Yuveliry Urala (the jewelry business) reports its sales have plunged recently. For one, the company’s net profit decreased from 3.42 million RUR in the second quarter of 2009 down to 1.75 million RUR in the third quarter. The drop thus amounted to 48%. The company says the drop in net profit has to do with shrinking sales.

The Bank of Russia’s PR Department reports the license of Universal Commercial Bank (OOO KB Universal, Pervouralsk, Sverdlovsk Region) was declared invalid because Universal had failed to comply with the federal banking legislation and with the Bank of Russia’s normative acts. What is more, the bank wasn’t able to meet its creditors’ money claims or to make any obligatory payments.

‘Gradara, Grand-Buffet, and Beer Baron restaurants that used to belong to Malakhit Union will definitely not operate any longer. The premises formerly occupied by these eateries have already been handed over to a new proprietor,’ Malakhit Union’s Marketing and Advertising Director Olga Apalkova said to UrBC reporter. ‘As a matter of fact, we have reached an agreement with a customer who is willing to buy these premises, but we are not prepared to declare the name of their new owner yet. We are currently busy signing all the necessary documentation. One thing is certain, all the logos and

Starting November 15, 2009, Ural Airlines is going to operate its new Samara-Tashkent flight. The flight will be operated every Sunday using a modern A320 airplane according to the following timetable: The plane leaves Samara at 2:40 PM and arrives in Tashkent at 6:30 PM; the return plane takes off at 7:50 PM and lands in Samara at 10:00 PM. The time indicated is local one. ‘This flight was introduced within the framework of Ural Airlines’ new strategy aimed at improving its position on the Volga Federal District market. The carrier is already offering scheduled flights from Samara to Moscow,

The claim laid by the public prosecutor for transportation of Serov, Sverdlovsk Region, against Russian Railways Public Company was sustained by the court, the spokesperson for Ural public prosecution authorities for transportation reports. The claim was actually laid on behalf of the local dwellers with disabilities with the aim to protect their rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests; the plaintiff insisted that the railway company take action and restore these people’s infringed rights. The court’s ruling states that Russian Railways Public Company’s Sverdlovsk Region division must make

United Company RUSAL reports some personnel changes at its enterprises. The company’s Bogoslovskiy smelter, for example, now has a new General Director: Yuri Moiseev, the former GD of Nadvoitskiy smelter/NAZ). Krasnoyarsk smelter’s former Production Development Director Alexander Krasovitskiy is going to become Nadvoitskiy smelter’s new GD. Bogoslovskiy smelter’s former GD Oleg Burkatskiy has been appointed UC RUSAL Krasnoyarsk smelter’s Production Development Director, UC RUSAL’s press service says.

Arbitration court is now looking into the claim laid by Koltsovo Airport of Yekaterinburg against KD Avia and VIM-AVIA. The airport wants the defendants to pay it 7.41 million RUR and 1.993 million RUR, respectively. The airport’s press officer explains the sums represent the airlines’ debts for ground services rendered to them by the airport.

The members of NLMK Group sold 779,000 tons of fittings, 160,000 tons of steel work-pieces, 146,000 tons of metal goods, and 77,000 tons of wire rod to their customers in January-September 2009. This was, respectively, 13% and 66% less and 29% and 97% more than in January-September 2008. The enterprises also recycled and shipped to consumers 1.8 million tons of scrap ferrous metals, which was 17% less than a year earlier. Then, the Group’s share of the building bars market came to more than 20% in nine months of 2009; that of the wire rod market came to 16%, and that of the metal goods market

A Yekaterinburg dweller claims VUZ-Bank gave her a counterfeited banknote, a number of Sverdlovsk Region-based TV compnies report. Galina Perevalova insists a fake bill was found among the banknotes she received upon closing her bank deposit. The problem was detected in another bank where she took the money in order to open a new deposit. VUZ-Bank (Life Group’s asset) representative deny any possibility of having given a customer a fake banknote and explain all their cash undergoes several security check stages. The officers of Yekaterinburg’s Chkalovskiy District Economic Offense Department

UralBusinessConsulting Agency for Information and Analytics has recently been informed that the management of Uralmash Machine-Building Corporation decided to keep making their Uralmash Engineering division employees work shorter hours until July 2010. Yet the workers had earlier been told that the shortened shifts would only be around until January 2010.

The losses of Severskiy Pipe Plant (a member of Pipe Metallurgical Company/TMK) rose by 38.39% in the third quarter of 2009. The figures actually increased from 238.93 million RUR in the second quarter of the year to 330.66 million RUR in the third quarter. The company explains the increased losses have to do with their growing debt liabilities.

