Ambassador: everything connected with Belarus associated with quality mark in Kazakhstan
“Everything connected with Belarus is associated with a quality mark in Kazakhstan. We are actively developing a network of Belarusian food stores, which already exist in all regional cities,” the Ambassador noted.
Two hundred seventy branded retail facilities have been opened in Kazakhstan, where products under Belarusian brands are sold. Moreover, distributors working under a franchise sell goods from Belarus in various stores, with milk, sausages, and meat products being among the top preferences of local residents.
Mr. Utyupin said that during a visit to Baikonur – when Belarus’ Marina Vasilevskaya was going on her debut space flight – the delegation agreed with the city administration to open one or two shops with Belarusian goods this year. The Ambassador stressed that domestically-manufactured products are also sold in a large network of hypermarkets in Kazakhstan via branded retail kiosks of Belarusian goods.
“As far as trade and shops are concerned, the second direction is light industry products. We’re working on creating a multi-brand light industry store. There is a desire to set up them in Astana and Almaty – perhaps with a certain priority in the largest cities – in order to present Belarusian products on a larger scale, identify the goods that enjoy the greatest demand, and then progress in their promotion. We have been working on the same strategy in relation to food products,” Mr. Utyupin said.
The Ambassador also focused on confectionery products, “There’s a need to isolate them into a separate business, even to create a network of confectionery stores. We’re currently working on the possibility of holding a Forum of the Regions of Belarus and Kazakhstan, and thus we will involve a very large layer of regional co-operation. We have signed about 25 co-operation agreements between the regions of Belarus and Kazakhstan,” the diplomat stressed.
