‘Sbarro, the Italian fast food chain, is going to invest close to $600,000 in the local market in 2006, given that 2 restaurants are opened. The budget for 2007 hasn’t been finalized yet, but it’s likely to look like at least another $600,000 to 1 million,’ reports Director of Brothers and Co. Merab Elashvili. ‘Each project is expected to pay off within 2 years. The company’s strategy is very competitive and, despite the regional competition, the researches we have done and the analytical surveys carried out by our development and marketing specialists indicate that we would be welcome there.

Ural car factory of Miass, Chelyabinsk Region, is going to hold a meeting with the company dealers in order to assess their marketing success in 2005 and discuss the future strategy. As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, the other points on the agenda include the evaluation of Sales Department work in terms of selling Ural cars and their spare parts and setting the new goals. One more item concerns the pricing policy, and then there will be a discussion on dealer network development, service station requirements and the potential of the Russian truck market. The

Due to extremely cold weather in January 2006, Chelyabinskaya Ugolnaya Kompaniya JSC, Coal Company of Chelyabinsk, had to cut back on its coal production and thus fell behind. As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, the cold temperature also caused an inversion of Korkinskiy open-pit mine, the company’s flagship. This lead to a 15% backlog of work (compared to the monthly production plan). The total output of coal comprised 193,000 tons in January 2006, of which 129,000 tons (67%) were extracted from the mines. Korkinskiy mine and Section # 2 excelled the plan by 2% and 3%,

Ufaleynickel JSC keeps on upgrading its obsolete equipment, namely, the new Unico will replace the old KFK-2 photocolorimeters at the Analytical Department of the plant’s laboratory. As the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative, Unico is going to be used for ore, sewage and dross analysis aimed at finding the possible bits of nickel, iron and cobalt.

Metallurgical works of Magnitogorsk produced 120,900 tons of ore, 962,500 tons of agglomerate, 486,000 tons of coke, 838,100 tons of cast iron, 984,000 tons of steel and 903,700 tons of finished steel. 887,900 tons of metal production were produced. The company exceeded last year’s output figures by 12.2%. The export share fell by 3.6% (53.3% opposed t o last year’s 56.9%), the company’s spokesperson reports.

Chelyabinskiy Kompressorniy Zavod CJSC, compressor plant of Chelyabinsk, is going to hold a dealer meeting on February 17, 2006. According to the representatives of the Marketing Department, the meeting will begin with a presentation of the new equipment, namely, DEN-type compressor equipment with the electrical engine driving gear and KV diesel compressor plants. The other point on the agenda include the reports of the Germany’s ROTORCOMP representatives (the company deals in selling the plant’s spiral blocks) and reports by the representatives of DONALDSON Company ans SMS of Belgium; both

The Board of Directors of Uralskiy Asbestoviy Gorno-Obogatitelny Kombinat JSC, ore mining and processing enterprise of Asbest, Sverdlovsk Region, decided to schedule the general shareholder meeting for March 24, 2006. The points on the agenda include the approvals of the annual report and of the annual bookkeeper's record, ibcluding the company’s profit and loss statement for 2005. The other points concern allocation of profits made in 2005 and settlement of dividend payments. The shareholders also are to consider the company’s development strategy and the projected showing for 2006. The

‘Sbarro, Italian fast food chain of restaurants, is going to be introduced in Yekaterinburg, with the first place scheduled to open in centrally located Mega Trade Center this autumn,’ reports Merab Elashvili. ‘An independently located restaurant is also going to be introduced, to be followed by a few other places. Our further plans do not exclude the possibility of sub franchise,’ Mr Elashvili says.

Vysokogorsky Gorno-Obogatitelny Kombinat JSC (Ore mining and processing enterprise of Nizhny Tagil, member of Evraz Group) put into operation a crushing and conveying production complex. On February 3, 2006, the first portion of several tons of iron ore was lifted onto the ground surface from a 530-meter working horizon of Magnetitovaya mine. The total output of the new complex came to almost 500 tons of magnetite on February 3, 2006. According to the company’s PR-department, the complex can produce about 3,000 tons of iron ore daily. It is expected to reach this production capacity within

On the eve of its 14th birthday, Machine Building Works of Miass, Chelyabinsk Region, are thinking of converting their production to consumer goods, reports the company’s management. The company’s production volume went up by 14% in 2005 solely due to an increase in consumer goods, the output of which went up by 30%. Yet the remaining 70% are still comprised by the defense produce – the plant has enough contracts to provide them with until 2010. However, according to GD Alexander Pelevin, there will be fewer contracts starting from 2008. That is why the company is going to build up its share

‘Auchan supermarkets are set up in places where the company can actually bring something new onto the local market. There are normally two ways our company does this: we either acquire the local stores (as in Moscow) or build our own commercial centre (in Yekaterinburg),’ Sales Headquarters Director of Auchan chain stores Jeanne Pierre explained. ‘I don’t believe big regional companies are interested in cooperation; the businesses that would benefit most would be fairly small ones,’ M. Germaine noted. ‘The first Auchan supermarket in Yekaterinburg will be located on the grounds of IKEA in

Magnesite Group bought 35 million RUR worth of equipment for its Magnezit Industrial Complex mine as part of their investment program in 2005. One of the items is the Boomer 282 boring rig (the third in the collection) bought last week. In addition, the miners have already been doing appraisal surveys using the new MetrIter core drill received from South America in December. This investment program will allow the miners to raise the magnesite extraction by 100,000 tons and reach the point of 750,000 tons a year, the company’s spokesperson said to UrBC representative.

