A recent meeting dedicated to Yekaterinburg’s application campaign for hosting the World Exhibition EXPO 2020 resulted in the decision to set up an ad hoc committee that will deal with the application. The application has to be presented to the International Exhibitions Bureau by November 2, 2011. According to First Deputy Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government and Minister for Investment & Development Mikhail Maksimov, if Yekaterinburg wins the privilege of hosting the exhibition, EXPO 2020 will not necessarily be housed in EXPO Yekaterinburg exhibition center where the recent Innoprom

The net profit of Russian Railways decreased by 17.1% in the first half of 2011 compared with the first half of 2010, and amounted to 48.5bn RUR, the company’s quarterly report states. On the other hand, the railway company’s revenues increased by 10.8% and came to 644.7bn RUR. Its pre-tax profit dropped by 10.1% and reached 74.13bn RUR.

Ural Federal District’s industrial production index kept going up in January-June 2011, and the increase in the industrial production growth rates came to 1.9% (against January-June 2010). This information is available from the report presented to Plenipotentiary Representative of Russian Federation President in Ural Federal District Nikolai Vinnichenko. The data will soon be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the district’s anti-recession committee. The fact that the production growth mainly results from the success of the processing industries is seen as a good trend. In January-June

Uralvagonzavod Scientific & Production Corporation announced it performance results recently. The company’s revenues reached 30bn RUR in the first half of 2011, its gross profit amounted to 8.11bn RUR, while its net profit exceeded 3.66bn RUR. All these figures are better than those for the first half of 2010. The increase in revenues, the issuer reports, was brought about by great demand for the enterprise’s carriage-making division’s produce. At the same time, the profitability of the plant’s produce decreased down to 18.3%. Uralvagonzavod explains this stems from the growing prime cost.

An in camera meeting dedicated to the city’s World Exhibition EXPO 2020 application campaign will be held in Yekaterinburg today. Now Russian President Dmitri Medvedev has already announced his official decision that it is the Urals’ capital Yekaterinburg that will compete for the honor of hosting the exhibition in Russia. The meeting will be attended by Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Alexander Misharin, First Deputy Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government and Minister for Investments & Development Mikhail Maksimov, professor of the Academy of Architecture in Mendrisio (University of Lugano,

Starting October 1, 2011, the clothes chain Sela will only support its own loyalty scheme. The company left Svyaznoy-Club program and stopped adding and deducting bonus points for the program’s cardholders, Retailer.Ru reports. All Svyaznoy-Club cardholders are welcome to exchange their current cards for Sela’s club cards with a 5% discount with any purchase they make at the stores before October 1, 2011. The new club cards will be offered in Sela stores in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kazan, and Yekaterinburg. The company chose not to explain the reason for leaving Svyaznoy-Club program.

Gazpromneft-Tyumen (the selling division of Gazprom Neft) made 210.34m RUR worth of net profit in January-June 2011 (calculated in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards) compared with 333.15m RUR in January-June 2010, the company’s report states. Therefore the company’s net profit slumped by 37%, or by 1.6 times. At the same time, the enterprise’s revenues coming from the sale of goods and services went up by 46%, Interfax-Ural reports.

The chemical and pharmaceutical plant based in Irbit, Sverdlovsk Region, made 28.02m RUR worth of net profit in January-June 2011 (calculated in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards), which was 2.8 times less than in January-June 2010, the company reports. The plant’s revenues increased by 22.6%, whereas its sales revenues decreased by 25.6%, Interfax-Ural says.

Sverdlovsk Region Arbitration Court put off the hearing of the case involving the founder of Omega Group Holding Oleg Fleganov till August 26, 2011, the court’s press officer says. The court will have to consider Fleganov’s insolvency status. According to the data on this case available via the arbitration court’s website, the decision to put off the hearing had to do with a petition of the provisional trustee, who was unable to provide a report on his activity or the information on the debtor’s financial state. Now according to these files, Fleganov’s assets are worth 54m RUR, which is not

The net profit of Enel OGK-5 came to 2.73bn RUR in January-June 2011 (calculated in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards), which was 26.8% less than in January-June 2010, the company reports. However, the enterprise’s revenues increased by 15.1% and came to 30.09bn RUR. Enel OGK-5 currently comprises, among its other assets, Sverdlovsk Region-based Sredneuralskaya and Reftinskaya power stations.

