The Russian retail chain - Magnit will open a representative office in Uzbekistan, announced Ekaterina Lobanova, director for commercial purchases and own production of PJSC Magnit at INNOPROM industrial exhibition in Tashkent.
“We see that the demand of buyers for Uzbek-made goods is growing. Agricultural products are undoubtedly the area of our greatest interest. Already, the import of Uzbek fruits and vegetables into our network is more than US$ 40 million. Nevertheless, we believe that the potential for this kind of cooperation is very high,” Lobanova said.
Thus, the company expects to quadruple the volume of imports within 3-4 years. For this, she said, it was decided to create a representative office in Uzbekistan.
“First of all, the task of the future office will be to sign long-term contracts with partners, improve interaction, and an open dialogue. In addition, it is very important for us not only to maintain relationships with partners with whom we have been cooperating for a long time, but also to look for new opportunities and suppliers, developing the base of our reliable partners. Vegetables and fruits are not the only area of our interest, - said the representative of the company. "We are ready to find new goods and products that could be brought to the Russian market."
Magnit is also a major industrial manufacturer. According to Lobanova, the company finished last year with a record figure of 300 thousand tons of products, mainly confectionery, pasta, tea, coffee and snacks.
“These are the categories of goods that we are ready to offer to Uzbek consumers. We compared the prices that the Russian consumer can find at Magnit with the prices that we see in Uzbekistan, and we understand that price-wise we can offer very competitive positions to our potential customers in Uzbekistan. We have been in this business for many years and we know what the consumer needs. I think that we could become a very comfortable partner for our Uzbek colleagues,” concluded Lobanova.
