After the gradual dissolution of the Joint Stock Company Exico Praha, the Joint Stock Company for foreign trade Lederexim was established as one of the successor companies to the former.

The registered capital is represented by shares worth Kc 10 m. As for the commodity, the company continues imports of ready-made leather and fur garments, fur semi-products and raw materials for the production and consumption by leather processing enterprises in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Shortly after its founding, the Joint Stock Company founded a daughter company in Slovakia: Interexport s.r.o. (Ltd.) Partizanske. Its role included supplies to Slovakia's market of ready-made leather and fur garments imported by a.s. Lederexim Praha. Currently, the company supplies goods to 22 Slovak retail shops and also imports fur raw materials for processing plants as well as semi-products for intermediate consumption.

The way business is done has substantially changed after the split of Czecho-Slovakia. Foreign trade has been liberalized, production plants were privatized, and the overall economic situation has changes in both successor countries. A majority of Slovak - similarly as Czech - production enterprises suffer from undercapitalization, from reduction of production volumes, and also reduced purchasing power of the public makes it feel itself. This applies to both countries. As a consequence, the volumes of imported final products decrease, as do volumes of raw materials and semi-products for intermediate consumption.

As an example, within 1991-1992, Lederexim a.s. was the largest importer of ready-made leather garments in our country, with imports of this commodity reaching 30 thousand pieces annually. Due to the reasons mentioned above, the imports dropped to 3 - 4 thousand a year. A similar situation also exists with respect to ready-made fur garments as well as raw materials and semi-products.

Aimed at suppporting the sales of womenswear in the Czech Republic, the company Makyta Bohemia s.r.o. (Ltd.) was established in cooperation with Makyta Puchov a.s. (Inc.) in October 1997, producing these types of goods. Makyta Bohemia is equally owned by Makyta Puchov and Lederexim.

Shops were opened in Prague and Karlovy Vary. Currently, the company also takes care of the imports of certain selected semi-products and final products for Makyta Puchov, in particular from Eastern Asia.

In the view of the pointing crisis of retail sales in both Czechia and Slovakia, certain commodity-related changes are necessary in the period to come. With respect to the trade with Slovakia, this mainly concerns products of the chemical and petrochemical industries, imports of consumer goods, etc. Also, suitable spaces have to be identified to expand the retail network for Makyta Bohemia and Lederexim.

Slovak Trade FORUM