Exports from Ukraine to JYSK’s distribution centers increased by 60% in 2023, Iryna Romanchuk, Purchasing Manager of the chain, told Interfax-Ukraine.
“Over the past 12 months, exports from Ukraine to JYSK distribution centers have increased by 60% compared to the same period. However, this figure could have been higher if the borders had not been blocked at the end of 2023, which extended the delivery time from a week to a month, sometimes up to two, which had a very negative impact on all Ukrainian exporters,” Romanchuk said.
The expert clarified that due to the high cost of transportation to European countries, upholstered furniture made in Ukraine is losing its competitiveness, so now mostly cabinet furniture is exported. In addition, JYSK also buys blankets, pillows and household goods in Ukraine.
“At the beginning of 2022, some manufacturers located in the east of the country were unable to resume operations quickly due to a disruption in the supply chain of both components and finished goods. Therefore, we were forced to stop working with these companies. Today, our main suppliers are located in the central and western parts of the country,” said Romanchuk.
As an example of increasing the network’s work with Ukrainian manufacturers, she cited the furniture manufacturer Akord-Import (Khmelnytsky), with whom JYSK expanded cooperation in 2023 both by transferring the production of some furniture series from Europe to Ukraine and by expanding the range with new items. In total, this manufacturer shipped more than 1200 truckloads of finished furniture to JYSK’s European distribution centers in 2023.
JYSK is a part of the family-owned Lars Larsen Group with more than 3.2 thousand stores in 48 countries. Currently, there is an online store jysk.ua and 91 classic format stores in Ukraine, and in 2024 their number will reach 100. JYSK has more than 800 employees in the country.
JYSK’s revenue in the financial year 2022/23 amounted to EUR 5.2 billion.