Alfa-Bank placed its claims against United Company RUSAL’s SUAL and RUSAL Krasnoyarsk smelter with Moscow Arbitration Court. The claims amount to $8.7m, RIA Novosti reports. Alfa-Bank’s Deputy Chairman Vladimir Tatarchuk had said earlier that the bank might consider laying claims against UC RUSAL’s two major plants; these claims would be related to fines for the loans SUAL and its loan guarantor Krasnoyarsk smelter had paid off Moscow Arbitration Court ruled on May 26, 2009 that the enterprises must pay Alfa-Bank $73.8m (their debt). The appeals instance supported the court’s ruling, so the

Nizhniy Tagil Iron & Steel Works and West Siberian Iron & Steel Plant are no longer members of Russian Steel Consortium Non-Commercial Partnership. The decisions to this extent were taken in the course of the respective extraordinary general meetings held in Nizhniy Tagil. The consortium was set up by Novolipetsk Iron & Steel Works (NLMK) and Nizhniy Tagil Iron & Steel Works (NTMK) in October 2001 to unite a number of Russian metallurgical produce manufacturers for better protection of their interests and for the implementation of some non-profit-making projects.

‘Avtoland Britannia’s dealing agreement with Land Rover and Jaguar was halted on October 15, 2009. The company is still undergoing the restructuring process and reconsidering its business plans, including the Jaguar Land Rover direction,’ Avtoland Holding’s Marketing & Advertising Director Svetlana Petrovikh said to an UrBC reporter. ‘As Jaguar Land Rover actually has another dealer in Yekaterinburg, the changes in our company will not affect the customers in any way. Besides, any dealer is allowed to reconsider its plans if some agreements get cancelled. As for the owners of Land Rovers

The Russian Federation President Dmitriy Medvedev met a number of the Russian Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers’ representatives on October 21, 2009. The BOD Chairman of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), member of the Union’s Board, and President of the Union’s Chelyabinsk Region division Viktor Rashnikov took part in this meeting. The agenda of this conference had to do with the country’s post-recession development. The Union representatives presented a number of proposals related to both the post-recession strategy and the current crisis-defying measures. They also spoke about

Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) can now manufacture some hot-dip-galvanised, highly durable rolled products made of duplex ferritic/martensitic NST500X steel that meets EN 10336-2007 standards and is .8-1.5mm thick and 1,000-1,250mm wide. According to MMK PR Department, the steel’s mechanical properties fully meet the EN 10336-2007 requirements. In fact, this steel’s closest counterpart is the DP500 one that meets AVTOVAZ ТТМ 1.25.1255-2007 standards and is becoming increasingly popular as a car body material. So far, MMK’s coating department has selected and prepared for shipment

Chumikov PR & Consulting International Press Club recently came up with its thorough analysis of Chelyabinsk Region’s online news resources’ performance. This research was actually part of the agency’s contract with the Governor of Chelyabinsk Region Administration. The research provided for a few ratings of online media (several single-criterion ratings and one final one) and singled out the most distinctive features of Ural Federal District and Chelyabinsk Region’s Internet-based media. The media were evaluated on a ten-point scale, with ten awarded to news resources that met the

An accident occurred in the building of UC RUSAL Bogoslovskiy smelter’s wet grinding shop at 7:05 PM on October 24, 2009. As a result, the building’s four truss frames and sixty roof slabs with the total area of 720 sq m fell hopelessly down and all the production processes had to be stopped. An ad hoc committee was set up to investigate the causes of the accident. The committee is chaired by head of Rostechnadzor Ural division’s Krasnoturinsk department V. Plotnikov; it also comprises the plant representatives, the City of Krasnoturinsk officials, and officers from Sverdlovsk Region’s

Avtoland Holding’s dealing agreements with Land Rover and Jaguar were halted on October 15, 2009. ‘This had to do with the fact that the dealing center now has a new owner,’ says Avtoland employee working in the show room at 50 Blyukher St. in Yekaterinburg. Nevertheless, the employee says, the holding keeps on selling Land Rover and Jaguar cars as well as offering the after-sales services. ‘The only possible problem is the warranty issues,’ he adds. In the meantime, the two brands’ official websites no longer mention Avtoland Holding as their official dealer. In fact, their only official

‘We might consider laying claims against two of UC RUSAL’s plants, namely, SUAL and RUSAL Krasnoyarsk smelter; these claims would be related to fines for the loans the companies had paid off; however, an out-of-court settlement is also an option,’ says Alfa-Bank’s Deputy Chairman Vladimir Tatarchuk. ‘The thing is, these companies have recently paid off their main loan debt, but they haven’t paid the fines or the fees yet,’ RIA Novosti quotes Tatarchuk as saying. In fact, Alfa-Bank has already applied to Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court, demanding that SAUAL be declared bankrupt, but UC