Mebel 2019: experts discuss ways to support furniture exports

The panel of Russian Export Center: Support of Furniture Export took place at the Mebel 2019 international exhibition at Expocentre. It was organised by the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Russian Export Center AO, the Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia, and Expocentre AO.

The moderator, Director of the CCI of Russia Exhibition, Fair and Convention Department Sergey Selivanov, thanked Russian Export Center and Expocentre for their continuous assistance in holding consultative sessions, which addressed mechanisms of support for Russian furniture exports.

Expocentre First Deputy General Director Nilolay Gusev said in his greetings that consultative sessions had become a good tradition of the trade shows organised by Expocentre.

"Today we are meeting on the sidelines of the Mebel 2019 international exhibition, which demonstrates great dynamics and set a record by exhibition space and the number of exhibitors this year. The exhibition is involving 838 companies and organisations from 28 countries. Seventy percent of the exhibitors represent the Russian furniture industry," Gusev said. He noted that Expocentre paid much attention to showcasing achievements in the domestic furniture industry both in Russia, including at the current show, and abroad. Expocentre actively cooperates with Russian Export Center in organising Russian exhibitions in foreign countries. Twelve out of 14 Russian exhibitions organised by Expocentre abroad were arranged by the orders from Russian Export Center.

General Director of the Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia Timur Irtuganov presented a review of Russian furniture exports. In his words, the share of furniture in overall Russian timber industry exports has been growing. There was a 40% surge in Russian furniture exports in ruble terms in 2018 after a period of decline. This year, furniture exports continued to grow, but not so fast. They currently stand at $375 million, but Russia's share on the global furniture market is only 0.2%.

A broad range of financial and non-financial measures of support for domestic exporters offered by Russian Export Center was presented by head of the consumer goods export support project Maxim Chapov. There is a variety of services, primarily analytical support, which includes assessment of the export potential and risks companies might encounter in their arrival at foreign markets, he said. Russian Export Center experts also verify business reputation, organise targeted events inside and outside Russia, provide customs administering and logistics support for foreign trade deals, and offer plenty of other services.

There are also numerous financial instruments supporting export projects. Russian Export Center Group includes the Russian Agency for Export Credit and Investment Insurance (EXIAR) and Roseximbank. The group provides insurance and credit support. For instance, Roseximbank offers a series of lending products, including those for foreign buyers of Russian goods. In all, Russian Export Center's support for exporting companies exceeded $18 billion in 2018. Support was given to over 10,000 exporters.

The panel speakers answered numerous questions of the audience.

Press Service, Expocentre AO