OURS from Smolensk
The largest hosiery manufacturing company in Russia Smolensk Hosiery Factory has introduced a new umbrella brand name for its products OUR.
For the first time, the collection «OUR» was shown at the autumn exhibition of children's clothing in the Moscow «Expocenter. Now the factory sells under the brands «Caprice», Fenice, «Smolenskiye » and«Nina».
Nina Nikonova, General Director of JSC "strong"Smolensk Hosiery Factory "OUR", former deputy of the Smolensk Regional Duma, conducted a tour of the production and told in detail about the history of the factory and the company's plans.
Smolensk hosiery factory was opened in 1953. By 1964, the company's products had already received international recognition. Now the factory occupies about 20% of the Russian hosiery market. The products are produced under their own brands and by order of well-known brands (BoscoSport, Inditex), as well as for large retail chains: Metro, Auchan, Selgros, «Detsky Mir», «Magnet», «Ship». The company also produces special products, for example, for the needs of astronauts. Currently, the company is expanding its range: in addition to stockings and socks, the factory is increasing the production of knitted clothing for children, teenagers and adults.
"Competition with Russian manufacturers is not the main problem for us. There are not very many domestic products on the Russian light industry market, to put it mildly. The main suppliers are China, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Uzbekistan is actively entering our market. The main competitors are located where the conditions for the development of light industry are better," says Nina Nikonova.
Among the key problems of the industry, the head of the enterprise called the lack of own production of raw materials. In this regard, Russian textile manufacturers have to rely entirely on imports. Meanwhile, competitors from the East have much lower production costs, primarily due to a vertically integrated production system, active state support and affordable raw materials.
Last year, the company invested about 150 million rubles in the development of knitting production, primarily in equipment. As of October 2017, the average age of the equipment is 8 years. The state helps the enterprise by compensating the interest rate on loans. There are no plans to invest in the factory's equipment in the coming year.
By 2017, 6 stores will be opened in Moscow and the Moscow region, by the end of 2018 there will already be 10. The further development strategy of the network involves expansion into the regions, as well as the preparation of a franchise. All these measures are aimed at developing a new brand of stores «OUR». The company's head office will be opened in Moscow by the end of 2017. The rebranding is planned to be completed by the end of 2018.
«The company plans to launch the brand «OUR», which will become the parent brand. For children's products, it will be a brand "Caprice" we had it and we do not give it up. Perhaps we will leave for some socks the brand "Smolenskiye," Nina Nikonova said.
The factory's stores will be called «OUR», the assortment, layout, and additional services will change in them.Thus, rebranding includes not only external, but also qualitative brand changes.
Author: Ilya Tikhonov, expert of the b2b platform "Fashion magazin"
