On September 27, Minsk / Tatyana Chumakova - BELTA /. RUP "Vitebsk Fur Factory" will reduce gas consumption by 20-25% thanks to the reconstruction of the boiler house, which will be completed in November this year. This was announced to a BELTA correspondent by the enterprise director, Sergey Losev. Two new gas boilers have been purchased, and commissioning work is underway. The currently operating gas boilers will remain at the enterprise as backup units. The fur factory also has a boiler running on local fuels, which will be integrated with the two new boilers into a common heating system for operational convenience. Approximately Br800 million has been invested in the modernization of the boiler house, which has been ongoing since November 2010. Overall, investments in the enterprise's fixed capital are expected to be at least Br1 billion by the end of the current year. The majority of these funds have already been utilized. Sergey Losev also reported that Vitebsk Fur Factory plans to open two new showrooms this autumn – one in Minsk in October, and another in Smolensk in November. The area of the capital's store will be 80 sq.m, including a sales area of 58 sq.m. The showroom in Smolensk will occupy 112 sq.m, with a sales area of 52 sq.m. The creation of these stores will cost the enterprise approximately Br600 million. A trading representative office of the enterprise has already been operating in Smolensk since September. In the second quarter of 2012, the factory plans to open a showroom in Moscow. Currently, Vitebsk Fur Factory operates a branded store in Vitebsk and 6 branded pavilions in major stores in all regional centers. Approximately 80% of all products are sold by the enterprise through its own branded retail network. RUP "Vitebsk Fur Factory" is the only large enterprise in Belarus with a full processing cycle – from raw material tanning to garment manufacturing and sales. The factory processes all types of fur and sheepskin raw materials. The enterprise produces over 100 models of outerwear. The assortment is updated by 70% annually. All products manufactured by Vitebsk Fur Factory are environmentally safe and certified under the national certification systems of Belarus and Russia. For January-August, the factory produced products worth Br4.7 billion. The enterprise is part of the "Bellegprom" concern. -0-

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