On March 18, 2006, Sverdlovsk Region Governor Eduard Rossel met Adnan Kassar, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Fransabank Group, President of Beirut Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Governor’s PR Department says. ‘Mr Kassar is the head of the biggest Lebanese bank and a number of international business corporations. Mr Rossel explained to Mr Kassar in detail the 15-year-long way of Sverdlovsk Region, the former secret land of defense industry, to its present level of world fame. Now the regional foreign-trade turnover comes to $ 8 billion. Sverdlovsk is the only Russian region that has a

Oleg Sotnikov was appointed General Director of Kupets supermarket chain after serving as Technical Director for seven years. Mr Sotnikov hopes to renovate some of the company’s buildings such as the ones in Chkalov St and Agronomicheskaya St; these supermarkets are to undergo massive overhaul. Former GD Oleg Habibullin announced his resignation in order to be fully employed as the City Duma member as early as 2005.

The general shareholder meeting to be held by Metallurgical Company of Magnitogorsk on May 26 will be devoted to the issue of transferring the authority of the sole executive body, now vested with General Director, to MMK Managing Company Ltd., reports the company’s spokesperson. The Managinc Company’s capital is fully owned by the Metallurgical Company; Viktor Rashnikov, current Chairman, is to become President. ‘This decision is one of the steps in the Management Efficiency Enhancement Program. The Group now comprises over 60 enterprises plus the in-plant, it’s still being integrated, so

The meeting of Deputy Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government Vladimir Molchanov and MTA R&D Director John Collins resulted in MTA, Manufacturing Technologies Association of Great Britain, deciding to introduce a subsidiary in Yekaterinburg. MTA comprises over 200 members – producers of machine-building equipment and suppliers of engineering tools, raw materials and component parts. Mr Collins said that MTA members produce met all the international safety and quality standards. The company’s priorities on the Russian market would be setting up joint ventures and investment programs for MTA

The annual general meeting of Snezhinskiy Bank shareholders was scheduled for April 21, 2006. The points on the agenda include approving the annual balance sheet as well as the profit and loss account as well as their distribution. The shareholders will be presented with the report by the management on the company’s achievements in 2005 and goals for 2006; they will also have to approve of the business plan for 2006-2008, elect the inspection committee and the auditor. In what regards the dividends, the Board decided to pay 1.25 RUR per equity

‘We are currently working on two more movie palaces, each possessing at least 8 cinema halls,’ Director Boris Babushkin said to UrBC representative. According to Mr Babushkin, one of the palaces will be located near Limpopo water park, the other one downtown, each possessing the area of 10,000 square meters. The project is going to cost over $ 10 million and will pay off in five years’ time. Mr Babushkin believes that 9 to 10 such palaces located in ultramodern buildings are going to be extremely successful.

Troitsk State District Power Plant started to repair its № 3 turbogenerator. The overhaul will include replacement of banding insulation of the rotor, crack detection of cups and some changes in stator insulation. Everything will have been completed by the end of the month.

Track Production Association has gone through the inspection audit procedure carried out by Intercertifica-TUF specialists on behalf of TUV CERT certificating authority. The auditors approved of the positive trends in the way the system functions – there have been some significant improvements compared to a year earlier. In April, the company is expected to receive the TUV-CERT valid for the next three years. It also possesses the Russian GOST R certificate. It’s been going through certifications since 1999.

Smolino Hotel of Chelyabinsk has been given over to HELIOPARK Hotel Management. ‘There were a number of reasons for this to happen: so many buildings, for example, simply can’t be properly and meticulously run; besides, becoming part of a well-known brand will increase the hotel profitability. The agreement was signed in February 2006, and Moscow cast of HELIOPARK Hotel Management set to work on March 1,’ said HELIOPARK Smolino Executive Director Elena Nardelli. ‘The arrival of the new managing company naturally broughabout some changes. Thus the working day limit was shifted to 12 hours

Evraz Group, an ore maker, has been negotiating with Rover Ltd. of Kemerov on buying coal. According to Evraz proprietors, the company is going to develop the new coal business and buy more coal. The Group has been reported to be doing the preliminary assessment of the coal company, yet Evraz itself has not given any official comments so far, says Vedomosti newspaper. In 2005, Rover Ltd. was nearly bought by the metallurgical industrial complex of Magnitogorsk; the owners of the coal company, including GD Timur Tsoriev, had been negotiating on the issue of acquisition, but the transaction

Managing Director of West Siberian Metallurgical Industrial Complex Andrey Mokrinskiy will soon become the Operational Managing Director of Evraz Group. Former Operational Managing Director Valeriy Khoroshkovskiy became President on January 1, 2006, reports Interfax. Mr Mokrinskiy will be succeeded by R. Nugumanov.

