American Branded Products in Yerevan

[Mila]

Dear Friends:

Speedy has recommended posting my notion in your club. I also have it posted in Sell and Purchase. I hope the English version will be understandable for most of you. I will have this translated into Russian and post the Russian version tomorrow. Have fun!

I would like to introduce you to a brand new store in Yerevan. The name is Classic. It opened recently on 11 Kievian Street, closer to Metro Barekamutjun without reaching Orbeli Street, to carry American brand name products. The brands now presented at the store are Hanes Underwear and NYX Cosmetics. I am their supplier from the U.S. I work direct with manufacturers and the FOB point (Free On Board) of the products presented at the store is the United States of America.
I was born and raised in Armenia. Eight years ago I immigrated to the United States and settled in Kenmore, New York. One of my first experiences in the States was at the local Mall (shopping center). I was amazed by the variety and quality of the apparel and other products available for American customers. And it was a bit hurtful to realize that whatever was sold to Armenians was not only second sort and second hand but also mostly counterfeited.
Several months ago I opened my own business. The major goal of my business is to import to Armenia American branded products that do not differ in their quality and prices from the products sold in the U.S. I found the manufactures that would agree to give me an opportunity to achieve my goal. I studied Armenian retail market and the supply chain only to find out what I had already suspected: the majority of goods sold in Armenia come from the overstock (i.e. expired or outdated products dumped by the manufacturers to the 3rd world market), distributed in Dubai, Turkey and other borderline markets in the region. In one of my travels to Armenia I came across a notion that U.S. goods are very highly priced and unaffordable for the major population. The pricing depends on the distributor as well as retailer. And you all know too well how greedy and dishonest the majority of the people involved in that business in Armenia are. That is why they are called by a very nice nickname “spekuljant”. The pricing of our products is based on the manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Prices and the markup percentages are kept low to make the products affordable.
While in Armenia I visited local markets and talked to the customers. And again I realized that very little had changed since my departure from Armenia and that the Armenian customer was mostly ignorant of what the real quality product should be like.
What stunned me the most - was the fact that the retail sector was controlled by mostly male distributors. They decided what the nation should wear and brought only uncomfortable, sex-oriented products with very poor or no fashion sense. The brands carried in the underwear sector were mostly of Turkish or Polish origin priced 3 or 4 times more of what they were really worth. The customers were telling me that if they were lucky the above mentioned products would last for 3 months and then fall apart; that the colored underwear bled in wash; that the products made from cotton changed their shape and size after wash; that the seams fell apart after wear; that the bras itched and smelled; and so on and so forth. The only decent brand that was on the local market was Milavitsa from Belarusia, but even the quality of this brand needed some improvements. The Italian brands Lily and Comet and others were of doubtful origin since they did not even resemble the real Lily and Comet either by style or by quality and price! I confronted one of the “optovikov” who admitted, blushing profusely, that he brought his so called Italian Bras not from Italy as he stated before, but from Turkey!
The cosmetics market was especially poor both in variety and quality. The latest fashion orientations in makeup industry were not presented whatsoever. It was as if Armenia was evolving several years behind the rest of the world. The decorative cosmetics were simply dangerous to buy because of their age. I did realize that Armenian women did not know that in cosmetics there were factors called shelve lifespan and usage lifespan. For example: if you buy a lipstick, mascara, cream, liquid liners and etc. that has been sitting on the shelve for more than three years you risk setting yourself for a very nasty skin infection since the chemicals in those products interact to produce hazardous for skin byproducts. Here is an example of usage lifespan: lipstick should be thrown away in two years of usage, as well as the mascara and other liquid based cosmetics because the acids in your skin further shorted the longevity of the products. Cosmetics and their applicators should not be shared at all. A retailer in Yerevan tried to sell me a lipstick that she opened and tried on her arm to show me the color! Yuck! That is why the manufacturers make testers, people! But since those retailers and distributors do not buy direct from the manufacturer they do not get the free testers. I guess my point is that, again, whatever is on the market in Armenia for makeup is mostly very outdated and in this case simply dangerous.
I have been on your forums and have read your statements. You sound like a bunch of intelligent and very smart people. So educate yourselves by visiting sites www.hanes.com and www.nyxcosmetics.com . Go and check out Classic on 11 Kievian Street. Take a look at the products made for Americans and used by them. Help us grow. Shouldn't you enjoy the quality and variety that the rest of the world is enjoying? Get back to me with your comments. I would very much appreciate both your praise and critique. Write in Russian or Armenian – I can read and understand both. And, if your arguments are well supported by the premises, I will let the manufacturers know about them!
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Mila

[Speedy Gonzales]

Originally Posted by Hrach_Techie

вам маркетолог не нужен кто правильно смодет всё это представить публике ... барекамусюнннн

а смодет ли?

[Hrach_Techie]

Originally Posted by Speedy Gonzales

а смодет ли?

