Anecoop opens branch office in Russia

The booming success of the Russian market is spreading among all main fruit and vegetable suppliers. Anecoop, one of the most important Spanish organizations, is not certainly exempt: “At present Russia is for us - the company highlights in a note - one of the most interesting markets in view of expanding our commercial network”. For such reason Anecoop is inaugurating in September a new representative office in Moscow, whose main goals will be opening the market and develop closer relations with existing customers.
The initiative is a consequence of the significant growth that Anecoop has developed through the years in Russia, where since quite long time now it has been distributing the fruit and vegetable products of its 95 members cooperatives. Actually the creation of Anecoop over 30 years ago was partly due to the necessity of having an adequate interlocutor to export to Eastern markets.
The opening of a Russian branch office was necessary due to the fact that 80% of the fruit and vegetables consumed in Russia are imported, being Spain a main supplier. Citrus fruits are the most requested products, followed by stonefruits, apples-pears, strawberries and the new Kaki Persimmons. Talking of vegetables, tomatoes have a relevant role as well as leaf salads.
Further to the importance of Spain as supplier to Russia, an influential factor to the opening of Anecoop’s Russian branch was that in recent years many retail chains that Anecoop already supplies (representing 80% of its total customers) throughout Europe have also moved to Russia.
The director of Anecoop’s Russian branch will be Vitaly Valov, who comes from X5 Retail Group - one of the main Russian distribution chains - and has many years of experience in this field, especially when it comes to fruit and vegetables.
With this new opening, Anecoop plans to triple in 2008-2009 the volumes of its products exported to Russia, which in 2006-2007 totalled 4,500 tonnes (of citrus fruits, fruit and vegetables and wine).