Sverdlovsk Region industrial production index for January and February 2006 grew by 10.9% and 7.5%, respectively, against a year earlier, reports SverdlovksStat, the statistical agency. It was in the field of automobile production (2.7 times), rubber and plastic industries (55.6%), electrical appliances and equipment (42.8%), textiles (35%), radio and television equipment (19.4%), machines (14.2%) and publishing and printing business (11.8%) where the increase was most visible. The output of tobacco products and timber processing and wooden goods fell by 75.6% and 7.2%, respectively. The

60,200 square meters of dwellings were produced in Sverdlovsk Region in January and February 2006, which exceeds the figures for 2005 by 2.7%, reports SverdlovksStat, the statistical agency. The private builders put up a total of 46,100 square meters of houses (an increase of 8% compared to 2005). The share of private housing made up 76.6% of the total amount compared to 78.1% a year earlier. There were more buildings constructed in these two months than twelve months before in 28 towns and cities of the region.

‘Our comments on the need for protection of the author’s rights in TV advertising have to do with our wish to make every player on the market aware of the changes in the Russian Authors Association standards,’ said GD of Telets Advertising Agency Artem Drygant. ‘This should prevent the advertisers from the disloyal producers as well as fines. The TV channels will be able to produces timely and detailed records of the ads they put on air. The authors will be able to receive their royalties. The advertising market is developing and legal protection of intellectual property must become effective

Sverdlovsk Region Court of Arbitration introduced competitive production in Yekaterinburg Winery JSC today. The company has up to now only had the external inspection and recently declared itself bankrupt. UrBC has already reported the statement by Deputy Minster of Sverdlovsk Region Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry Sergey Latskov which made it clear that the decision of the Court should result in appointing the company manager who would decide what assets and when should be put up to auction ‘Everything is to be done in accordance with the law,’ Mr Latskov said. The company was

Strong drinks will not disappear completely from Kupets supermarkets this week. As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, their supplies should last them for another few months. In April or May, the issue has to be fully resolved. ‘We certainly do have some problems with imported produce as well as the rest of local market,’ the spokesperson said. The company is going to compensate the foreign strong drinks with their Russian counterparts. The foreign spirits may become 15 to 20% more expensive, which doesn’t have to do so much with the new legislation; it’s rather due to the

‘The current trend in mobile phone services is volume discounts on traffic prices, which is caused by more traffic,’ Deputy GD of Set Tsifrovikh Technologiy (Digital Technologies Network) JSC Alexei Bachurin said to UrBC representative. ‘Yet lots of major operators are not willing to give those discounts: there are only two of them on the market, so the competition is insignificant. If there appear more of them in the nearest future, let’s say another two, this will surely lead to more customer-friendly pricing policies,’ Mr Bachurin said.

Vice-president of Ural Regional Currency Exchange (URVB Stock Exchange) Maxim Kostylev has commented on the claim by Tatyana Kolotova, Head of Sverdlovsk Regional Department of the Federal Antimonopoly Service. Ms Kolotova claimed that no exchange was prepared to auction Government Purchases yet. ‘At the moment, Ural Regional Currency Exchange has licenses for auctioneering goods and standard contracts. Our infrastructure embraces complete set of hard- and software for commodity e-exchange. URVB has adopted and confirmed the Rules for Auctioneering in the Section of Commodity Markets. URVB’s

On March 16, 2006, Chelyabenergo JSC, Chelyabinsk Regional electricity Supplier, held a project team meeting concerning charges for connecting to the company’s networks. The meeting was visited by Chelyabinsk Regional and municipal governments’ representatives. According to GD of Chelyabenergo Evgeny Kryuchkov, there is a long felt need for connection charges. Numbers of networked electricity consumers as well as the demand for Chelyabenergo electricity networking have been growing during the last few years. This growth was induced by the general growth of Chelyabinsk Regional economies and

During February 2006, Seversky Trubny Zavod JSC (tube maker of Severka), member of Trubnaya Metallurgicheskaya Kompaniya, shipped over 46,000 tubes to its consumers. Total shipments since January 1, 2006 have exceeded 89,000 items, the spokesperson for Seversky Trubny Zavod said. Within February, the company produced 52,000 tons of steel. The company’s total steel production came to 108,000 tons in January and February 2006.