The entrepreneur created a joint venture with the Kare Design network

Mikhail Robski's Dream Lake company (furniture stores "Gallery O", Matahari, etc.) has created a joint venture with the German Kare Design Gmbh, which is developing a chain of interior accessories in 24 countries. The entrepreneur considers Red Cube his competitor.

Mikhail Robski is known mainly for his furniture business. The website of the English company Dream Lake, which he owns, says that it has been producing classic furniture since the middle of the last century (turnover in 2006 was $15 million). Mr. Robski sells this and other furniture in his own stores: Dream Lake showrooms (three in Moscow and two in St. Petersburg), the Gallery O and Matahari salon chains. The businessman bought the Matahari chain (eight retail outlets) at the end of November from the co-owner of the Pomidorprom holding, Maxim Protasov, for $25-30 million, according to expert estimates (see Kommersant on December 7).

Now the entrepreneur told Kommersant about the creation of a joint venture with the German Kare Design Gmbh, which owns the Kare Design chain of interior and gift stores of the same name. The partners own equal shares in the joint venture. Kare Design CEO Peter Schönhofen clarified that the parties will invest €5 million in the joint venture.

In Moscow, the joint venture will open its own stores (the plan for 2008 is 10), and in the regions - franchise stores (30). The first Russian Kare Design will open on December 20 in Tyumen as a franchise. The store area will be approximately 500 square meters. m, they will be aimed at the middle class. Entrepreneur Igor Sosin (founder of the Starik Hottabych chain, co-owner of Russian Obi) estimates investments in one such store at $500-800 thousand.

Kare Design (headquartered in Munich) produces and sells furniture, lighting, home accessories, gifts, etc., according to the company's website. Operates as a franchise in 24 countries - Austria, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain, Czech Republic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Greece, Malta, Kuwait, Latvia, etc. Turnover in 2006 - $100 million.

Mikhail Robski names the Red Cube gift chain as the future main competitor (the average area of one store is 100 sq. m; it operates 67 points in Moscow alone). With 40 stores, Kare Design can immediately become one of the market leaders, including Le Futur (about 60 own and 50 franchise stores in the CIS), "Multi" (about 20), etc. But the general director of "Red Cube" Stanislav Skachkov believes that Kare Design will compete more with DIY stores (products for home repair and improvement), for example, with Ikea, Obi, Castorama, etc. And the general director of the March 8 furniture factory, Alexei Skornyakov, is confident that the network of furniture accessories will be “a good addition” to Mr. Robski’s furniture retail: “Usually in furniture stores, 70% of sales come from related products, including furniture accessories. They are often bought as gifts.”

Irina Kommersant-Parfentyeva, Kristina Kommersant-Busko, Seda Kommersant-Egikyan

Mikhail Robski fits into the German interior