Inmarko OOO is a Russian producer of
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
and
frozen food
Freezing food preserves it from the time it is prepared to the time it is eaten. Since early times, farmers, fishermen, and trappers have preserved grains and produce in unheated buildings during the winter season. Freezing food slows decompositi ...
s based in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
. Currently owned by
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...
, it has factories in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
,
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
and
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
*Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
*Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...
and had over 4,500 employees in 2008. It was sold to Unilever in 2008 and ceased to exist as a separate company in 2012.
History
The foundation of the company
In 1992, six individuals, including entrepreneurs Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov, founded a business to sell ice cream from street stalls in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
. The business was successful, due to the lack of competition in the specialized trade for ice cream. Subsequently, selling ice cream became big business.
In 1993, the company "Inmarko" was registered. The history of this name is unknown. In the early 1990s in Russia, it was fashionable to give companies foreign names. There are several versions of the origin of the name, according to one of the founders, the name came to them during a festival. Now the
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
"investment marketing company" is commonly used.
Inmarko company-distributor
Inmarko began as a producer and a distributor. At first, they sold ice cream through cold storage facilities in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
, and later to cooperate with other regional producers. Sales began with 80 stalls, all in Novosibirsk. Distribution was set through personal contact.
In 1993, the company turned its attention to foreign goods, and not the usual cups or briquettes, but to complex ice cream such as ices or with chocolate-nut filling. This was a novelty in Russia, especially as a cheap and nationally available product. In 1994, Inmarko began to import
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as ...
,
waffle cones and
popsicles
An ice pop is a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is "quiescently" frozen—frozen while at rest—and becomes a solid block of ice. ...
from Poland, Denmark, England, Sweden, Spain, cooperated with
Koral, Augusto,
ISCO
Francisco Román Alarcón Suárez (; born 21 April 1992), commonly known as Isco (), is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder. He last played for La Liga club Sevilla.
He began his career at Valencia, playing ...
, Menorquina, and Frideriks companies. However, the basic assortment remained, along with premium ice cream from Denmark and downmarket offerings from Poland.
In 1994, the company purchased freezers from Denmark and moved the sale from trays to
kiosk
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist i ...
s. To stand out, the kiosks were made hexagonal, but kiosks of this shape were inconvenient to use and were quickly abandoned.
Opening of own production
In the mid 1990s, responding to changing customs regime, Inmarko began to produce formerly imported ice cream.
In 1996, the village Elite of the
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
region constructed the first Inmarko factory with a capacity of 5 thousand tons. The Danish firm Frisco built the factory. The products and packaging were developed by the designated unit. Inmarko did not advertise at the time, believing that the packaging itself was advertising enough with their unusual bright design.
In addition to the
wholesale trade and sales through
kiosk
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist i ...
s, the company began to supply products to stores. After about a year, the existing capacity of the factory was not enough. In 1997 Inmarko purchased state blocks of shares of a factory in
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
at auction. Frisco worked with Inmarko to upgrade the factory.
Inmarko has upgraded the
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
factory three times, with potential production capacity now at 50,000 tons.
The expansion of the company
In 1998–1999, after the
Russian financial crisis, the Russian market of foreign manufacturers of ice cream was abandoned. Subsequently, their place was taken by the company Inmarko. The range of products significantly expanded the company and promoted its products in the Central regions. Due to the lack of production capacities and the complexity of delivery in
European Russia
European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...
, Inmarko, the company ordered at other Russian facilities, including those of competitors.
In 2002, Inmarko created a network of official distributors in
Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part o ...
, the
Urals
The Ural Mountains ( ; rus, Ура́льские го́ры, r=Uralskiye gory, p=ʊˈralʲskʲɪjə ˈɡorɨ; ba, Урал тауҙары) or simply the Urals, are a mountain range that runs approximately from north to south through western ...
and in the Central Russia. The number of kiosks in
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
and
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
reached 330. In the same year the company became a leader in the ice cream market in Russia selling 27,145 tons.
In 2003, Inmarko establishes a management company called "Business Development" with the aim of attracting investment. A blocking stake in the company was acquired by the EBRD Norum Fund for $8 million
Det Norske Veritas
DNV (formerly DNV GL) is an international accredited registrar and classification society headquartered in Høvik, Norway. The company currently has about 12,000 employees and 350 offices operating in more than 100 countries, and provides serv ...
conducted a certification audit of the company and Inmarko received a certificate of compliance with international standards
ISO 9001: 2000.
In 2004 the company began the conquest of the Central regions of Russia. In the first year of operation in the capital was placed about 1,500 freezer chest freezers. Later in 2005 for the development of sales in the Central regions acquired Inmarko OOO "Fink", a former distributor of ice cream "
Algida
This is a list of brands owned by the British multinational consumer goods company Unilever.