смодет смодет - не такое смодет

[Mila]

Originally Posted by Hrach_Techie

вам маркетолог не нужен кто правильно смодет всё это представить публике ... барекамусюнннн

Kak mozhem tak i presentuem. No esli chestno, zaidite v magazin i ostavte vashi koordinaty. A za oshibki, sorry, and take it easy, man, nobody's perfect.

[Hrach_Techie]

Originally Posted by Mila

Kak mozhem tak i presentuem. No esli chestno, zaidite v magazin i ostavte vashi koordinaty. A za oshibki, sorry, and take it easy, man, nobody's perfect.

нет мне далеко туда шагать ... если хотите дайте мэйл куда си ви послать - тока если не свой мэйл сервер - высылать не буду

[Mila]

Originally Posted by Hrach_Techie

нет мне далеко туда шагать ... если хотите дайте мэйл куда си ви послать - тока если не свой мэйл сервер - высылать не буду

Send me an e-mail via profile. Nu ty ne lenis. Ezheli ochen zainteresovan, tak poidesh. A e-mail poshli. Thank you!

[Mila]

This is the third day of my forum about Hanes and NYX Cosmetics brands being presented in Armenia by Classic on Kievian 11. I would like to thank all of you who already participated in the discussion and welcome the newcomers to join in and place their opinion. I very much appreciate you taking time from your busy schedules to view my postings. My special thanks to the members who gave me insightful information about the customer needs. Special thanks to Gayka as well, who already visited the store and shared her experience with us. Below you will find helpful links to some of the products carried by the store. Also visit www.hanes.com and www.nyxcosmetics.com to further get acquainted with the products that might become available to you as a customer in the future. Enjoy!

Segodnya tretij den moego foruma o markakh Hanes i NYX Cosmetics, predstavlennykh v Classic na ulitse Kieviana 11. Ya by khotela poblagodarit vsekh, kto uzhe pouchastvovali v forume, i poprivetstvovat’ tekh, kto tolko prisoedinyaetsa k nam. Spasibo za vashe zhelanie podelitsja svoim mneniem i za to, chto vy nakhodite vremya oznakomitsa s moimi posts. Spasibo ogromnoe Gayke za poseshenie magazina. Nizhe ya perechislila neskolko stilej uzhe predstavlennykh v magazine, takzhe posetite www.hanes.com and www.nyxcosmetics.com , chtoby detalno oznakomitsa s produktsiej, kotoraya v budushem mozhet byt predlozhena vam.

As if of today the Hanes products presented at the store are:
Women’s:
1. Sporty Bikini, Sporty Boy Brief, Sporty Sleeveless Tee - preview at http://hanes.com/womens/F-UW-sporty.jsp
2. Accent String Bikini, Accent Thong, Accent Bikini – preview at http://hanes.com/womens/F-UW-accents.jsp
Men’s:
1. Basics: White Crew T-shirt; White A-shirt; White Brief – preview at http://hanes.com/mens/F-UW-crewneck.jsp and http://hanes.com/mens/F03_mens_underwear_hanes.jsp
2. Dyed: Sleeveless Shirt; High V-neck T-shirt; Crew Neck T-shirt; Boxer Brief; Fashion Color Brief – preview at http://hanes.com/mens/F-UW-boxerbriefs.jsp and http://hanes.com/mens/F-UW-briefs.jsp they do not have the preview of the Sleeveless Muscle Shirt and the High V-neck T-shirt at their site
3. Comfortsoft Waistband Mid-Rise Brief – preview at http://hanes.com/mens/7820.jsp
Boys’
1. Basic: White Crew Neck T-shirt; White Brief; White A-shirt – preview at http://hanes.com/boys/F03_boys_underwear_3years.jsp

Girls’
1. Basic: Brief; White Camisole – preview at http://hanes.com/girls/F03_girls_underwear_3years.jsp

Also at the store you might see some styles for the next order from the line of Hanes Lingerie Body Creations – preview at http://www.bodycreations.com/index.html and Bras - preview at http://hanes.com/womens/F03_womens_bras.jsp . From the bras the selection for the next order will constitute of mostly Body Creations bras with the matching no-line microfiber and mesh panties, Sport Tops preview at http://hanes.com/womens/F03_womens_bras_sport_hanes.jsp , and Full Support Bras – preview at http://hanes.com/womens/F03_womens_b...pport_full.jsp for women with fuller figure.

[Speedy Gonzales]

nu che krome Gayki tak nikto i ne zashel?

[Mila]

Just to keep this topic on top of the page.

[Mila]

Dear Friends:
We are rolling into the weekend, almost half way through. I hope this topic will pick up on Monday and we will have more comments from people who visited the store. I would like to use this opportunity and thank every person who considered taking a look at this forum. Moreover, I would like to encourage those who have an opinion to come forward with their comments. Have fun on Sunday. Relax, be with your friends and families, and enjoy simple things to the best of your abilities.
Sincerely,
Mila