In February 2020, the Belarusian watch plant Luch started deliveries of alarm clocks to IKEA. From now on, the Swedish giant is to sell the clocks produced in Belarus. In Soviet times, Minsk Automobile Plant Maz and Belarus Tractor were the only famous Belarusian factories. Nowadays, however, It is the Belarusian lingerie and groceries that are familiar to customers from foreign countries. Read more about five popular Belarusian brands in the article below.
Watches and clocks
Launched in the 1950s, the plant Luch produced various kinds of watches available for sale in all Soviet republics. Around 1,700 models of watches were designed by Luch. In 2010, the Swiss company Franck Muller International B.V. bought 80% of Luch stocks. Both the quality and design of watches has improved in recent years. Luch started to produce modern watches and evolved from a Soviet-style factory into the reputed brand in Belarus. Selling alarm clocks to IKEA is another step towards entering the global market.
Lingerie
Milavitsa is one of the most recognised Belarusian companies abroad that has been on the market for more than 50 years. By now, the company managed to reach out to not only post-Soviet countries ‘ markets but also to those of Germany and the South African Republic. Milavitsa is famous for its quality, designs, and a wide sizing chart. In 2017, Milavitsa was involved in a scandal described by media Naviny.by over holding a casting of models who faced objectivation. Currently, the company features lingerie for the plus-size models as well. In June 2019, Milavitsa also introduced its first diversity campaign.
Legwear
Another company that went through successful rebranding is Conte, a producer of tights, clothes, and lingerie. Based in the city of Hrodna, Conte accessed a market of more than 30 countries, it has physical stores in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. Conte products are also successfully sold in Poland and even China.
Sweets
The Minsk-based factory Kommunarka dates back to 1905 . Until now, it remains one of the biggest producers of sweets in Belarus. Dark chocolate and other products in the bright red package are sold in many other countries, even across the Atlantic. In 2015, Ukrainian and Belarusian Interior Ministries discovered fake Kommunarka production nearby Chernihiv in Ukraine.
Cigarettes
When it comes to the Belarusian brands that are popular abroad, one can not skip mentioning smuggled cigarettes. A number of Belarusians who live in the towns bordering with Poland or Lithuania transport cheap Belarusian cigarettes to the EU countries in order to get a better price for them. Smuggling of cigarettes is probably one of the most sophisticated illegal schemes at which some compatriots are very good at.
In 2016, the BBC published an article uncovering how cigarettes from the tobacco factory Neman in Hrodna were brought into to the United Kingdom. Illegal distributers managed to sell 610 mln cigarettes from Belarus within only one year.
“A recent report suggested 12% of all the cigarettes smuggled out of Belarus ended up in the UK,” bbc.com reports.
Alesia Rudnik. belsat.eu
