Alko
Encyclopedia
Alko is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly
in Finland
. It is the only store in the country which retails beer
over 4.7% ABV
, wine
(except in vineyards) and spirits
. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants and bars but only for consumption on the premises. Alko is required by law to sell drinks with lower alcohol content than 4.7% and non-alcoholic alternatives, but in practice carries a very limited stock of low alcohol beer, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and mixers as supermarkets sell the same products at a lower price. By law, alcoholic drinks may only be sold to those aged 18 or above.
at some locations. Hard spirits include several Finnish brands of vodka and all major types of hard liquor. Alko also sells brands of drinks produced by the Finnish state-owned company Altia
, which are traditional products and not sold abroad. Many of these date back to the first products launched after the end of the Prohibition
. These are usually for mixing drinks.
(Finnish abbreviation Valvira). Only once has an application for a new Alko shop been denied. In 2003, an application for a location in Koivukylä, Vantaa
, was rebuffed because there was a kindergarten next to the planned location. Earlier shops were located separately from other retail outlets, but beginning in the 1990s a growing number of Alko's have appeared in malls and supermarkets, some even in gas stations. Under the Alcohol Act, Alkos cannot have a window display
, so stores often have a display of wine glass
es and catalogues.
Alko can advertise beverages that contain up to 22% alcohol. In practice, manufacturers or distributors, not Alko, advertise their products. Printed catalogues have information and prices for all products but Internet pages can show only beverages with less than 22% alcohol. However, private individuals have published unofficial over 22% price lists on the Internet.
On the February 3, 2005, the Finnish Food Marketing Association (a pressure group of the country's supermarkets like K-Kauppa and S-Group
) asked the European Union to challenge the legality of Alko's monopoly, which it disputes.
Products with under 22% ABV
can be purchased by individuals at least 18 years of age. The minimum age for products containing over 22% ABV is 20. When asked at checkout a customer must prove his or her age with an official ID (only a driver's licence, ID card or passport is accepted). Alcohol will not be sold to visibly intoxicated customers or when there is a reason to suspect misuse or illegal supply to a person who would not be authorized to buy. Persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from entering an Alko unless accompanied by an adult.
s was forbidden in Finland
. When the prohibition was lifted by the Finnish government
in 1932 following a referendum
, they created a company called Oy Alkoholiliike Ab which was fully owned by the government.
The first stores were opened on the 5th of April, 1932, at 10:00. (The date and time form the number 543210, still appearing in trivia quizzes.)
During the 1939-40 Winter War
the company mass-produced molotov cocktail
s for the Finnish military, production totalling 450,000 units.
In 1969 the company's name was changed to Oy Alko Ab. This company not only distributed, but imported and manufactured, alcohol.
In the 1980s, Alko switched from desk service to self-service.
In 1995, when Finland joined the EU, the monopolies in production and import had to be lifted. Thus, the corporation was separated into Alko (distribution), Primalco (production) and Havistra (bulk sales), which formed the Altia Group; only Alko retained a monopoly. In 1998, Alko was separated from the Altia Group, and is now entirely separated from it, although Alko continues to be the major customer of Altia. Altia Group (with Primalco and Havistra) was reorganized later to the current Altia
.
Alcohol monopoly
An alcohol monopoly is a government monopoly on manufacturing and/or retailing of some or all alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine and spirits. It can be used as an alternative for total prohibition...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. It is the only store in the country which retails beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
over 4.7% ABV
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
, wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
(except in vineyards) and spirits
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
. Alcoholic beverages are also sold in licensed restaurants and bars but only for consumption on the premises. Alko is required by law to sell drinks with lower alcohol content than 4.7% and non-alcoholic alternatives, but in practice carries a very limited stock of low alcohol beer, cider and non-alcoholic drinks and mixers as supermarkets sell the same products at a lower price. By law, alcoholic drinks may only be sold to those aged 18 or above.
Products
As the only retailer of strong alcohol in Finland, Alko has an extensive range of products ranging from rare wines to bulk vodka. Its wine selection has grown in recent decades as there has been an increase in consumption and a government drive to change Finnish drinking habits to a more "European" style, which means a move from hard liquor to wine and beer. While wine consumption has increased, this has not replaced consumption of other alcoholic beverages, negating the "Europeanization" argument. Nowadays wines occupy most of the shelf space in an Alko shop. Its beer selection is concentrated on stronger versions of the domestic bulk lagers and some high-quality strong beers from major beer-producing countries as well as traditional SahtiSahti
Sahti is a traditional beer from Finland made from a variety of grains, malted and unmalted, including barley, rye, wheat, and oats; sometimes bread made from these grains is fermented instead of malt itself...
at some locations. Hard spirits include several Finnish brands of vodka and all major types of hard liquor. Alko also sells brands of drinks produced by the Finnish state-owned company Altia
Altia
Altia Oyj or is a Finnish state-owned corporation based in Helsinki, which produces, imports, exports and markets alcoholic beverages. It operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. Altia has production plants in Koskenkorva and Rajamäki in Finland, in Tabasalu in Estonia and...
, which are traditional products and not sold abroad. Many of these date back to the first products launched after the end of the Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
. These are usually for mixing drinks.
Legal status
Alko is a government-owned enterprise reporting to the Finnish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs. , it has 346 shops and 121 order points throughout the country. Alko shop locations have to be approved by National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and HealthNational Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Finland)
The National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health is a centralised body operating under the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Its statutory purpose is to supervise and provide guidance to healthcare and social services providers, alcohol administration authorities and environmental...
