Established ten years ago, our activity covers trading and consultancy.

We specialise in doing business with Russia; the company is owned by two Directors, both fluent in Russian and English, with between them, 40 years of travelling and doing business in that part of the world.

We firmly believe that Russia represents a huge growth opportunity for business, and while it has not commanded the interest that China or India have in recent years, there are many benefits in concentrating on this market.

Apart from having huge natural resources, a higher literacy rate than in Europe or the USA, and of course its geographical proximity, Russia is increasingly showing that it welcomes trade and investment in a way that was not previously the case.

Its population of 147 million represents a market for all of us, and is a good source of qualified personnel for companies considering outsourcing or setting up local manufacture.

Apart from our own business therefore, we continue to promote Russia as a trade and investment opportunity, through our publication “Russia: Market Approaches”, and our business to business event, “Russia: Practical Solutions”

We are primarily a trading company, and are exclusive Russia distributors for McAlpine in Glasgow. We built this business up from 7 boxes for our first order, to our current volume, approaching 20 magnum containers per year.

As such, we have warehousing in central Moscow, and of course our Moscow office and network of sub-distributors throughout the eleven time zones that make up the Russian Federation.

This infrastructure is available to our consultancy clients.

Consultancy services cover three principal areas:

Business assistance

The knowledge, contacts and experience, which we have built up over the years in our trading business can readily be shared with our clients to save them time and money.

On a more quantifiable level, companies wishing to sell goods can make use of our Moscow warehouse, and of course our regular transport going from the UK to Russia. We can assist with registration, certification, storage, and so on. Because we have done it for ourselves.

Our clients have very diverse backgrounds. Some have done business in Russia for many years, while others are absolutely new to the market. Of course, this means that what we do depends upon the needs of the client. Some may want help across the board, while others just need customised training for incoming personnel.

For the relative newcomers, we can offer an introduction to the market, and this will almost inevitably involve a trip to Russia, perhaps to coincide with a trade fair relevant to the company’s profile. But in addition, we will of course conduct research into the company’s product or service. This includes a look at what the company’s competitors are doing, outlets, prices, etc.

At a later stage we can find potential distributors or partners, and assist with the selection process. Where possible we can obtain intelligence on the companies involved which may not be readily available.

Costs
Part of our ethos is to keep costs down for our clients, as well as to get them up and running in as short a time as possible. Multi-tasking is something that comes easily to most companies doing business in Russia. Therefore, we do not always work for a client in a sequential manner, thereby losing valuable time. We will be simultaneously conducting research on potential partners, while passing on the latest information about certification, Customs tariffs and so on.

Troubleshooting
Sometimes it all goes wrong and Russia is no exception. Companies frequently come to us when they have hit a brick wall. This may be because of some new legislation, because they need a Power of Attorney, or need a local Russian structure. We don’t promise to break down the brick wall, but there have been cases where we have provided a way out of what seemed on the face of it to be an insoluble problem.

Ongoing Assistance
And when the job is done, some companies just can’t bear to let go! For a monthly fee that most consultants would not get out of bed for, we will keep a watching brief, or simply be available when you need us. This means we will do a meeting for you at short notice, make some calls, or whatever it is you would like us to do.