(edit title) Business in Stockholm Wine/ advertising business Options

[luckylefty]

Hello I am new here in sweden and i reside in Stockholm. I plan setting up my own business and i have some ideas such as wine business ( selling to restaurants or advertising ) I need to hear folks opinion about this ideas.

I will appreciate it if i get some response.

Thanks

[Puffin]

You need to research the rules on this - as you probably know alcohol is something of a state monopoly in Sweden with strict controls on sales and advertising

[johnjohn]

Can not be done. Better change ideas. Good luck.

[Yorkshireman]

The earlier 2 posts are not entirely correct

Yes You can, You need to be registered and approved by Skatteverket, and as a supplier you will only be allowed to sell to either the System Bolaget, or direct to restaurants.

Practise You Swedish, or get a friend to help, here is a link to the branch organisation for Wine and Spirit Suppliers in Sweden, look in the section "Att bli kommersiell importör":

http://www.spritochvinleverantorerna.se/fakta.html

Good Luck.

[PDX]

Are the restaurants not buying directly from EU producers / distributors as elsewhere in Norden or have I been misinformed ?

~~~PDX~~~

[luckylefty]

The earlier 2 posts are not entirely correct Yes You can, You need to be registered and approved by Skatteverket, and as a supplier you will only be allowed to sell to either ... (show full quote)

The earlier 2 posts are not entirely correct

Yes You can, You need to be registered and approved by Skatteverket, and as a supplier you will only be allowed to sell to either the System Bolaget, or direct to restaurants.

Practise You Swedish, or get a friend to help, here is a link to the branch organisation for Wine and Spirit Suppliers in Sweden, look in the section "Att bli kommersiell importör":

http://www.spritochvinleverantorerna.se/fakta.html

Good Luck. ... (hide full quote)

Hey thanks for the response. I got the same information from a friend who told me i can only sell to restaurants and Bolaget. I and my wife want to start the business since getting a job here is really hectic. I plan going to france, spain, and south africa to speak to companies and see what can of deal i could work out with them. Do you have any idea how this kind of business is doing in sweden ? and do you have any more advice you can offer, will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[Jules]

A friend of mine has worked as a sales rep for a number of wine merchants and breweries here in Sweden. I have not spoken to him specifically regarding your questions, but what he has told me in passing is this. You will need to register to import alcohol and distribute it, once registered you should be able to sell directly to Systemet, if they want it (this can be very difficult to get into, although lucrative, with alleged backhanders to senior buyers prevalent) or to any licensed premises such as bars, pubs, and restaurants.
There is an awful lot of competition in this sector, every bottle of wine, beer or spirits, you see or consume here has been imported by someone. There are some very large players such as Kopperberg and Pripps who brew beers and ciders but also distribute other products, and try to tie in both chains and independents to buy their entire product lines with various deals, such as funding premesise aquisitions with cash in return for gaurantees on price and volume sold. There are also a myriad of smaller and medium sized distributors who have active sales teams picking up other business as well as augmenting the larger players stock lines. In short this is a very competetive market with difficult entry prospects.
If you are serious about this I would suggest you think long and hard about it. If you decide to go for it you will probably need some sort of qualification in wine to show your expertise, such as doing a somellier course, something my friend had to do before he could get a job working with wine specifically. I would also think that most of the largest most popular or most appreciated wineries in the world have already got representation here so you will probably be dealing with smaller producers that could be significantly harder to sell. I don´t know about the wine business but I should imagine that to make it work you will need to ship large quantities and hold significant stock which will be a huge investment on a more or less perishable product. You will also need someone who can speak Swedish to go in and sell the products to your prospective clients otherwise you will be fighting with one hand tied behind your back.
Having said all this if you know something about wines, have some contacts and start small you may well be able to setup and be successful, and if your very lucky you may discover a hidden gem and go national with systemet or in the pubs.

Good Luck!

[Yorkshireman]

One thing to consider also, though it will only work with wines imported from EU countries is that in 2007 in the European Court of Justice, was a ruling often called in Sweden the Rosengrendomen (Resengren judgement).

The case was about a retired doctor that imported for private use wine cases of wine from Spain via mail order. Swedish customs stopped the shipment saying it was forbidden by Swedish law to import alcohol.

The doctor won the case in the EU court on the basis that Sweden restricting alcohol import from (via!) other EU countries even for private use was against the EU Freedom of Movement of Goods.

Since then a few mail-order companies have sprung up in Sweden, for a fee (membership) they find selected european, some non-EU, wines etc... and you order them via their service, they are not importing ... the private person is, the company is just handling the co-ordination, making sure that included in the price is the alcohol tax and vat that is due to be paid etc..

One example of these companies is the former Australian Wine Club, now called Mark's Viner:
http://marksviner.se/vinklubb

Additional players in this market, would open the market more, and help it grow, something to think about