26 August, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Open Joint Stock Company "Vitebskiye Kovry" has exported products worth $19.7 million since the beginning of 2011, as reported to BELTA by Sergey Kolesnik, Deputy General Director of the enterprise. The growth rate of export deliveries for the first seven months of the current year compared to the same period in 2010 was 120.8%, with a positive foreign trade balance of $7.4 million. As noted by Sergey Kolesnik, the joint-stock company has established an extensive trade network abroad, which includes both branded stores and dealer networks. In July, the enterprise opened a branded store in Tula, which became the fifth in the Russian Federation. In Belarus, there are 19 retail outlets operating under the "Vitebskiye Kovry" brand. Sergey Kolesnik mentioned that the enterprise intends to further develop its branded trade network in Russia and Belarus, opening at least one store per quarter. In other countries, "Vitebskiye Kovry" will continue to work on expanding dealer networks and increasing the number of wholesale buyers. Currently, thanks to the established sales network abroad, the joint-stock company ensures stable product supplies to Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Romania, Latvia, and Lithuania. "Vitebskiye Kovry" is not scaling back its technical re-equipment program and continues to expand the range of import-substituting products and increase their volumes. While the enterprise produced 9.5 million square meters of carpets in 2010, by the end of 2011, "Vitebskiye Kovry" intends to increase production to 10 million square meters. Over the past two years, fundamentally new types of carpets and products have been developed, including scroll-type products with a combined pile creating a volumetric pattern; woven and needle-punched carpets and shag-type products with a high cut pile made of highly twisted and heat-treated frieze yarn; woven carpets and products with a pile base of BCF, Heat-set, and Frize polypropylene yarns; and mats made of synthetic yarns. By the end of the current year, "Vitebskiye Kovry" intends to replace two weaving looms with new, more productive, and less energy-consuming ones. Additionally, the enterprise will continue to work on expanding the palette of manufactured products.