Read about what happened last week in Ukraine and the world, and what is relevant and interesting for the furniture expert, in our digest:

1. Goods are already being sent to and from Ukraine under the joint transit procedure. This means that from October 1, as expected, the “customs visa-free” became operational, and the possibility of the international movement of goods with 35 countries under one transit document was opened for business.

2. Another step towards deregulation of business will be the exemption of enterprises with an average or insignificant degree of risk from carrying out scheduled inspections of man-made and fire safety in the presence of a liability insurance policy. People’s deputies have already voted in the first reading for the relevant draft law

3. The most authoritative marketing event is taking place today – the 15th Ukrainian Marketing Forum. For two days, the marketing community in the capital will talk about how society and businesses cope with the biggest challenges in the modern history of Ukraine. About how businesses adapt to the constraints of the war economy, the next big challenges for marketing, and the prerequisites for creating a Ukrainian economic miracle after the war.

4. The American-Ukrainian investment company “Horizon Capital” announced the creation of a new fund with a target size of $250 million for investments in Ukrainian companies. Half of these funds have already been allocated to the fund. Why shouldn’t furniture manufacturing companies be among those invested in this fund?

5. In the conditions of the current uncertainty, business planning is becoming more and more difficult. That is why entrepreneurs need to immediately realize the importance of the flexibility of their plan, have spare options and be ready to change the strategy at any moment. Those who are ready to quickly come to terms with loss and see opportunities where others see the apocalypse will survive, – believes Lydia Bilas, the founder of the network of educational projects “MRIYDIY”.

6. NEC “Ukrenergo” decided to initiate an increase in 2023 by 84% (up to UAH 636.17/MWh) of one of the key tariffs in Ukraine, which affects the prices of goods and services, the electricity transmission tariff. And the tariff for dispatching (operational and technological) management services will increase by as much as 234% – to UAH 207.63/MWh.

7. If in the spring the relocation (relocation of factories) was gaining momentum, now, after the large-scale offensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the liberation of Ukrainian territories from the Russian occupiers, businesses are increasingly thinking about returning “home”, even to still dangerous areas. Among the reasons: are the impossibility of transporting all the equipment to a new location, the desire of workers to return to their homes, and – very importantly – the absence of sales markets.

8. Sunlight and UV radiation damage living wood and discolour it. Therefore, over time, a beautiful dark walnut cabinet becomes pale, a beech table loses its beautiful red colour, and a light maple bed acquires an unattractive yellow shade. The new Aquafix UV 100 component from the “ADLER” company will make up for this, which guarantees highly effective protection of furniture against yellowing.

9. The international furniture exhibition “Feria Habitat”, which took place at the end of September in Valencia, has not been held since early 2019. Two other exhibitions were held in parallel: kitchen – “Espacio Cocina SICI” and textile – “Home Textiles Premium”. All forums recorded an increase in visitors by more than 30% compared to the previous ones.

10. European mattress manufacturers are warning their customers about delays in the delivery of their products, as the foam required for its production is now in short supply due to the lack of raw material – toluene diisocyanate, which is required to obtain classic foams. Several producers of this raw material in the world are constantly reporting technical failures, each time leading to shortages and rising prices.