Volume of souvenirs from China in stores of Kazan has dropped to 20-30%

 (Kazan City KZN.RU, February 24, Kseniya Shvetsova). Market of souvenirs in Kazan needs to be actively developed on the background of decline in the share of Chinese products in the shops. Such an opinion was expressed by Mayor Ilsur Metshin at today meeting of the Coordination Council on development of small and medium businesses held in the City Hall. He noted that the souvenir market in Kazan should be expanded through the use of inter-municipal cooperation. An example of such a "partner city" can be Kukmor, where local craftsmen produce the most diverse souvenirs.

The Chairman of the Committee of souvenirs and products of folk crafts at the Chamber of Commerce of RT Arthur Mustaev said that the share of production of Kazan manufacturers rose to 35-40% in the stores in 2015, whereas it was 25-30% in 2014. At the same time, Chinese souvenirs in 2015 occupied 20-30% of the total, and two years ago their market share was 40-45%. Despite this, souvenir sales growth is not observed. Although the number of tourists is growing, tourists reduce their costs.

According to A.Mustaev, increase of production facilities and the ability to purchase new equipment should influence the situation. "New measures of business support program - the absence of interest rates for the lease of premises in the first two years and concessional lending - will give a huge boost to manufacturers of souvenir production, - A.Mustaev said. - This form of support will create additional jobs and will fill the shelves of shops with our local souvenirs".

As the Mayor of Kazan noted, development of the market of souvenirs is one of the priority areas, on which supporting new business support measures are aimed, and now it is the right time for import substitution in souvenirs.

"There are Chinese consumer goods, and there are products made by our own hands, which are especially appreciated always, in any city - said I. Metshin. - It is desirable that for every budget we had proposals of the representatives of our souvenir business. We deliberately expanded the program by leasing and credit on favorable terms. These measures should provide a real impetus for the development of souvenirs market that we, as they say, can conquer on the crest of a wave. That's why we support measures – for outstripping growth rates in relation to other market participants".

The Mayor called for using not only Kazan resources to develop the industry of souvenirs - for better results, according to I. Metshin, it is necessary to establish inter-municipal cooperation. "We recently visited Kukmor - a leading region in the Republic of Tatarstan on the number of actually produced souvenir products per capita. Citizens themselves for centuries made a variety of products - from boots to dishes - the Mayor told. - It is necessary to arrange market and collaborate with them. It's not just about Kukmor - let's look more widely, attracting not only Kazan craftsmen, but also from the surrounding areas".