Photo Paper Market in Ukraine

An interesting article was published in the Ukrainian magazine "Kompyuternoe Obozrenie" (Computer Review) in the December'07 issue. The journalists from the magazine spoke to the leading local aftermarket and OEM companies regarding the market of printing and photo paper. Here are some factual data from the article:

AFTERMARKET OPINIONS:

Anna Burdina, brand manager in VM / www.vm.ua :
>> the market of photo paper is growing rapidly in the Ukraine;
>> VM’s sales of photo paper doubled as compared with 2006;
>> 180 g glossy photo paper is the most popular in the company’s product range;
>> 10x15 is the most popular format for photo paper;
>> the ratio aftermarket Barva (VM’s trademark) vs. OEM photo paper is 1:10.

Alexey Goncharov, Sales Director, WWM / www.wwm.com.ua :
>> over 75-80% of all digitally made photos are left in digital formats;
>> still, a lot of local customers still perceive “photos” as pictures printed on paper;
>> as photo paper is not the priority direction for the company, the growth of sales in this segment was only 17% in 2007 as compared with 2006 for WWM;
>> 170-200 g photo paper is the most popular;
>> A4 230 g paper is also popular in terms of quality and price;
>> in the offer of the company the ratio “aftermarket vs. OEM paper” is 20 : 80.

OEM OPINIONS:

Vitaly Leschinsky, Manager in IPG, HP Ukraine:
>> the growth in sales for the segment of photo paper is 50% in 2007 as compared with 2006;
>> 60% of all sales are for 10x15 photo paper;

Alexey Romanko, development manager, Lexmark Ukraine:
>> photo paper is one of the most dynamic markets;
>> it is hard to give precise figures about this market in Ukraine due to the diversity of distribution and dealer channels in the country;
>> the most popular formats are A$ and 10x15;
>> customers prefer glossy paper; professional designers and photographers prefer vinyl and polyester films;
>> customer’s attachment to a photo paper brand is from 40% to 60%.

Alexandra Tkachenko, senior manager in Epson Europe B.V in Ukraine:
>> our sales in the segment of photo paper grew by 60% in 2007;
>> 2007 best selling products are Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper, 10x15, 255 g, 500 sheet packs.
>> the new format photo paper (13x18 cm) was accepted pleasantly by the local market;

The full text of the article in Russian is available for download here.

RechargEast Magazine -> printing supplies aftermarket news from Eastern Europe.