On June 6-8, the 19th International World of Trade Convention was held in Almaty. This year it brought together leading representatives of the retail industry, experts and suppliers from Kazakhstan, Russia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, the Netherlands, Italy, Mongolia and Armenia.
Traditionally, one of the key areas of the Convention was the World of Trade Purchasing Center, which brought together retailers and distributors from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Georgia and China in direct negotiations. Representatives of the largest retail chains and distribution companies from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Georgia took part in the online negotiations.
A major role in the World of Trade Convention program is played by the Eurasian Trade Congress, which brings together experienced experts from different countries on one stage and forms a dynamic discussion of the state of the trading industry in Central Asian countries.
This year, the First Vice Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Aizhan Bizhanova, spoke on the main stage of the Convention. According to her, Kazakhstan’s external trade turnover in 2023 increased by 3.2% and amounted to $139.9 billion. Of this, the cash flow from the export of goods from Kazakhstan at the end of 2023 amounted to $78.7 billion, from imports – $61.2 billion. From January to March 2024, Kazakhstan’s trade turnover amounted to $31.2 billion. The number of Kazakhstan’s non-commodity goods and services exported abroad increased by 278 items and reached 6,010 items.
According to Aizhan Bizhanova, the priority tasks in Kazakhstan are the formation of a modern trading infrastructure, the development of electronic trading and the improvement of exchange trading. To achieve these goals, 19 trading markets were modernized in 2023, which also contributed to an increase in the share of modern trading formats by 33%. The share of e-commerce continues to grow and already amounts to 12.7% or 2.4 trillion. tenge.
Ivan Fedyakov, founder and head of the INFOLine group of companies, noted that due to the weakening of the ruble by 30-50% at the beginning of 2024, Russian products have become more accessible, and therefore its share in the markets of Central Asian countries is only growing.
“On the one hand, the weakening of the ruble continues to curb inflation in the countries of Central Asia, products are becoming cheaper, and the price pressure that we have observed over the past couple of years is less. Today, inflation in Kazakhstan has already dropped below 10%. In Russia, on the contrary, inflation pressure is increasing,” the expert emphasizes.
At the same time, retail trade turnover in Russia (without inflation) is fixed at $532 billion, which is affected by the size and income of the population, in Belarus – $25.5 billion, in Kazakhstan – $42.2 billion, in Uzbekistan – $29.9 billion, in Kyrgyzstan – $6.2 billion.
Among the guests and speakers of the 19th World of Trade Convention are Denis Gaivoronsky, general director of the Kulikovsky confectionery house (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia), Sergey Leonov, general director and partner of the Alliance of Regional Retailers (Russia), Alexander Muravyov, commercial director of the retail chain Magnum Cash&Carry (Kazakhstan), Ilshat Khametov, General Director, Uzum Market (Uzbekistan), Daniel Kim, Director, Airba Fresh (Kazakhstan), Kuanysh Ablaev, CEO of Choco Ryadom (Kazakhstan), Valeria Reksha, General Director of the online supermarket Arbuz.kz (Kazakhstan), Dmitry Stupin, CEO of Dodo Pizza (Kazakhstan), Andrey Kovakin, commercial director of Uzum Tezkor (Uzbekistan) and others.
On June 7, a session “The Protection of Intellectual Property in Retail” was also held, the participants of which were Aset Aitbaev, Managing Director of the Trade Department of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan “Atameken”, Marina Sirotina, Deputy Director of the Department for Intellectual Property Rights of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Zaure Orynbekova, Branch Director Qazpatent, Kazakhstan. Great importance in the discussion was given to issues of brand protection, counterfeiting, legal aspects and innovative approaches to the protection of intellectual property rights.
For the second time, the World of Trade Convention hosted the Board of Directors – a completely new practical platform for business owners and top officials. This year, the moderator of the Board of Directors was Vitaly Podolsky, partner of the Chesterfield Fund, a global high-tech investment fund (UK). More than 15 top business officials discussed the specifics of the work of Boards of Directors in Central Asia.
The 19th World of Trade Convention ended with the awarding of the EURASIAN SUPPLIERS AWARDS to the best suppliers as assessed by the retailers participating in the event. The winners in the “Retailer’s Choice” nomination were the manufacturers “Salih LTD”, “ALAIKU Organics” from Kyrgyzstan, “Krasny Pishevik” from Belarus, “Science, Technology, Medicine”, “LILIYA” from Russia, “Kaz-Ir Agro” (Kaz -Ir Agro), “Raumena” from Kazakhstan.
“Suppliers play a key role in the development of trade. They introduce advanced technologies, provide high quality products and services, and make a significant contribution to sustainable development. The EURASIAN SUPPLIERS AWARDS is our opportunity to recognize and encourage their efforts, as well as stimulate further progress,” noted Elena Sargaldakova, head of the World of Trade Convention.
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- June 17, 2024
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