Belwest plans to open 70 branded stores in Russia in 2011

March 17, Minsk / Tatyana Chumakova - BELTA /. SOOO "Belvest" plans to open about 70 branded stores in Russia in 2011. This was reported to a BELTA correspondent by Olga Klimenkova, an economist for marketing research at the enterprise. The stores will appear in 24 new Russian cities for the enterprise, including large ones such as Volgograd, Krasnodar, and Orenburg. "Belvest" will most significantly expand its distribution network in the Pre-Urals and Volga regions. In 2010, the enterprise opened more than 30 branded stores in 28 cities of the Russian Federation. Thus, there are currently 72 "Belvest" stores operating in Russia in more than 50 cities. They are mainly located in the Central Federal District. The first branded stores of the enterprise in Russia appeared in the 1990s. The distribution network has been developing most actively over the last two years. In the northern regions of the Russian Federation, classic style shoes are in high demand, while in the southern regions, shoes with a more democratic cut are in demand, noted Olga Klimenkova. "Belvest" also has eight branded stores in Latvia. In Belarus, the enterprise has 28 stores. This year, it is planned to open five (in Pinsk, Soligorsk, Zhlobin, Bobruisk, and Baranovichi). In 2010, one store was opened in Brest, Gomel, and Mozyr, and in March 2011, one in Mogilev. In 2011-2015, more than Br20 billion will be invested in the expansion and modernization of the enterprise's production and the development of its own distribution network. Last year, "Belvest" supplied more than 800,000 pairs of shoes to the domestic market, with about 50% going to the branded retail network. Approximately half of the shoes produced by the enterprise were sold in the republic. The "Belvest" enterprise was founded in 1988 by the Vitebsk factory "Krasny Oktyabr" and the German company Salamander. Since the end of 2002, "Belvest" has been a Belarusian-Russian enterprise. It produces shoes mainly from genuine leather for men and women, mostly casual, although in recent years the collection of fashion shoes has been significantly expanded, and since 2009, sports-casual shoes as well. -0-