A manager of Sedmoi Kontinent supermarket network told RIA Novosti that products with old excise stamps should be sold by July 1, as sales would be banned from the beginning of the month.
A representative of Perekrestok said the supermarkets would not be able to sell all of its wines with old excise certificates by July 1, and would start returning products to suppliers.
"New wine supplies are expected by mid-July," he said.
Vadim Drobiz, a spokesman for the Union of Alcohol Market Participants, said a failure to introduce new legislation following the introduction of new duties on January 1, 2006, was causing the main problems. He said beverages with new excise stamps accounted for only 5% of the market, and that importers were expecting products with old excise certificates to be returned.
"Stopping imports at the beginning of the year due to a lack of new stamps and the expectation of huge losses do not allow importers to bring in beverages or make major purchases even today when they have the stamps," he said.
He said normal supplies of beverages would begin only by the end of the year.
The Federal Customs Service said new excises had been available since late March, and explained the lack of beverages by the failure of companies selling alcohol to purchase the necessary equipment for putting new stamps on products.