The net profit of the cosmetics manufacturer Concern Kalina rose by 20% in the first half of 2011 against the first half of 2010 and reached 365m RUR (calculated in accordance with the International Accounting Standards). Yet in the second quarter of 2011, the company’s net profit decreased by 16.7%, the concern reports. Concern Kalina’s revenues went up by 8.9% and amounted to 5.5bn RUR. The company’s gross profit increased by 4.9% in the second half of the year and came to 2.8bn RUR; its EBITDA rose by 12.6% and came to 802m RUR, and its operating profit went up by 27.4% and came to 719m

August 15, 2011. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) recently launched the first portion of the upgraded automated control system called ‘Operative Production Management’ that facilitates efficient organization of production processes. The system has been developed by MMK’s daughter enterprise MMK-Informservis and provides solutions for planning and executing the tasks of the entire portfolio of sheet-rolling shops 4, 3, 10, 5, 11, and 8 as well as of the coating department. This system is part of monitoring the completion of orders for the section comprising the oxygen converter shop

The net profit of Varyenganneft was reduced by 8.7% in the first half of 2011 compared with the first half of 2010, so the figure came to 229.62m RUR, the company’s report states. The oil company’s revenues rose by 36.8%, its gross profit went up by 62.6%, its pre-tax profit increased by 23.6%, and its sales revenues were multiplied by 2.3 times.

Ural Federal District Arbitration Court supported the ruling of Chelyabinsk Region Arbitration Court regarding Baltika Beer Company’s subsidiary Baltika Chelyabinsk. The court agreed that the defendant would have to pay a 4.6m fine for the negative impact the company makes on the environment, the press service of Rospirodnadzor (the state environmental watchdog) in Chelyabinsk Region reports.

SKB-Bank came up with the performance figures for the first half of the year. All of the bank’s performance indicators have gone up; for one, the bank’s assets rose by over 3.6bn RUR in July alone, and now comes to more than 85.8bn RUR (in comparison with only 61.6bn RUR in July 2010).

The growth of Stockmann’s Russia-based stores’ revenues is not as fast as it used to be, Interfax refers to Stockmann Group as reporting. In July, the Russian Stockmann stores’ revenue growth was 58.5%. As for the revenues of the Group’s other Russia-based stores Lindex and Seppala, these went up in July as well. However, the company is not willing to disclose the exact figures regarding these stores’ growing output or the absolute figures for Russian revenues. Stockmann Group’s total revenues rose by 8.6% in July and reached ?147.1m. However, last month’s growth rates were slower than those

Alfa-Bank introduced two separate positions of Chairman of the Supervisory Board and of the Managing Director (Rushan Khvesyuk used to do both jobs). The proposal to this extent was presented to the Board of Directors, Alfa-Bank’s press service reports. Rushan Khvesyuk will still be Alfa-Bank’s main Managing Director, whereas Andrei Sokolov, who is currently the bank’s First Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, will become Chairman.

Sverdlovsk Region’s prosecution authorities and Yekaterinburg Economic Offense Division of the Internal Affairs Department closed down a backstreet casino called ‘The Golden Orchid’ that was located downtown, on the fourth floor of the Voznesensky Hotel at 52 Mamin-Sibiryak St. The casino operated under the sign that read ‘Architectural & Construction Licensing & Quality Center’ in Room 402. There were some gamblers in the room at the time of the raid, as well as about thirty staff members (stickmen, bartenders, and security guards). Most of the visitors to the casino happened to be

The net loss of Malyshevskoye Ore Administration reached 2.31m RUR in the first half of 2011 (it was calculated in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards). The company’s revenues rose by 24.3% and amounted to 216.254m RUR. The company reports the increase in revenues was brought about by the growing production and sales outputs.

Ural Airlines flew this year’s millionth passenger in July, which was a month earlier than last year and points to the dynamic growth of the company’s performance indicators. Ural Airlines rendered its services to 326,575 people in July altogether, which exceeded the figures for July 2010 by 43%. This was possible due to an increased demand for summertime flights; the passengers were most interested in international flights from Yekaterinburg to Barcelona, Saloniki, Burgas, and Tivat.