(Finnish abbreviation Valvira). Only once has an application for a new Alko shop been denied. In 2003, an application for a location in Koivukylä, Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
, was rebuffed because there was a kindergarten next to the planned location. Earlier shops were located separately from other retail outlets, but beginning in the 1990s a growing number of Alko's have appeared in malls and supermarkets, some even in gas stations. Under the Alcohol Act, Alkos cannot have a window display
Display window
A display window is a window in a shop displaying items for sale or otherwise designed to attract customers to the store. Usually, the term refers to larger windows in the front façade of the shop...
, so stores often have a display of wine glass
Wine glass
A wine glass is a type of glass stemware that is used to drink and taste wine. It is generally composed of three parts: the bowl, stem, and foot...
es and catalogues.
Alko can advertise beverages that contain up to 22% alcohol. In practice, manufacturers or distributors, not Alko, advertise their products. Printed catalogues have information and prices for all products but Internet pages can show only beverages with less than 22% alcohol. However, private individuals have published unofficial over 22% price lists on the Internet.
On the February 3, 2005, the Finnish Food Marketing Association (a pressure group of the country's supermarkets like K-Kauppa and S-Group
S-Group
The S Group is a Finnish retailing cooperative organisation, founded in 1904. It consists of 22 regional cooperatives operating all around Finland in the markets for groceries, consumer durables, service station, hotel and restaurant services, agricultural supplies, and car sales...
) asked the European Union to challenge the legality of Alko's monopoly, which it disputes.
Alcohol by volume
Alcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
can be purchased by individuals at least 18 years of age. The minimum age for products containing over 22% ABV is 20. When asked at checkout a customer must prove his or her age with an official ID (only a driver's licence, ID card or passport is accepted). Alcohol will not be sold to visibly intoxicated customers or when there is a reason to suspect misuse or illegal supply to a person who would not be authorized to buy. Persons under the age of 18 are prohibited from entering an Alko unless accompanied by an adult.
History
From 1919 to 1932, the distribution and consumption of alcoholic beverageAlcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s was forbidden in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. When the prohibition was lifted by the Finnish government
Government of Finland
Finland is a republic with a representative democracy governed accordingly to the principles of parliamentarism. Legislative power is vested in the Parliament of Finland . Executive power is exercised by the Cabinet, officially termed Council of State , which is led by the Prime Minister, the Head...
in 1932 following a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
, they created a company called Oy Alkoholiliike Ab which was fully owned by the government.
The first stores were opened on the 5th of April, 1932, at 10:00. (The date and time form the number 543210, still appearing in trivia quizzes.)
During the 1939-40 Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
the company mass-produced molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s for the Finnish military, production totalling 450,000 units.
In 1969 the company's name was changed to Oy Alko Ab. This company not only distributed, but imported and manufactured, alcohol.
In 1995, when Finland joined the EU, the monopolies in production and import had to be lifted. Thus, the corporation was separated into Alko (distribution), Primalco (production) and Havistra (bulk sales), which formed the Altia Group; only Alko retained a monopoly. In 1998, Alko was separated from the Altia Group, and is now entirely separated from it, although Alko continues to be the major customer of Altia. Altia Group (with Primalco and Havistra) was reorganized later to the current Altia
Altia
Altia Oyj or is a Finnish state-owned corporation based in Helsinki, which produces, imports, exports and markets alcoholic beverages. It operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia. Altia has production plants in Koskenkorva and Rajamäki in Finland, in Tabasalu in Estonia and...
.
Other alcoholic monopolies
- SystembolagetSystembolagetSystembolaget is a government owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. It is the only retail store allowed to sell alcoholic beverages that contain more than 3.5% alcohol. Systembolaget also sells non-alcoholic beverages. To buy alcoholic beverages at Systembolaget one has to be 20 years of age or...
— SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... - VinmonopoletVinmonopoletVinmonopolet , symbolized by Ⓥ and colloquially shortened to Polet, is a government owned alcoholic beverage retailer and the only company allowed to sell beverages containing an alcohol content higher than 4.75% in Norway....
— NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... - VínbúðVínbúðVínbúð is a chain of 46 stores run by the Icelandic alcohol and tobacco monopoly ÁTVR, locally called ríkið . It is Iceland's sole legal vendor of alcohol for off-premises consumption, though in practice most bars and restaurants will not prevent you from leaving with purchased drinks...
— IcelandIcelandIceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... - Provincial Liquor Crown CompaniesAlcoholic beverages in Canada-Comparative consumption:Statistics Canada carries out surveys of alcoholic consumption in Canada, divided by province. Average values for the country are given in the bottom row of the table.-Distribution:...
— CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Liquor Control Board of Ontario — OntarioOntarioOntario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
- Société des alcools du QuébecSociété des alcools du QuébecThe Société des alcools du Québec , often abbreviated and referred to as SAQ, is a provincial Crown corporation in Quebec.-Organization:...
— QuebecQuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
- Liquor Control Board of Ontario — Ontario
- National Alcohol Beverage Control AssociationNational Alcohol Beverage Control AssociationThe National Alcohol Beverage Control Association [NABCA] was established in 1938 as the nationwide organization representing the interests of alcoholic beverage control states or monopoly sale states in the United States...
— United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Pennsylvania Liquor Control BoardPennsylvania Liquor Control BoardThe Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board is an independent government agency that manages the beverage alcohol industry in Pennsylvania. It is responsible for licensing the possession, sale, storage, transportation, importation, and manufacture of wine, spirits, and malt or brewed beverages in the...
— PennsylvaniaPennsylvaniaThe Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... - Montgomery County Department of Liquor ControlMontgomery County Department of Liquor ControlThe Department of Liquor Control is a government agency within the County of Montgomery, Maryland. They currently hold a nearly six decade monopoly on the sale of certain Alcoholic beverages, specifically hard liquor products throughout the county's radius...
- MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
- Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board