The international online store iHerb announced the launch of sales of Russian brand R.O.C.S. products in all regions where the company's marketplace is present, which are 150 countries worldwide.

R.O.C.S. includes a full range of oral care products: toothpastes, mouthwashes, toothbrushes, dental floss, orthodontic brushes, and other special products and oral hygiene products. Not only unique formulas are used in the production, but also proprietary manufacturing technologies. Earlier the company traded in 45 countries of the world and collaborated with scientific organizations of the CIS countries, Finland, Italy, etc. R.O.C.S. Toothpaste is the first Russian product in the industry that has obtained a pharmacy number in Germany.

Entering the international market in current conditions is a difficult step for the manufacturer. In addition, the situation with iHerb has been unstable in recent months: the company has been unable to protect its trading platform in Russia.

In an interview withMade in Russia, Ilya Mikin, General Director of iHerb in Russia, talked about the current situation with the blocking of the service, as well as the prospects for exporting the goods of Russian producers using the American marketplace.

- What is happening now with the blocking of the iHerb service in Russia, are there any positive trends in this matter?

- Despite the fact that our app is working in Russia with restrictions, the iHerb site continues to function as it is, and customers can use it to buy the goods they need. We are working on getting the app unlocked as well. I am confident that our service, which complies with global best practice GMP and NSF (Good Manufacturing Practic, an international non-profit, non-governmental product certification organisation) standards, will soon be fully accessible to millions of our Russian customers.

- Why was the issue not resolved through pre-trial proceedings?

- This is not the first court case against iHerb and the company has won most of them. Why exactly the Ulyanovsk court made an extremely harsh decision to ban millions of Russians from using the service in full is hard to say. There are signs of unfair competition, this has been widely reported in the media. For our part, we have done everything to settle and even removed the possibility of ordering in Russia those items which were the subject of the claims. In addition, at our own initiative, we strengthened control over our entire range by conducting an audit. Therefore we do not agree with this decision and intend to challenge it further.

- Recently iHerb introduced the first Russian brand on the international market, R.O.C.S. In the situation where the service has been blocked, what export potential are Russian producers losing?

- This is a very important area for us, as we are in Russia seriously and for the long term. Therefore we are planning to develop the export of Russian goods on our global site with delivery to 150 countries. The implementation of this project will not only help Russian manufacturers, who are currently experiencing difficulties, but it will also generally promote the growth of Russian non-resource exports, and will have a positive effect on the Russian economy. I think this is especially important now in view of the global pandemic, when many producers are suffering enormous losses due to restrictions related to the closure of offline sales markets and the fall in the rouble since the beginning of the year.

- Are there any other companies that have already approached iHerb to list their products on the online store site?

- Yes, absolutely. Almost every day I am approached by manufacturing companies with requests to help them reach export markets through iHerb. And not just by manufacturers, but by distributors as well. We have also already concluded an agreement with the MEC (Moscow Export Centre), and have begun co-operation with the REC (Russian Export Centre).

There are very high quality healthy lifestyle products in Russia made from Russian natural ingredients which correspond to the world level. Therefore our immediate plans are to expand the iHerb range with such Russian products. The main challenge for them is the very expertise of entering the world's major markets, in which iHerb is ready to help them.

For reference. iHerb is an online store specializing in selling health and beauty products and environmentally friendly products. iHerb has been on the market for 24 years and offers over 30,000 carefully selected products from 1,200 manufacturers worldwide.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Daniyal Zagidullin

Photo: R.O.C.S.