In 2005, Chelyabinskgorgaz JSC received its state registration certificates of ownership of 30 high-pressure gas pipelines, the company’s PR-department reported to UrBC representative. These pipelines passed into the company’s ownership mainly during its privatization in 1994. To receive the registration, specialists of Chelyabinskgorgaz had to complete the inventory of the pipelines that included drawing up the log and refinement of siting on the executive survey for every item in the pipeline network. Thus, the company presented a detailed plan of more than 100 kilometer of high-pressure

On February 3, 2006, Russian Heineken Group announced the upcoming production of new Patra Strong and Patra Draught Beer brands using Patra JSC brewery of Yekaterinburg. As the company’s spokesperson says, Patra Strong and Patra Draught Beer brands will hit the local and regional stores in mid-February. Both brands will come in 0.5-liter Long neck glass bottles and 1.5- and 2-liter polyethylene ones, and they are thought to add to the economy price segment. Patra beer proper is to acquire the new design as well. All of the company’s brands will now come in 0.5-liter Long neck glass bottles.

Chelyabinskiye Stroitenlno-Dorozhniye Macshini JSC, road building machines maker of Chelyabinsk, has decided to launch repetition work of a new V125 frontlift in the summer of 2006. Says the company’s Chief Designer Viktor Revin: ‘The launch of this frontlift will allow us to master the production of all the other varieties. We are currently making frontlifts with 2-, 3- and 4- cubic meter loader bucket capacity, yet the ones that sell best are the 1.5-cubic meter capacity models. There is a demand for them, so we decided to launch the V125 frontlift with 1.5-cubic meter bucket capacity.’

SPAS, the local fleet of taxis, became the official ground carrier for Koltsovo airport to Yekaterinburg trips in 2006. SPAS was given a tender after it had been chosen by Koltsovo airport among the other fleets of taxis operating in Yekaterinburg in the end of 2005. Starting February, a taxi trip from the airport to any destination within Yekaterinburg, at any time, will cost you 350 RUR (as opposed to last year’s 300 RUR). The passengers can either call the company beforehand or use the dispatcher service in the domestic or international flights arrivals halls upon landing. The company uses

‘The excise label equipment has finally been delivered, yet the computers and printers still have to be programmed by Atlas, a specialist company. The work is now in progress,’ Director of Tagilvodka JSC distribution subsidiary Evgeniy Kulaev said to UrBC representative. According to Mr Kulaev, the plant has also been idle due to the lack of the papers needed to get the excise labels. ‘The new labels do exist, but we haven’t been given them yet, and acquiring all the documents is time-consuming. Besides, the companies now have to pay 10% off each excise duty in advance. The duty excised on a

‘The airport representatives have rejected our application for performing Yekaterinburg to Moscow flights referring to the airport’s low carrying capacity. In similar cases, the carriers have the right to ask the Timetable Center based with Federal Air Transport Agency to investigate the carrying capacity of the airport. The investigation of Koltsovo airport has already been completed and its capacity has been found sufficient for Siberia Airlines to perform the flights. Thus, Koltsovo was recommended to comply. However, despite the federal findings and requests, the airport still refuses to

On February 1, 2006, former GD of OMZ-Kran Vitaliy Nedelskiy was appointed General Director of Uralskiy Turbinniy Zavod CJSC, turbine works of Yekaterinburg. Former GD Sergei Zyryanov was appointed Chair of the Board, as had been suggested by Renova Group, one of the shareholders. These new appointments are targeted at improving the quality of corporate business management and were caused by the growing need to make and track the strategic decisions within the Board of Directors. ‘During the crisis, the company’s top priority was mere survival, but we have overcome the hardships and have even

In the fall of 2005, Russia adopted the project aimed at setting up credit interchange bureaus – a very bright idea given the booming consumer loans and higher risks faced by the banks. The bureaus would make getting the loan for the law-abiding applicants easier and quicker, and crediting organizations would have fewer no-money-returns, the spokesperson for Uralfinprombank JSC said to UrBC representative. ‘Yet the banking history legislation hardly works in real life; Uralfinprombank JSC and many other banks have been supplying information about disloyal clients, which is regulated by the