"We'll have to freeze everything." Shortage of tools and building materials

President Vladimir Putin said that an attempt at the Economic "Blitzkrig" of the West -That is, economic sanctions imposed against Russia because of the beginning of the so-called "special operation" in Ukraine, -It failed to shake the financial and economic situation in Russia. At the same time, in the Kaliningrad building materials stores, the prices for a number of goods increased more than doubled, and the entrepreneurs interviewed by a correspondent of the North. Reali are full of gloomy forecasts.

The construction industry is one of the country's largest employers, providing the income of almost every tenth Russian worker.
Dozens of related sectors are associated with it - the production of building materials, logistics, energy, housing and communal services, trade, production of furniture, household appliances, etc. In March 2022, the volume of housing in Russia grew, but the authorities are already talking about their decrease, which is inevitable with the fall of the economy and income of the population. In 2022, experts predict a reduction in GDP by 10%. Against this background of this, the industry may be missed by millions of square meters, and therefore thousands of Russians will remain without income.

Residents of the Kaliningrad region are already refusing repair and construction, and entrepreneurs predict a shortage of building materials, problems with the quality of work and losses. Building materials in Kaliningrad for a year have risen in price, and some more, reports Kaliningradstat .

Compared to March 2021, metal tiles (+126%), brick (+124.8%), a trimming board (+123.7%) and cement (+113.8) increased most strongly in the price of 2021. Due to the increase in prices, under the threat of a breakdown, there was a repair of roads and streets. According to officials, if the crushed stone used to be imported by barges from Norway, now it will have to be taken from Karelia wagons. And such crushed stone will be more than twice as much.

In March, prices grew along with the euro exchange, which was even interested in the federal antimonopoly service. Trying to retain rubles, Kaliningraders bought up everything that they could.

- People as frantic bought, we did not even have time to ship the goods. Prices then rose to some goods, ”recalls the seller-consultant of the plumbing department of the Baucenter supermarket Alexander . - And now the people are coming, passing - if they took the same toilet for 20 thousand, and now they are already 10.

- People in March took everything in a row, what they needed or not. And those who really need to make repairs could not buy anything. Now the prices are slight, but are reduced. But we will not return to the old prices. The purchase price has increased, logistics is very difficult now, ”says the sales consultant Irina .

Ivan is engaged in repairs, he has his own team. Now the number of customers is striving for zero, he says. Now people are asked to do some one-time work-plastering the walls, repair the crane. There are no orders for major repairs or construction of a house yet.

Kaliningrad Alexander planned the overhaul of the recently purchased apartment forces of the construction brigade. But I have to make cosmetic repairs with her husband.

- Yes, the repairs that we wanted are now not pulling. We were going to redevelop, but in the end we make minimal “cosmetics” of the cheapest and even back materials, for example, friends gave their old laminate, ”says Alexandra. They planned to spend 400-500 thousand rubles for repairs, but then they decided to abandon unnecessary expenses. - So far, they spent most on stretch ceilings. We were told, 800 rubles per square, but we miraculously found 600 each, although earlier they were 300-400. While we spend what we manage to earn. Earned on the ceiling - ordered. The toilet for shares for points took, 5200 went out, installed.

Maria lives in a suburbs of Kaliningrad, due to soared prices, she was left without a fence around her private house: the cost of a new fence doubled.

- We planned the improvement of the site for six months. We ordered building materials for a new fence - a tree on the front part and a professional at the end, removed the old fence. On February 24, we were supposed to bring materials. Well, then the hysteria began with the suppliers. On the 24th, they respond to us that "we will bring 30-50% more expensive." And we planned a fence around the perimeter, 400 thousand for everything, turnkey. Now, taking into account the fact that prices have risen by 30-100% for about everything - depending on the hysteria and the desire of sellers to earn money - we realized that we would have to freeze everything. And now we live in ruins, we are waiting for the prices to get tired, ”says Maria. - Part of the building materials cannot be bought at all, but the same concrete that we need for pillars is sold at insane prices. We planned 40 thousand, and now we need 200 thousand. And the smaller the company, the higher the price. It is difficult for me to blame them, I understand that further purchases will be more expensive for them. In large stores, the price tag was immediately horse.

"Nobody canceled the cushioning"

Due to the war and sanctions, many European building materials familiar to Kaliningraders will now not be at all. A few meters of Polish and Spanish tiles, a laminate from Ukraine remain in the construction stores.

