MOSCOW, October 31 Chocolate in Russia has practically not risen in price this year — during the period from January to September it increased in price by only 0.2% compared to the same period last year, while in September it even lost 3% in price compared to August 2023, calculated for the online price comparison service Price.ru.
Earlier, on Monday, Igor Karavaev, chairman of the presidium of the Association of Retail Trade Companies (AKORT), told the agency that a number of retail chains in Russia received notification from some chocolate manufacturers about increasing prices for their products. However, he clarified that they are under consideration by retailers and the chain, together with suppliers, is discussing the validity of each individual increase and making joint efforts to avoid sharp price increases.
«In January-September 2022, the average cost was 466 rubles (per kilogram — ed.). In January-September 2023, 467 rubles. There was a slight an increase of 0.2%,” says the chocolate study.
At the same time, the service recorded that in September of this year chocolate cost an average of 429 rubles per kilogram compared to 442 rubles in August, thus there was a “3% decrease.”
At the same time, the VkusVill chain told the agency that the retailer received relevant information from suppliers and the first half of the increases took place back in August, while the second is underway now.
Last week, the United Confectioners holding, one of the largest producers of confectionery products in the Russian Federation, sent a letter to counterparties stating that from December 1 it will increase selling prices for its products, the source reported. In particular, they were talking about an increase in the price of sweets by 6-8%, chocolate — by about 16%, caramel — by almost 3%, and the reasons for the increase were the weakening of the ruble, the increase in the cost of raw materials and logistics costs, as well as an increase in loan rates following refinancing rate of the Bank of Russia.
The company itself did not comment on this information then. The Russian office of one of the world's largest confectionery manufacturers, Mondelez International, did not comment on whether there are plans to increase selling prices.