Entering new markets takes time and solid investment
In most cases, Ukrainian furniture makers make their first export moves modestly and carefully. Or performing some one-time order. It can be said a trial. In a similar way, export history began at INSTYLE Kitchen•Living, an now respected domestic manufacturer of kitchen furniture. 2012 Instyle received the first overseas order for furnishing a private apartment in the center of Cologne. However, its director Роман Сидоренко will tell more about the export history of his company.
– Like every newcomer in this business, we acquired our first export experience not without certain difficulties. Not in the sense that there were problems with the execution of the order – as an exporter of experience had problems with its documentation for the delivery of furniture to the customer. Rather, the hired broker did not do his job. Although they say that the horses at the crossing do not change, but we urgently had to change the broker. But the logistics company that delivered our cargo to Germany did a good job with its part of the work. Following the furniture, our team of installers was sent to the customer, who also did not disappoint. It can be said that the first page of our export history was, on the whole, successfully turned over.
And then there were a number of similar orders, and this put us in front of the need to have our representatives abroad as dealers, we would directly look for customers, take orders and be intermediaries between the manufacturer and the customer. The first such representation 2017 appeared in Warsaw, next year in Germany. It was possible to start the current year for our, so to speak, foreign economic activity: the company is involved in a Ukrainian-Israeli project involving the furnishing of three thousand apartments in Israeli newly built Ukrainian furniture, among which are Instyle kitchens. I say it, because the first furniture sets have already been sent to the customer.
– Probably, it is logical when a manufacturer who has already tried, more or less successfully, to declare himself as an exporter, seeks to develop more and more new foreign markets. Does your company have export ambition?
– While export for us is not the primary goal, because we are still far from exhausted the possibilities of the domestic market. But we will not stop the movement in the export direction either. We will use all the opportunities in this business that open up for us.
A powerful, stable company, whose good reputation is reinforced by solid export practices and regular participation in prestigious international exhibitions, is capable of working in foreign markets in priority. To acquire these advantages, we need more than one year of hard work and solid investment in the export component of the furniture business. We are, by and large, still at the beginning of this journey.
– Your current premiere participation in the Cologne exhibition met your expectations? Has opened up new expert perspectives for you?
– Of course. Firstly, thanks to participation in Imm Cologne, we will be able to increase the number of our foreign dealerships, and secondly, there is a real prospect of receiving a whole series of new orders, and substantial ones, from foreign construction companies. Representatives of several of them – for example, from France and Belgium – have already come to us for a more substantive acquaintance with our production, our furniture and opportunities for a more substantive conversation about cooperation.

The heading “Success Stories” was founded as part of a grant project with the support of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Ukraine, the project name: “Increasing the level of cooperation and trust with joint participation in international and national government procurement” – TENDER TOGETHER.