UK’s Kingfisher plc has paid a visit to Belarus with the aim of searching strategic partners. The National Center for Marketing and Price Study of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a business matchmaking session for the British retailer with Belarusian construction and home improvement companies.
Kingfisher plc is a big European DIY retailer with about 1,300 stores across Europe. More than 30 Belarusian companies have shown interest in establishing cooperation with the foreign trading network. Among them are the organizations of Bellesbumprom Concern, BMZ, Vitebsk Carpets, Horizont, Ivatsevichdrev, Lenta, Lakokraska, Kobrin-based SITOMO.
“Today’s working meeting is designed to promote the expansion of Belarusian exports within the European DIY segment and also give a boost to the Belarusian-UK trading relations,” said Director of the National Center for Marketing and Price Study Valery Sadokho. Kingfisher representative, head of the Moscow procurement office Tatyana Yarmolchik said that the company’s priority is to seek and establish mutually beneficial cooperation with producers for the DIY supplies to European stores located in the UK, France, Poland, Germany, Spain, and Romania.
“Participation in our company’s tenders is a complex process and we are ready to provide integrated support to potential suppliers, including technical, social and economic audits. We are ready to encourage goods producers to such cooperation. Kingfisher’s strategy is to become a leader in home improvement both for professionals and amateurs,” the representative of the British retailer said.
The event featured B2B talks and an exchange of business contacts, the presentation of the internet platform Export.by and a storefront of Belarusian suppliers. Kingfisher representatives stated that the platform helped them find a considerable number of suppliers. The guests will be shown around the Belarusian companies, in particular, Kapitalstroigrupp (Molodechno) and the Borisov woodworking plant.