Unilever's billion euro brands
These brands have annual sales of one billion euros or more:
* Axe/Lynx
*Dove
*Omo/Persil
* Heartbrand (Wall's) ice ...
". As a result of this purchase the sales network of Inmarko has increased by 600 outlets. In the Moscow region, the company was faced with difficulties associated with backwardness of the market of Moscow. In the opinion of the managers of the company, now the capital market is developing at that stage, which was passed in Siberia 10 years ago.
Held placing bonded debt of 1 billion rubles. The resulting funds are directed primarily to repay commercial Bank loans and financing of investment programs. In the same year, for the first time in 12 years of existence, Inmarko started to advertise on national television. In 2006 the company attempted to diversify its products and entered the frozen food market with its own brand "Have an idea". Vegetables and berries are sold under this brand was made under contract at the Polish plant Oerlemans Foods Siemiatycze. However, Inmarko has no plans to expand the sale of frozen products, considering that the business is "unstable and unpromising".
In 2007, the company significantly strengthened its position in the market of
European Russia
European Russia (russian: Европейская Россия, russian: европейская часть России, label=none) is the western and most populated part of Russia. It is geographically situated in Europe, as opposed to the cou ...
, after acquisition of JSC "Tula "company". The Company is planning a major reconstruction of the
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
*Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
*Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...
factory, putting in the project $53 million, with the commissioning of the factory into operation in 2010. The planned capacity of the factory after reconstruction is 45 thousand tons.
In 2008,
Unilever
Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...
officially announced the acquisition of Inmarko. As a result of this agreement, Unilever became the sole owner of Inmarko.
On 4 April 2012, the company ceased to exist as a separate legal entity after reorganization.
Activities
Inmarko produced ice cream and frozen foods. The product range of Inmarko had about 120 products (2005).
In 2007, the company's revenue was $170 million.
Branches and representative offices
In 2009, the company manufactured out of
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
*Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
*Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...
and
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
, with branches in the cities of
Novosibirsk
Novosibirsk (, also ; rus, Новосиби́рск, p=nəvəsʲɪˈbʲirsk, a=ru-Новосибирск.ogg) is the largest city and administrative centre of Novosibirsk Oblast and Siberian Federal District in Russia. As of the 2021 Census, ...
,
Omsk
Omsk (; rus, Омск, p=omsk) is the administrative center and largest city of Omsk Oblast, Russia. It is situated in southwestern Siberia, and has a population of over 1.1 million. Omsk is the third largest city in Siberia after Novosibirsk ...
,
Krasnoyarsk
Krasnoyarsk ( ; rus, Красноя́рск, a=Ru-Красноярск2.ogg, p=krəsnɐˈjarsk) (in semantic translation - Red Ravine City) is the largest city and administrative center of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. It is situated along the Yen ...
,
Novokuznetsk
Novokuznetsk ( rus, Новокузнецк, p=nəvəkʊzˈnʲɛt͡sk; literally: "new smith's", cjs, Аба-тура, ''Aba-tura'') is a city in Kemerovo Oblast (Kuzbass) in south-western Siberia, Russia. It is the second largest city in the obl ...
,
Kemerovo
Kemerovo ( rus, Ке́мерово, p=ˈkʲemʲɪrəvə) is an industrial city and the administrative center of Kemerovo Oblast, Russia, located at the confluence of the Iskitimka and Tom Rivers, in the major coal mining region of the Kuznetsk ...
,
Barnaul
Barnaul ( rus, Барнау́л, p=bərnɐˈul) is the largest city and administrative centre of Altai Krai, Russia, located at the confluence of the Barnaulka and Ob Rivers in the West Siberian Plain. As of the 2021 Census, its population wa ...
,
Yekaterinburg
Yekaterinburg ( ; rus, Екатеринбург, p=jɪkətʲɪrʲɪnˈburk), alternatively romanized as Ekaterinburg and formerly known as Sverdlovsk ( rus, Свердло́вск, , svʲɪrˈdlofsk, 1924–1991), is a city and the administrat ...
,
Kazan
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering ...
,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
and
Tula
Tula may refer to:
Geography
Antarctica
*Tula Mountains
* Tula Point
India
* Tulā, a solar month in the traditional Indian calendar
Iran
*Tula, Iran, a village in Hormozgan Province
Italy
*Tula, Sardinia, municipality (''comune'') in the pr ...
.
According to the company Business Analytics, Inmarko controls 11.8% of sales in natural terms in Russia (in the 16 largest cities).
References
{{reflist
External links
The company's official website
Food and drink companies of Russia
Defunct companies of Russia
Companies disestablished in 2012
Manufacturing companies based in Novosibirsk