In its effort to look into the ouzo distribution landscape as seen through the Greek online shops and using the Chios Shop stores as a case study, tsou.gr reveals today interesting facts which could very well prove to be the springboard for a useful discussion on the extent to which the existing situation can improve.

The Chios Shop stores have been making available to consumers traditional Chios products since 1956. With a sales network covering Greece throughout, the company mostly promotes Chios products (sweet treats and candy, mastic, drinks, delicacies, etc) through its two stores in Piraeus and its online shop. Apart from Chios ouzo labels, the shops also sell Lesvos and Kavala ouzo brands. Kostas Michalakis, the owner of the Chios Shop network, welcomed us with the traditional courtesy characteristic of Chios people, and gladly answered our questions:

How satisfied are you by your online store’s ouzo sales?
I’m not going to state that I’m particularly happy with ouzo sales online. The main reason for that is that we cannot send ouzo bottles to the U.S. and other countries mostly because dispatching products in liquid form is forbidden. We’re facing the same problem with various courier service providers who do not deliver liquid products. As a result, the ouzo bottles sold through our e-shop are mainly in aluminium packaging of 1L.

What is the percentage of your e-shop’s international customers who order your products? Which countries do those who order ouzo mainly come from?
None of them are based here in Greece; they’re all international customers and mostly come from the U.S., Australia, and Belgium. Our orders are usually placed by Greek immigrants in those countries.

Which three ouzo labels sell the most in your e-shop?
The first, three labels are: APALARINA, KAZANISTO, and BARBAYANNI BLUE.

Apart from your retail sales, do you also sell wholesale? What is the percentage of your orders in ouzo which comes from food & beverage establishments?
Yes, we also sell wholesale and the percentage is high. Out of our total sales, 70% has to do with products sold wholesale to food & beverage venues, and 30% has to do with our retail branch.

In your opinion, what margin for development is there in selling ouzo through e-shops and what are the prerequisites?
If the ban on selling liquid products to countries such as the U.S. is lifted and if the courier service providers stop refusing to transport bottles, I believe that we can expect a large margin for development of ouzo sales through e-shops. When it comes to our own company, we estimate that, if those obstacles are removed, we could expect an increase of approximately 50%.