the north. Our goal is to be presenting cities of over 300,000 to 500,000 people with our product.

How are you coping with or handling competition considering the nature of the Nigerian market?

We are talking about high quality wine so people should appreciate that when they buy our wine, it is lot about the price. We are talking about California red that is has won more than 25 awards so in terms of quality it is there. The second thing we are doing is placing the brand in the level it should be in Nigeria. That is putting it in the consciousness of everybody. We are exploring every channel to push the product.

What is the next step for Carlos Rossi in Nigeria?

The next step for us is to take the benefit of the brand that is the quality. And also extending the number of choices that is the varieties. We are going to come in a short time with a wide range of products. This is based on our research. We have a hood understanding of the market in Nigeria. We also understand that the female segment of the market is growing faster than the male.

So when we put all these together, we are coming out with a very special product aiming for the woman. We have an understanding of the Nigerian woman. She is conscious of style and she has taste. We are also doing the same for the male. In the future, our aim is to extend our choices.

Why have you decided to sponsor the Nigerian Fashion Week?

The Nigerian Fashion Week has many things to do with Carlos Rossi. Carlos Rossi is a very international. The brand is present in more than seventy five countries, many of them in Africa.

Given the connection it is in the interest of the brand to be a part of the Nigerian Fashion Week. It is a wine that resonates with fashion. In Nigeria, Carlos Rossi brings this affordable style to Nigerians. So if you put everything together, it is a perfect match, a perfect partner hip between Carlos Rossi and the Nigerian Fashion Week.

What should consumers be expecting at the Fashion Week?

We are going to touch point in two places. For instance we are going to have the general side and the VIP section too. We want to raise the awareness and also drive some kind of tasting or sampling. It us important for us to keep up with the strong brand that we have in Nigeria.

People should expect Carlos Rossi to taste all the three variants the red wine that is very smooth, the Rose that has a refreshing taste, the white that us fruity and crisp. So we understand what Carlos Rossi offers and that is what people should expect at the Fashion Week.

We want to tie our offerings to the audience of the Fashion Week. Consumers will have the opportunity to gave a rate of different blends if the wine. We are supporting the event with our strong brand Carlos Rossi California Red wine. It is the top selling brand in Nigeria. We are going to have the opportunity to introduce the white wine.

Is this going to be a continuous partnership?

Carlos Rossi is really reshaping the way it approaches the Nigerian market. Carlos Rossi has been in Nigeria since 2002. Every year we sell more than the previous year. That means Nigeria is becoming a very important market in the global strategy of Carlos Rossi. The kind of offering that we give the Nigerian market is huge. It is a complete new package that is going to be deployed next year. It is aligning with the objectives of the Fashion Week.