Speaking at the opening ceremonies, St. Petersburg Vice Governor Sergey Movchan noted that all of the Centre’s services would be provided to export-oriented enterprises free-of-charge: “I think we’re going to see a lot of new faces here – and a lot of tied-and-true faces as well . The industrial block of the municipal administration is currently in the process of developing a programme to support the exports of St. Petersburg-based manufacturers in the total amount of one billion rubles. This should go a long way towards facilitating the supply of local products abroad and providing appropriate substitution for declining domestic demand. Plans calls for subsidising the costs entailed in transport costs and adapting goods to international standards. All of this should make it possible to raise the export potential, not just of the city – but of Russia as a whole.”

The President of the St. Petersburg Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Anatoly Turchak, added that more than 250 St. Petersburg-based enterprises are currently geared towards exports, with  more than USD 7 bln worth of goods sold abroad in 2014 alone: “I’m confident that the Centre will not only help in identifying and strengthening new sales markets – but also in restoring lost markets.”

The exhibition exposition includes many sector-specific stands: machine-building and metalworking, medicine and pharmacology, light industry, food processing, power equipment, IT and electronics. There are also rotating stands showcasing the goods of companies whose profile fits the stated mandates of the business events hosted by the St. Petersburg Import-Substitution and Localisation Centre.

The Centre will operate in close cooperation with the responsible federal agencies, RF chambers of commerce in foreign jurisdictions, and public entrepreneurial associations.