Inmarko

Inmarko was a Russian ice-cream producer and distributor headquartered in Novosibirsk. The business began in 1992, when a group of entrepreneurs, including Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov, sold ice cream from street stalls in a market that still had relatively little specialized competition. The Inmarko name was registered in 1993. Its precise origin was uncertain, although later explanations commonly treated it as an abbreviation of “investment marketing company.” The company initially combined distribution, cold-storage logistics, imported products and direct retailing. During the 1990s it imported ice cream, cones and popsicles from several European countries, adding both premium and lower-priced products to the domestic selection. It also experimented with branded freezer kiosks and expanded its retail presence beyond street selling. Changes in Russian customs policy encouraged the company to shift from imports toward domestic manufacturing. In 1996, Inmarko opened its first plant in the Novosibirsk region, at the village of Elite, with a designed capacity of approximately 5,000 tonnes. The following year it acquired a stake in an Omsk factory and progressively modernized that facility. The withdrawal of many foreign competitors after the Russian financial crisis of 1998–1999 created favorable conditions for Inmarko. It broadened its product range, developed distribution beyond Siberia and began supplying central Russian markets. In 2002 it established an official distributor network covering Siberia, the Urals and central Russia. By then its kiosk network in Novosibirsk and Omsk had reached approximately 330 outlets, and the company reported domestic sales of 27,145 tonnes of ice cream. In 2003, a management company called Business Development was created to attract investment; the EBRD Norum Fund subsequently obtained a controlling interest. Inmarko continued its geographic expansion during the 2000s. It placed more than 1,500 freezer chests in Moscow in 2004 and acquired Fink in 2005, adding distribution points formerly associated with the Algida brand. It also launched television advertising and raised capital through a bond issue. By the middle of the decade, the company offered roughly 100 to 120 products. A 2006 attempt to diversify into frozen vegetables and berries under the Have an Idea brand was comparatively unsuccessful, and management characterized the frozen-food category as unstable and unattractive for substantial further expansion. The purchase of Tula in 2007 strengthened Inmarko’s access to European Russia. The company undertook a major modernization of the Tula facility and operated production and branch infrastructure across cities including Novosibirsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Barnaul, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Moscow and Tula. Inmarko was reported as having about 12 percent of the Russian ice-cream market in 2007, while market-research figures cited for major Russian cities placed its share at 11.8 percent and later above 20 percent in the first quarter of 2010. Unilever announced the acquisition of Inmarko in 2008 and became its sole owner. The company was subsequently integrated into Unilever’s Russian operations and ceased to exist as a separate legal entity on 4 April 2012 following reorganization. The Inmarko name continued to be used for ice-cream products in Russia, but the independent corporate business described in the historical record is defunct.

Inmarko originated in Novosibirsk in 1992 as a small ice-cream selling operation founded by six people, among them Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov. The founders used street stalls and cold-storage facilities to serve a market with limited specialized competition. The company formally registered the Inmarko name in 1993. The name’s exact derivation has not been established; one commonly repeated interpretation expands it as “investment marketing company,” while a founder-associated account links its creation to a festival. The early business was both a distributor and a retailer. It imported ice cream and related products from Poland, Denmark, England, Sweden and Spain, working with foreign suppliers and brands to introduce products such as chocolate-and-nut-filled ice cream to Russian consumers. In 1994 it acquired Danish freezers and sold branded kiosks. Its initial hexagonal kiosk design was abandoned because it was inconvenient for operation. Inmarko also began placing products in grocery stores, moving beyond its original street-stall model. A changing customs environment in the mid-1990s encouraged domestic manufacturing. In 1996, the company opened a factory in the village of Elite in the Novosibirsk region. Designed with assistance from the Danish firm Frisco, the plant had an initial capacity of about 5,000 tonnes and included facilities for producing distinctive packaging. In 1997, Inmarko acquired shares in an Omsk factory at auction. The Omsk site was upgraded repeatedly, eventually reaching a potential capacity of about 50,000 tonnes according to the historical account. The financial crisis of 1998–1999 helped Inmarko gain market share as a number of foreign ice-cream producers withdrew from Russia. The company expanded its product assortment and sought customers in central Russia, although insufficient manufacturing capacity and difficult logistics sometimes required production by other manufacturers. In 2002 it created an official distributor network covering Siberia, the Urals and central Russia. Its kiosk network in Novosibirsk and Omsk reached approximately 330 locations, and the company sold 27,145 tonnes of ice cream domestically that year. Inmarko adopted a more formal investment and expansion structure in the early 2000s. In 2003 it established the Business Development management company to attract investors, after which the EBRD Norum Fund acquired a controlling stake for a reported 8 million US dollars. The company expanded its presence in Moscow and other central regions, placing more than 1,500 freezer chests in Moscow in 2004. In 2005 it acquired Fink, a former distributor of Algida, adding approximately 600 sales locations. During the same period, Inmarko issued roughly 1 billion Russian rubles in bonds to repay bank borrowing and finance investment programs, and it began television advertising. The company experimented with diversification in 2006 by entering frozen foods under the Have an Idea brand. Vegetables and berries were contract-manufactured by Oerlemans Foods Siemiatycze in Poland. The initiative did not perform as strongly as the ice-cream business, and Inmarko later indicated that it did not plan a major expansion of frozen food because it considered the category unstable and unpromising. In 2007, Inmarko acquired Tula, strengthening its production and distribution position in European Russia. It planned a major renovation of the Tula facility, with reported investment of 53 million US dollars and an estimated target capacity of 45,000 tonnes. The company’s historical branch network covered much of Russia, including Novosibirsk, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Novokuznetsk, Kemerovo, Barnaul, Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Moscow and Tula. Reported 2007 revenue was 170 million US dollars, and market data cited in the source placed its share at approximately 12 percent of the Russian ice-cream market. Unilever announced the acquisition of Inmarko in 2008. The transaction made Unilever the company’s sole owner. Inmarko’s production assets and commercial activities were integrated into the multinational’s Russian business, and the separate legal entity was dissolved through reorganization on 4 April 2012. The Inmarko name remained in use as a Russian ice-cream brand, but the independent producer no longer operated as a distinct company.