- These are the remains. Somewhere there are many meters, somewhere there are few, ”says Igor’s consultant, Bautenter. - Poland, of course, will no longer be, and Spain will end soon. Russia and China will remain. Unless, of course, nothing changes.

- We are representatives of the Lithuanian company, she refused to work in Russia "until the end of madness." We are trying to find a qualitative replacement, ”says Alexander Orlov , the owner of the company for the sale and installation of flooring. - It can already be said for sure that we will lose as sports coatings - for sports halls, schools and others. Most of them were produced in Ukraine. Now all the budgets in the gym halls must be reviewed. There are, of course, analogues in China. But now in front of me is the Chinese PVC cover, the quality is not very.

Today there are still large corporations with branches in Russia, for example, Tarkett-Summer. But along with oil prices, raw materials are getting more expensive, logistics is getting more expensive, which means that prices are rising and rising, says Orlov. High -quality flooring, laminate, parquet are produced both in Russia and in Belarus, however, production depends on foreign components.

- Belarus produces an engineering board, but this is all Canadian equipment. I see: when we made an object, we saw how the quality worsens-due to sanctions, due to the fact that equipment is not used. I worked with the same material in 2013 and 2022 - there is a difference. Nobody canceled the depreciation, ”says Alexander.

However, he believes, the business will adapt to new conditions. For Kaliningrad, this may mean the delivery of imported goods through intermediary companies, on foreign trucks.

- An additional intermediary just appears - companies that can send the cargo on their car to Kaliningrad, mainly the Poles. They take 3-5% on top and so earn. The market does not yet understand, it is in the stage of formation. But business always gets used to the conditions in which it is set. The rise in price will be unambiguous - due to logistics, ”says the entrepreneur.

Garbage will remain

Due to sanctions, the departure from the market of European manufacturers in Russia awaits problems with the assortment of building materials, Kommersant writes. After a few months, the networks have a shortage of plumbing, construction chemistry, tools and engineering equipment. Market participants expect to replace part of the positions at the expense of local manufacturers, but they also have difficulties with the purchase of raw materials. The fifth package of sanctions adopted by the EU imposes a ban on the import of colors, varnishes, clay, plumbing, ceramics tiles and so on into Russia.

- In my profile, everything is still. The forest to Kaliningrad is being taken from Russia, however, prices are jumping depending on the exchange rate and manufacturers, ”says Andrey , the owner of the Kaliningrad company for wood products. - But I know that sellers of a number of specialized narrow -profile paint materials are urgently looking for a replacement for foreign paints, varnishes, oils and others. There are already problems with specialized tools that were supplied from Europe. In Kaliningrad, metal disks for the "Bulgarians" disappeared. In general, the tool will be very bad. There will be Russia and China. That is, garbage. But everything is unlikely to be replaced by Chinese instruments. The re -export will go, smuggling will go, the Japanese will be in the technique. But since it will go all by large detours and with additional boundaries, plus demand will significantly exceed the offer, I feel fierce deficit and increase in prices for high -quality imports.

- I go to the store with tears in my eyes. The metal rose, he was walking from Belarus and Ukraine. There is a suspicion that there was something with Azovstal. Now we have any remnants, but soon this will not happen. But, I hope, Belarus will not let us down, ”says Ilya Hats . He is engaged in the manufacture of metal structures. Metal and components over the past month have risen in price by one and a half times. - Consumers, cutting discs, drill are worth. Welding wire used to cost 900 rubles, and now one and a half thousand. Refined wheels, what I use, generally disappeared from sale.

The moods and forecasts of the surveyed entrepreneurs are negligent. Everyone is talking about a decrease in the number of customers and difficulties in business.

- Some potential customers will probably fall off. At the same time, a number of furniture and woodworking enterprises may be closed, which were tied to foreign components, materials and equipment. Their customers will become customers of small, more flexible enterprises, ”Andrei predicts.

- I am sitting at one facility for four months, so there is work for now. So far, people do not have panic, but, knowing how this happens, we will switch to foot food in the good old days, ”says Ilya Hats. - There was even the idea to say - pay how much you are ready to spend. If 100 thousand, we will make you 100 thousand, and so that without complaints. But so far we are not doing this, of course. I have Israeli citizenship. Before that, we thought to slowly cross. And when it all started, from the end of February, they realized that they needed to leave. I don’t know about the prospects with business, although I know there are guys there, including from Ukraine who also boil. But a driver or a guard to get a job without any problems.