“Yandex” intends to register a new trademark “Yandex Go Ultima” for the production of water and carbonated drinks. The relevant information appeared in the Rospatent database.
RB.RU found out from market participants how things are now with the industry in Russia. Experts believe that the general ossification of retail trade prevents the emergence of new players: everyone does business on the principle “it works, it makes a profit, why change and develop the representation and variety of products.”
The company applied on June 20. The mark is registered in Latin transcription. In the list of products: carbonated water, soft drinks, mineral, table, drinks and beverages. The press service of “Yandex” at the time of publication did not respond to a request from RB.RU.
“While conditional MTS are turning into digital ecosystems, Yandex is already moving into the physical world with might and main. Mineral water is a semantic pillar that the company instills in people’s heads that any product can be sold under the brand of an IT company,” said Danya Shepovalov, founder of Digital Studio.
He suggested that mineral water might be followed in the future by chocolate bars, motor oil, and stun guns against crazed robots.
The expert said that Yandex mineral water will be in demand similar to other brands. “The older generation may not want to drink that mineral water, it’s made from computers or something,” Shepovalov noted.
Anton Grishchenko, director of strategy at Radar, says that the watermark is just one of many possible attributes of the customer experience. It is only relevant in conjunction with the parent brand and in the context of consumption of Ultima’s services: at events, when given as a compliment or bonus, in a taxi lounge, etc.
According to him, the release of STM on standalone “floating” will be expensive, and the feasibility of this release is a big question, since the market is mature and saturated.
Dmitry Peretyatko, co-founder of the Rawish carbonated drink brand, believes that Yandex, like large networks that register trademarks for their own brands, create a brand, and other companies throughout Russia produce it.
According to Peretyatko, the difference is that the IT giant will order drinks from manufacturers not for markets, but for its own needs – for Lavka, corporate events and events organized by Yandex. He is also sure that Yandex is not interested in mass supply of its own soda for store shelves.
Peretyatko did not see a competitor to Rawish in the face of the new Yandex brand: “rather, another opportunity for manufacturers to produce their products under a strong brand, to have another potentially profitable outlet.”
- Coca-Cola and Pepsi decided to suspend their activities in Russia after the start of a special operation in Ukraine. This caused a sharp drop in the sugar-free carbonated beverages segment: sales of these natural products decreased by almost 10% during the year and their share fell to 8.5% of the market.
- Last summer, Russian soft drink producers feared supply disruptions due to a shortage of carbon dioxide. The lack of an ingredient was estimated at 10-20% and could lead to a reduction in the assortment.
Dmitry Peretyatko highlighted two key problems that are now hindering the development of the industry. First of all, production has become more expensive.it also increased the cost of the product and, therefore, the prices for the final consumer.
In addition, “major capital investments” are needed in the production of beverages, since the business is low margin, it is always a long-term game. Investments are needed in the start-up of new capacities, the construction of factories, Rawish also experiences that need, he stressed.
The second industry problem is the general rigidity of retail., which works according to the old principles, which does not allow new manufacturers to stay on the shelf. As a result, the assortment has not been updated for decades, and the quality of products is gradually declining.
Retail is reluctant to attract even local brands, which is understandable, but, according to Peretyatko, shortsighted. They all work on the principle “it works, it makes a profit, why change and develop the representation and variety of products.”
Author:
karina pardaeva
Source: RB
I am a professional journalist and content creator with extensive experience writing for news websites. I currently work as an author at Gadget Onus, where I specialize in covering hot news topics. My written pieces have been published on some of the biggest media outlets around the world, including The Guardian and BBC News.