• 2012

  Separate company dissolved

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko ceases to exist as a separate legal entity after reorganization on 4 April.

• 2008

  Unilever acquisition

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Unilever announces and completes the acquisition of Inmarko, becoming its sole owner.

• 2007

  Tula acquisition and factory modernization

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko acquires Tula and launches a major modernization program intended to increase production capacity in European Russia.

• 2006

  Frozen-food diversification

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko enters frozen vegetables and berries with the Have an Idea brand.

• 2005

  Fink acquisition broadens distribution

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition of Fink adds approximately 600 locations to Inmarko’s sales network in central Russia.

• 2003

  External investment structure created

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko establishes the Business Development management company, followed by the EBRD Norum Fund’s acquisition of a controlling stake.

• 2002

  National distributor network established

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Official distributors are organized across Siberia, the Urals and central Russia; the company reports 27,145 tonnes of domestic ice-cream sales.

• 1997

  Omsk production expansion begins

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko acquires shares in an Omsk factory and begins a series of upgrades that substantially increase its potential production capacity.

• 1996

  First domestic factory opens

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  The company opens its first ice-cream factory in the Novosibirsk region, at the village of Elite.

• 1994

  European imports and freezer kiosks added

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Inmarko imports ice cream and related products from several European countries and begins selling branded freezer kiosks.

• 1993

  Inmarko name registered

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  The company formally registers the Inmarko name and begins developing a larger distribution and production business.

• 1992

  Ice-cream street-stall business begins

  [1]Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org

  Six entrepreneurs, including Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov, begin selling ice cream from street stalls in Novosibirsk.

Mass-market Russian ice-cream brand with a broad value-to-premium range, supported by extensive freezer distribution and branded retail equipment.

• Ice cream · 1993

  Inmarko ice cream

  The company’s core product portfolio covered mass-market and premium ice creams, cones, filled products and popsicles. Inmarko developed a broad assortment for street kiosks, freezer chests and grocery retailers, reaching approximately 100 to 120 offerings by the middle of the 2000s. The range combined domestically manufactured products with imported concepts used during the company’s early expansion.

• Frozen vegetables and berries · 2006

  Have an Idea

  Have an Idea was Inmarko’s frozen-food diversification brand, introduced in 2006. Its vegetables and berries were produced under contract by Oerlemans Foods Siemiatycze in Poland. The initiative was not considered as successful as the ice-cream business, and company commentary indicated that Inmarko did not intend to make frozen food a major growth area.

• 2005First television advertising campaign

  Russia

  Inmarko launched its first reported television advertising campaign as it expanded beyond its established Siberian base and built a national ice-cream distribution network. The available source does not provide a separately measured campaign result, but the campaign accompanied the company’s broader mid-2000s expansion.

  Outcome. The available source does not provide a separately measured campaign result, but the campaign accompanied the company’s broader mid-2000s expansion.

  Source

• 2008

  Sale to UnileverM&A

  Background

  Inmarko had become a major Russian ice-cream producer with manufacturing assets and distribution across several regions.

  Action taken

  Unilever acquired Inmarko and became its sole owner.

  Aftermath

  The business was integrated into Unilever’s Russian operations and ceased to exist as a separate legal entity in 2012, while the Inmarko name continued as a product brand.

  Source

• 2007

  Acquisition of TulaM&A

  Background

  Inmarko needed greater production capacity and a stronger position in European Russia.

  Action taken

  The company acquired JSC Tula and planned a major modernization of its factory.

  Aftermath

  The transaction strengthened Inmarko’s regional manufacturing footprint and was followed by a reported 53 million US dollar modernization plan targeting approximately 45,000 tonnes of capacity.

  Planned Tula factory modernization investment. 53000000 USD planned investment (2007)

  Source

• 2006

  Entry into frozen foodsStrategy

  Background

  Inmarko sought to diversify beyond ice cream by entering the frozen vegetables and berries category.

  Action taken

  The company introduced the Have an Idea brand, using contract production in Poland.

  Aftermath

  The diversification was comparatively unsuccessful, and management later described frozen-food expansion as unstable and unpromising.

  Source

• 1996

  Shift from imports toward domestic manufacturingStrategy

  Background

  Changes in the Russian customs environment made continued reliance on imported ice cream less attractive and increased the value of local production.

  Action taken

  Inmarko built its first factory in the Novosibirsk region and began producing products domestically.

  Aftermath

  Domestic capacity enabled the company to expand its assortment and reduce dependence on imported products.

  Source

1. 1Inmarkoen.wikipedia.org