Jun 12, 2012

Moscow

First Bauerfeind store opened in Russia

"Dobry vecher" was the Russian greeting used by Thomas Bauerfeind, Member of the Bauerfeind Executive Board, as he welcomed the 40 or more guests invited to the grand opening of the new Bauerfeind store in Moscow. The company's first retail outlet in Russia was officially opened on April 12, 2012, under the name "Motion Laboratory", and with a distinctive store format that is regarded as an innovative feature in the Russian retail industry. With the opening of the Moscow store, Bauerfeind is extending its sales network in Eastern Europe.

The "Motion Laboratory" is located right on the popular "Prospekt Mira" shopping street and offers customers in Russia's capital city a new kind of retail concept. Athletes and patients can come to the store, which covers 120 square meters, to receive advice on how medical aids from Bauerfeind can be used in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries. They will therefore benefit from Bauerfeind's years of experience in producing medical aids and the expertise of its trained service staff. The sales team is also using state-of-the-art measurement technology from Bauerfeind to individually fit each customer's support, orthoses, compression stockings or foot orthoses. The "Image 3D video" system measures legs without any need for contact, providing the circumference measurements needed to select the right compression stockings with a perfect fit. Meanwhile, the MediLogic sole measurement system records the distribution of pressure beneath customers' feet, so they can be provided with the optimal foot orthosis.

There is huge demand in Russia for high-quality medical products, which is why Bauerfeind, as a leading manufacturer of medical aids, started working with Nikamed back in January 2011. Nikamed, which acts as an exclusive sales partner, is the leading company in the Russian orthopedics market and, just like Bauerfeind, it sets great store by the outstanding quality of the products it offers. Russian customers demand exceptional quality too – especially since, with no reimbursement system in Russia, they have to pay for the full costs of their medical aids themselves.

Sergey Shaitov, CEO of Nikamed, elaborates on this: "We have been driven by the level of demand among customers here in Russia, who were keen to have access to orthopedic care that meets international quality standards." Thomas Bauerfeind adds: "Our common goal is to provide customers with the right product quickly and competently. High-quality products sell best in a pleasant atmosphere and a welcoming environment." He believes that Nikamed is the ideal distributor to help achieve this aim.

Bauerfeind AG is already planning to set up more stores in Russia: additional outlets with exclusive sales partners are due to open in Moscow and St. Petersburg in 2013.