Well-known brand names affected
Vacationers astonished: When it comes to alcohol, Spain’s pubs are often not liquid
A picture from the summer in Palma des Mallorca: In the high season all drinks were still available.
© Clara Margais / DPA
When German tourists are currently ordering their favorite drink in Tenerife or on the Costa del Sol, it is very likely that the waiter will shake his head regretfully: There is a lack of supplies in the bars.
In Spain’s pubs, delivery bottlenecks as a result of the corona pandemic are particularly noticeable at the moment. Some of the most popular brands of spirits are not available in many places. The Café Comercial, one of the oldest cafés in Spain’s capital Madrid, does not currently have some types of alcohol in its range.
“The delivery bottlenecks affect international brands that we never thought would one day become unavailable,” says Raúl García, manager of the traditional café, which attracts crowds of tourists with its marble columns and chandeliers.
García is not alone with his worries. The corona pandemic is causing problems in global supply chains. Spain’s bars and nightclubs are struggling to replenish their shelves after corona restrictions on social life were completely lifted in October. This life, as it is usual in Spain, takes place to a large extent outside of your own four walls – but not always with the desired alcoholic beverages at the moment.
Supply chains interrupted
“The bottlenecks are not a general problem, they concentrate on certain brands,” explains Roberto Ucelay, manager of the Los Olivos Beach holiday resort on the Canary Island of Tenerife. “The problem is, people care about these brands.” Spirits that have become scarce commodities include Gin from Beefeater, Absolut Vodka, and Tequila from Patron.
The delivery bottlenecks are related to the excessive demands on global shipping due to the increased demand in China and the USA after the Corona crisis. This affects “all international trade”, emphasizes the Spanish association of spirits manufacturers, Espirituosos España.
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The industry suffers from a shortage of bottles and cardboard boxes for packaging alcoholic beverages, but also of containers, trucks and truck drivers. “It’s not a problem of availability, it’s a problem of delivery,” says a spokesman for the French group of companies Pernod Ricard, the world’s second largest liquor manufacturer.
In other European countries such as Great Britain, some alcohol brands are not easy to get, the group spokesman explains. In Spain, however, the problem is exacerbated by the specific consumption pattern of the Mediterranean country.
Because in Spain almost half of the alcohol is sold in bars and restaurants, in France it is only a fifth – most of it goes through the supermarket scanners. After the corona restrictions were lifted in Spain, the market for alcohol consumption outside the home has to get going again. And that takes time.
Christmas holidays without champagne?
Daniel Mettyear from the London-based management consultancy IWSR explains that the delivery system in Spain is “very fragmented and includes many players”. In addition, Spain is “the country in the world with the most bars and restaurants per inhabitant”.
During the months of Corona restrictions, the restaurants ordered less alcohol, reduced their stocks or even liquidated them. Bars and restaurants have yet to recover from this, says Mettyear. “You still have a long way to go.”
The Spanish Association of Liquor Manufacturers predicts the problem will not last long. As the Christmas business is approaching, however, the restaurants are concerned. Ucelay at Los Olivos Beach Resort said he was told that some brands of champagne would be six months from delivery. “It’s too long.”
Vicente Pizcueta, spokesman for the Noche de España night club association, urges pragmatism. Only certain brands are not available and Spain produces some spirits itself, he says. If certain brands are missing, the rule is: “There are alternatives.”