The Zaporizhzhia trade company “Vse pro dvery” is a subsidiary of a larger retailer, “Sevi-Trade,” which also specializes in wholesale sales of entrance and interior doors, furniture, components, and laminate flooring. With the onset of war and partial occupation of the region, changes occurred in the company. It was inevitable, given that some districts and cities of the region (Melitopol, Mariupol, Berdyansk), which were traditionally active sales markets where the company had its representatives, are still occupied by the enemy.

During the first weeks of the war, when it was unclear how the situation would unfold in the south and where the Russians would advance, all three branches of the company – Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv – suspended their operations. The Mykolaiv branch was successfully and efficiently relocated to Ivano-Frankivsk with some employees who agreed to leave their homes. In Zaporizhzhia, as Inna Vysokhina, the head of the retail sales department, explained, the office and warehouse of the company remained, but two salons in “Metro” still do not operate because the shopping centers are located in an area actively shelled by occupiers. And the work of the salon in Dnipro was inefficient due to frequent air raid alerts, although sales were activated throughout the region last year.

– Well, what about the branch in the capital city?

– We have even started expanding it, hiring more employees, because after the release of Kyiv Oblast, people began to restore their ruined homes, especially in Bucha and Irpin, and door sales have significantly increased.

– Were you able to evacuate your employees from the occupied territories where the company had sales representatives?

– Some of them stayed in the occupied areas and are essentially lost to us. We had to downsize those who were mobilized, who did not want to leave Mykolaiv, or who were not effective workers. Along with those who left the country, we have experienced almost a 50% reduction in our pre-war workforce. However, it is slowly increasing again. As I mentioned before, our Kyiv branch is expanding, and we have hired new employees for our Ivano-Frankivsk branch.

– You have a line of doors under your own brand name, even though the company is not the direct manufacturer, as is well-known.

– Recently, our partners started manufacturing doors for us under our own brand name, “Portalino.” We started this series as a budget option because we noticed a change in our clients’ consumer priorities. Very often, when our managers offer our clients our best-selling models, which were always popular, the client asks for something cheaper. That’s why we came up with a series of budget doors.

– Have the suppliers of door products changed?

– Unfortunately, the “Novy Styl” factory, which we used to work with, stopped operating due to the occupation and has not been restored yet, so we had to look for an alternative.

– Are you planning to start your own production?

– We had plans for that even before the war, but since we didn’t reach our own production even then, it’s even more difficult to do so now during the war. However, we haven’t given up on those plans and intend to implement them despite all the current difficulties. Of course, it’s hard to say when exactly.

– How are the sales of laminate flooring?

– They are noticeably behind the sales of door products, mainly because the price of this imported product has increased due to the rising dollar. But I remember how at the beginning of the war, sales of related products such as various brackets, hooks, locks, latches, etc. became very active. People were securing their homes and property in every way they could.

– What about the company’s volunteer activities?

– As mentioned earlier, the company suspended all sales in the first weeks of the war. But it was not idle: instead of selling, the owner decided to buy products, primarily grains, oil, and medicine. Later, these products were used to create food packages for employees, and some were given to volunteers who cooked and delivered food to the front and military hospitals. The medicines went there as well. The company also donated a microbus for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. We fully equipped our mobilized employee, providing him with a thermal imager, and other modern military equipment. We are waiting for his safe return, believing in his victory and the ultimate liberation of the region from the occupiers.