Russian Ice-Fili output falls - year 2000 production forecast reduced - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Eurofood, Jan 16, 2001

The finance director at Russian ice cream producer Ice-Fili, Irina Kladiy, has reported to Interfax that the firm has lowered its ice cream production forecast for 2000 by 6%. Having predicted in September that ice cream production would reach 16 5 00 tonnes, the firm has now said that its production for 2000 will not exceed 15 500t. "At the start of the year experts forecast that production would continue at last year's levels - 22 500 tonnes," said Kladiy. A principal reason given by Ice-Fili for the slight drop in production levels was lower consumer demand for ice cream, as well as the fact that the Moscow-based producers find it difficult to compete with regionally-based firms, which sell a less expensive product in Moscow.

In the January to September period of 2000, Ice-Fili produced some 13 430 tonnes of ice cream, around 10% less than the 14 930t produced over the same trading period during 1999. Ice-Fili ice cream is sold through the Ramzai trading house, which specialises in the sale of ice cream, operating more than 600 ice cream stands in the Russian capital. Furthermore, Ice-Fili products are sold in 80 cities around Russia. Currently, Ice-Fili turns out nearly 90 types of ice cream, and according to company experts, Ice-Fili's share of the Russian ice cream market in 1999 was 10%.