MINSK, 23 June (BelTA) – The pandemic has caused problems with sales for Belarusian footwear manufacturers but the markets are slowly starting to recover. Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Nazarov made the statement as he visited ZAO Sivelga on 23 June, BelTA has learned.
Yuri Nazarov said: “No doubt the situation with sales is very complicated. Today even footwear industry flagships such as Belwest and Marko, which have their own distribution chains, are experiencing problems. Because the pandemic has paralyzed life on our markets.”
For instance, Belwest stores in Russia had to shut down, there were no sales, respectively the company could only inflate the stock in storage. “We see slow recovery now. This is why it is important to keep the workforce, the workload, and floating assets because we've spent some of the floating assets on upkeep,” the official stated.
Yuri Nazarov pointed out that a number of measures had been taken in Belarus to support the economy in conditions of the pandemic. Enterprises that focus on the consumer market have had a hard time since it is the most sensitive sector, he stressed.
As for ZAO Sivelga, the deputy prime minister explained that the company's situation is complicated primarily because there are arrears with salaries. “Sivelga employs nearly 214 people. This is why it is necessary to find out what needs to be done for the people to get their salaries. The company has filed an application with the Economic Court of Minsk, a rehabilitation procedure has begun. If I am not mistaken, the protective period will last till 2 July. We have to decide what we should do with the company now. This is why salaries come first, then we will talk about the company's development prospects,” Yuri Nazarov explained.
