Inmarko

In 1992, six individuals, including entrepreneurs Vadim Lyubimtsev and Pavel Shutov, founded a business to sell ice cream from street stalls in Novosibirsk. The business was successful, due to the lack of competition in the specialized trade for ice cream. Subsequently, selling ice cream became a lucrative business.

In 1993, the company "Inmarko" was registered. The history of this name is unknown. In the early 1990s in Russia, it was fashionable to give companies foreign names. There are several versions of the origin of the name, according to one of the founders, the name came to them during a festival. Now the backronym "investment marketing company" is commonly used.

Inmarko began as a producer and a distributor. At first, they sold ice cream through cold storage facilities in Novosibirsk and later cooperated with other regional producers. Sales began with 80 stalls, all in Novosibirsk. Distribution was set through personal contact.

In 1993, the company turned its attention to foreign goods, and not the usual cups or briquettes, but to complex ice cream such as ice creams with a chocolate-nut filling. This was a novelty in Russia, especially as a cheap and nationally available product. In 1994, Inmarko began to import ice cream, waffle cones, and popsicles from Poland, Denmark, England, Sweden and Spain and cooperated with Koral, Augusto, ISCO, Menorquina, and Frideriks companies. However, the basic assortment remained, along with premium ice cream from Denmark and downmarket offerings from Poland.

In 1994, the company purchased freezers from Denmark and moved the sale from trays to kiosks. To stand out, the kiosks were made hexagonal, but kiosks of this shape were inconvenient to use and were quickly abandoned.

In the mid-1990s, responding to changing customs regime, Inmarko began to produce formerly imported ice cream.

In 1996, the village Elite of the Novosibirsk region constructed the first Inmarko factory with a capacity of 5 thousand tons. The Danish firm Frisco built the factory. The products and packaging were developed by the designated unit. Inmarko did not invest in advertising at the time, believing that the packaging itself was eye-catching enough thanks to its unusual bright design.

In addition to the wholesale trade and sales through kiosks, Inmarko began to supply products to stores. After about a year, the existing capacity of the factory was not enough. In 1997 Inmarko took the opportunity to purchase state blocks of shares of a factory in Omsk at an auction. Frisco worked with Inmarko to upgrade the factory.

Inmarko upgraded the Omsk factory three times, with its potential production capacity now at 50,000 tons.

In 1998–1999, after the Russian financial crisis, the Russian market of foreign manufacturers of ice cream was abandoned. Subsequently, their place was taken by the company Inmarko. The range of products significantly expanded the company and promoted its products in the Central regions. Due to the lack of production capacities and the complexity of delivery in European Russia, Inmarko, the company ordered at other Russian facilities, including those of competitors.

In 2002, Inmarko created a network of official distributors in Siberia, the Urals, and in Central Russia. The number of kiosks in Novosibirsk and Omsk reached 330. In the same year, the company became a leader in the ice cream market in Russia selling 27,145 tons.

In 2003, Inmarko established a management company called "Business Development" to attract investment. A blocking stake in the company was acquired by the EBRD Norum Fund for $8 million Det Norske Veritas conducted a certification audit of the company and Inmarko received a certificate of compliance with international standards ISO 9001: 2000.

In 2004, Inmarko expanded its presence in the Central regions of Russia. They placed approximately 1,500 freezer chest freezers in the capital during the first year. In 2005, Inmarko acquired Inmarko OOO "Fink," a former distributor of ice cream "Algida" to boost sales in the Central regions. This acquisition resulted in a 600-outlet increase in Inmarko's sales network. However, the company faced challenges in the Moscow market due to its relative backwardness compared to other regions. The company's managers believed that the Moscow market was currently at a developmental stage that had already been surpassed in Siberia ten years prior.

Inmarko issued 1 billion rubles in bonded debt to primarily repay bank loans and fund investment programs. In the same year, after 12 years of existence, the company began advertising on national television. In 2006, Inmarko diversified its products by entering the frozen food market with its brand "Have an Idea." Vegetables and berries under this brand were produced under contract by the Polish plant Oerlemans Foods Siemiatycze. However, Inmarko does not intend to expand its frozen product sales, considering the business to be "unstable and unpromising."

In 2007, the company significantly strengthened its position in the European Russian market, after the acquisition of JSC "Tula "company". The Company is planning a major reconstruction of the Tula factory, investing $53 million in the project, and aims to start operations in 2010. The planned capacity of the factory after reconstruction is 45 thousand tons.

In 2008, Unilever officially announced the acquisition of Inmarko. As a result of this agreement, Unilever became the sole owner of Inmarko.[5]

On 4 April 2012, the company ceased to exist as a separate legal entity after reorganization.