Vitebsk Regional Union of Consumer Societies intends to invest 3 million rubles in the development of its industrial complex in 2023. This was announced today by the Chairperson of the Board of Vitebsk Regional Union of Consumer Societies, Tatyana Nazarova, at a meeting of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, which reviewed the organization's performance results for 2022 and its tasks for the new annual period.

According to her, these will be own and borrowed funds, as well as funds from Belkoopsoyuz, which will be directed towards the modernisation of the society's existing workshops and production units, and the acquisition of new equipment:

- Our main task for 2023 is to ensure efficient operation, without which further development is impossible. To this end, a business plan has been developed and approved, which provides for the renovation of the procurement and industrial complex. The latter includes more than 500 items of our own products. We process everything we procure: fruits, berries, vegetables. For example, we processed over 80% of the volume of apples procured last year. This approach contributes to an increase in retail and catering turnover.

Tatyana Nazarova noted that currently 74% of the turnover of the Regional Union of Consumer Societies is generated by serving rural residents. A third of the organisation's shops are located in settlements with a population of less than 200 people, many of them remote:

- Our vehicle fleet includes 115 mobile shops that serve residents of 3.8 thousand villages and hamlets in the region. 89% of these settlements have a population of up to 50 people. Therefore, our system experiences difficulties. However, not all reserves for improving operational efficiency have been exhausted. We see opportunities for development through the renovation of the industrial complex and the expansion of procurement activities. We are also focused on improving trade services for rural residents, including through the acquisition of new mobile shops. Last year, for this purpose, the organisation purchased nine vehicles, and in 2023, we plan to add another eight to our existing fleet. This will allow us to increase the range of goods offered due to a larger display area.

Regarding the activities of structural divisions, Tatyana Nazarova highlighted the Postavy branch. It has been very active over the last quarter: