Linen clothing boutiques may appear in Belarus

July 5, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Orsha Linen Mill plans to open linen clothing boutiques in every regional center of Belarus, Valery Shestakov, Deputy General Director of the Republican Unitary Production and Trade Enterprise "Orsha Linen Mill," told BELTA correspondent. The enterprise intends to present not only its own products in these specialized stores but also to invite designers working with the Orsha Linen Mill's fabrics to cooperate. In addition to clothing, linen shoes, accessories, and souvenirs will be available for purchase. The first linen clothing boutique will open in Vitebsk by the end of the current year. Valery Shestakov noted that the linen mill is actively developing its branded retail network both in Belarus and abroad. Currently, there are five branded stores operating in Belarus – in Minsk, Vitebsk, and Orsha. There are 132 branded sections in retail outlets across the republic, and 8 dealers sell the linen mill's products. About 40% of the manufactured products are sold within Belarus. Abroad, there are three trading houses of the Orsha Linen Mill – in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation. This year, the linen mill established a trading house in Donetsk with 100% Belarusian capital and is negotiating with Polish and Serbian partners on establishing similar enterprises in these countries. Valery Shestakov noted a significant increase in sales in foreign markets. If in January-June 2009, the enterprise exported 3.4 million linear meters of fabrics, then in the six months of the current year, this figure increased to 4.8 million linear meters. For the six months of the current year, the revenue growth rate from product sales in both domestic and foreign markets was 180% compared to last year. Warehouse stocks decreased from Br65 billion at the beginning of 2010 to Br54 billion as of July 1 of the current year. In May and June, the enterprise achieved positive profitability from sales. The Orsha Linen Mill is the only enterprise in the republic for the production and sale of linen fabrics and other linen products. The enterprise's share in Orsha's industrial production is 27%, and it employs over 33% of the total number of people employed in the city's industry. The linen mill comprises five factories, and the linen fabric production process involves about 100 technological operations. Since 2007, the enterprise has been undergoing technical re-equipment of production, installing new technological equipment. According to Valery Shestakov, the enterprise's technical re-equipment program will continue, with approximately 300 million euros planned to be allocated for its implementation. -0-