Yekaterinburg Municipal Duma Economic Development Committee members have recently been updated on how successfully the local strategic project on quality goods production was implemented in 2007, Duma’s press officer reports. For one, eighty-six furniture-making companies are currently operating in the city; these delivered to their customers nearly 2 billion RUR worth of products in January-September 2007, which is 1.5 times better than in January-September 2006. Besides, the businesses received more than 89 million RUR in terms of investments last year.

‘Even though the local producers were a little afraid the arrival of IKEA in Yekaterinburg would jeopardize their business, their furniture proved quite competitive nevertheless,’ the Committee members observed.