There is genuine demand for New Brands in the Market- Virat Mann, ADS Spirits
Question. What is the story of the ADS Spirits brand, how did you conceive the idea?
Answer: we have been in Liquor retailing business since 1998, as a wholesaler/retailer, we were in close proximity of business landscape, brand offering and consumer behaviour. We realised there is unmet demand across Categories in this business, hence we set up our own state of the art distillery and Bottling plant in 2012 and forayed into Branded IMFL Business in 2013
Question. What are the latest trends emerging in terms of the whisky market? How do you see the role of tech and online?
Answer: Consumers are willing to experiment. They are open to new ideas. With changing demographics this trend will get accelerated. There is genuine demand for New Brands/Flavours in the Market.
Tech and online is playing big role in terms of seeking information online on brands, availability, price etc. some states have also introduced online delivery which might take some time. But for sure Tech and online are going to play major role in the coming days
Question. On the regulatory side, how do you see things shaping up for the industry, are companies getting empowered.
Answer: Its big question mark as of now, there is still lot of uncertainty on Policies of individual states, Various states Govt still look at alcobev products as sin products and feel they need to be regulated to large extent which is hindering Innovation in the alcobev space
Question. Booze market includes retailers and customers, do you think apart from quality and taste, availability will also be a key driver in the market.
Answer: of-course, Availability is a key driver in the market. Brands/Products might have excellent quality and taste, but they are not available when consumers walk into a store, then big opportunity is lost
Question. How has market dynamics changed the way a company like yours functions, especially in last one-year Covid time.
Answer: 2020 was a very challenging year due to the Impact of Covid -19, but our team did very well in converting challenges into opportunities during this time. We are very proud of the fact that, even with 45 days of Lockdown, many states operating at reduced capacity, our brands have grown over 15% in this year as compared to 19-20. We adopted to Online mode of working, Virtual Meetings became norm.
Question. How do you see the future of India made Whisky, Vodka & Rum, and its acceptance in the international market?
Answer: I do see a bright future for Indian Made Brands. Already Many brands are trending with their unique offerings, more are expected to come.
