Vranje, June 6, 2011: U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick visited Minex, a medium-sized enterprise from Vranje producing leather shoe parts primarily for export to Italy. USAID has helped Minex modernize its marketing materials, create a visual identity, and obtain ISO certification, resulting in improved productivity and increased sales of Minex’s leather uppers.
“The company has seen a 50 percent increase in sales and a 35 percent increase in new clients since we’ve introduced our new branding and visual identity,” said Zoran Stoilkovic, owner of Minex. Within the next year, the company plans to expand into the German and Russian markets and enter the local Serbian market under its own brand.
Vranje, June 6, 2011: U.S. Ambassador to Serbia Mary Warlick visited Minex, a medium-sized enterprise from Vranje producing leather shoe parts primarily for export to Italy. USAID has helped Minex modernize its marketing materials, create a visual identity, and obtain ISO certification, resulting in improved productivity and increased sales of Minex’s leather uppers. The US Ambassador was accompanied during the visit by her colleagues from Organization for Stability and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Albania, Australia and Bulgaria.
“The company has seen a 50 percent increase in sales and a 35 percent increase in new clients since we’ve introduced our new branding and visual identity,” said Zoran Stoilkovic, owner of Minex. Within the next year, the company plans to expand into the German and Russian markets and enter the local Serbian market under its own brand.
This March, the company opened a second factory in Vladicin Han, thanks to a grant from the Serbia Investment and Export Promotion Agency (SIEPA) which was targeted towards increasing employment in economically devastated municipalities. By offering jobs to 55 workers, the factory has contributed to the recovery of one of Serbia’s economically most deprived regions.
Minex is one of 164 small- and medium-sized enterprises in the region of south Serbia and Sandzak that have received targeted assistance from USAID to improve its operations, increase sales and expand to new markets. Thanks to USAID’s support for participation at international and regional trade fairs, these companies have generated $11 million in new sales since 2008, and expanded into new markets in Germany, Russia, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Belarus, and the Czech Republic.