For workers affected by the suspension of labor contracts in the fur industry for September, the government has ordered an allowance of 534 euros.
Kastoria is one of the oldest Greek cities in the north of the country, known for its quiet streets and a great variety of ancient churches. An important attraction for tourists is its luxurious and high-quality fur products. This is a historical center of the fur industry, where several hundred enterprises operate. All of them were focused on selling fluffy products directly to Russia or to tourists on the spot, since in Greece itself fur coats, which is not at all surprising in the local climate, are not in demand.
The ERGANI system will be available to fur industry employers affected by the consequences of the war in Ukraine to submit declarations on the suspension of employment contracts of their employees for September 2022.
As we reported earlier, in Greek fur industry a catastrophic situation developed after the start of the war. It is no secret that the main buyers of luxury fur coats were both Russian tourists and enterprises in the Russian Federation. The anti-Russian sanctions adopted by Greece jointly with other EU countries put a “fat cross” on this industry.
George Tsaklidis, co-founder of Karrefurs: “The fur coat industry has stopped, completely stopped, there is no work, Russians do not come to Greece. Work [была ориентирована] somewhere for 70% of Russian tourists, 20% – for Ukrainians, 10% – that’s all the rest. At the moment, we sell one fur coat per day in the store, five to seven fur coats per week. We used to sell seven to ten fur coats a day a season. People are losing jobs, losing customers. Other countries do not buy, 90% were still buyers from the CIS.”
Due to the sanctions imposed on Russia, warehouses have become overcrowded, since it is impossible to sell finished products, forcing many enterprises to close, striking a blow to the already weakening Greek economy.
Businessman Antonis Disios talks about the current situation and emphasizes that Kastoria is going through the worst times. He stated that EU should exclude fur from anti-Russian sanctions, Athens paid too high a price for them.
A similar statement was made during a meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador Sergei Shutenko, and the first deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. He pointed to a sharp decline in exports from Russia.
In 2017, Greece exported €55 million worth of fur coats to Russia, and only €14 million in 2021. In 2022, this figure will drop by at least an order of magnitude…
In the spring, some Greek entrepreneurs tried to enter the Asian markets, but there they have to compete with China, another world leader in fur production. And taking into account the logistical leverage, the Greeks have almost no chance to cling to these markets. Therefore, Athens hopes for the lifting of sanctions in the near future, since the alternative will be the closure of enterprises.
Animal rights activists rejoiced at the sanctions and their impact on the fur industry. “Russians have always bought a lot [шуб]. The war ended that, which is great news,” said Fur Free Alliance spokesman Mark Glover. Jo Swabe, director of public relations at the European branch of Humane Society International, called the industry dying, and the decision of the Greek authorities to continue to develop it was a miscalculation.
Greece can no longer supply fur products to Russia, as they fell under EU sanctions due to a special operation in Ukraine, as luxury goods. However, smuggling and shadow channels were and remain, but what passes through them is already tears …
And what about in Russia?
Russian manufacturers are benefiting from the current situation, states founder of marketplace Luxxy.com Vladimir Evladov:
– We have very good furriers in Russia, the fur production is also excellent. Therefore, it will be a plus for our domestic market.
— Is there a big demand for fur coats inside Russia?
– Big, yes. This is due to our climate. Here not only fashion, but also climatic conditions. I do not think that there will be interruptions in domestic supplies, because after all we have a lot of fur produced and a lot of it is sewn. In addition to our manufacturers, Russians have the opportunity to buy fur coats from Turkey and China, for example. True, the Greeks, in comparison with these countries, before the imposition of sanctions, occupied a higher price segment, made more complex and interesting cut. Therefore, it is not surprising that the supply of Greek fur coats is now growing on Avito and similar services.
George Tsaklidis, co-founder of Karrefurs: “The fur coat industry has stopped, completely stopped, there is no work, Russians do not come to Greece. Work [была ориентирована] somewhere for 70% of Russian tourists, 20% – for Ukrainians, 10% – that’s all the rest. At the moment, we sell one fur coat per day in the store, five to seven fur coats per week. We used to sell seven to ten fur coats a day a season. People are losing jobs, losing customers. Other countries do not buy, 90% were still buyers from the CIS.”
Due to the sanctions imposed on Russia, warehouses have become overcrowded, since it is impossible to sell finished products, forcing many enterprises to close, striking a blow to the already weakening Greek economy.
Businessman Antonis Disios talks about the current situation and emphasizes that Kastoria is going through the worst times. He stated that EU should exclude fur from anti-Russian sanctions, Athens paid too high a price for them.
A similar statement was made during a meeting with Ukrainian Ambassador Sergei Shutenko, and the first deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis. He pointed to a sharp decline in exports from Russia.
In 2017, Greece exported €55 million worth of fur coats to Russia, and only €14 million in 2021. In 2022, this figure will drop by at least an order of magnitude…
In the spring, some Greek entrepreneurs tried to enter the Asian markets, but there they have to compete with China, another world leader in fur production. And taking into account the logistical leverage, the Greeks have almost no chance to cling to these markets. Therefore, Athens hopes for the lifting of sanctions in the near future, since the alternative will be the closure of enterprises.
Animal rights activists rejoiced at the sanctions and their impact on the fur industry. “Russians have always bought a lot [шуб]. The war ended that, which is great news,” said Fur Free Alliance spokesman Mark Glover. Jo Swabe, director of public relations at the European branch of Humane Society International, called the industry dying, and the decision of the Greek authorities to continue to develop it was a miscalculation.
Greece can no longer supply fur products to Russia, as they fell under EU sanctions due to a special operation in Ukraine, as luxury goods. However, smuggling and shadow channels were and remain, but what passes through them is already tears …
And what about in Russia?
Russian manufacturers are benefiting from the current situation, states founder of marketplace Luxxy.com Vladimir Evladov:
– We have very good furriers in Russia, the fur production is also excellent. Therefore, it will be a plus for our domestic market.
— Is there a big demand for fur coats inside Russia?
– Big, yes. This is due to our climate. Here not only fashion, but also climatic conditions. I do not think that there will be interruptions in domestic supplies, because after all we have a lot of fur produced and a lot of it is sewn. In addition to our manufacturers, Russians have the opportunity to buy fur coats from Turkey and China, for example. True, the Greeks, in comparison with these countries, before the imposition of sanctions, occupied a higher price segment, made more complex and interesting cut. Therefore, it is not surprising that the supply of Greek fur coats is now growing on Avito and similar services.
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