Pandemic COVID-19 crisis and imposed by the Russian authorities restrictions beat in almost all sectors, but especially for small and medium-sized businesses. “Kommersant” talked to entrepreneurs working in this segment, and came to the conclusion that many of them do not expect the promised government help, and trying to benefit for themselves to end the “war” with landlords.From dishes to цветовRedneck Ware, specializing in the production of utensils for such iconic Moscow restaurant, Touche, “House of cultures”, White Rabbit Family, and institutions of the Ginza Project Moscow, for the whole of April this year, made only two orders, while before the crisis — at 30-40 in a month. “The restaurants were closed, and therefore no orders,— says the co-founder of the brand Michael Raglin.— Moreover, some customers stopped paying for already completed projects”.According to the businessman, now preserved small retail sales through the online store. “To sell the dishes we did for the specialized fairs (it was canceled also because of the pandemic.— “Kommersant”)”,— explains Mr. Eaglin.Individual entrepreneur Stepan Blond specializiruetsya to the small designer clothing brands and manufactures corporate products for major companies such as “Yandex”. In April, the number of orders his company has dropped by about 90%, the only customers who remained on the market, sellers of medical masks.”You can still sew disposable mask, someone places orders for tailoring of designer accessories — mostly young clothing brands such as “Top”. Usually very disadvantageous deals, such as 50 thousand products with paying RUB 5 per share. In the first weeks of isolation, we tried to do it, but it is not very profitable”,— comments Stepan Blond.Due to sales in our own online store, the revenues of the Studio “Nettle” remained almost at pre-crisis level, says one of the co-project of Elena Chernin. Their company produces flower pots and planters from concrete and a plant sale. In Omsk, where production is concentrated, the constraints are not so substantial as in Moscow, so the work there continues, however, the volume was still lowered, she continued.”The plants were chosen to live, and the website worked as a window display. But we were able to quickly rebuild its processes. For example, we moved all pots and plants in the apartment, as access to the showroom was blocked together with the introduction of the access regime,” she explains.Buns without comepetitors literary cafe “Books and coffee” suspended its activities in late March, says its ideologist Alexander Alexandrov. To savebe able to work during the quarantine, the café has received the NACE store and organized the sale of products and books in the mode of click & collect, she continues.”We also checked in with one of the aggregators of delivery, but this format failed, and we refused it,” says Ms. Alexandrova.Brick and mortar institutions connected to the delivery despite the crisis, it is difficult to compete with network concepts adapted to the delivery and aggregators, explains the General Director of “Infoline-Analytics” Mikhail Burmistrov. Even the network companies are closing some facilities to bring the rest to a minimum threshold of orders for the delivery, he says. In a press-service Delivery Club do not agree with this statement: most connected during a pandemic, the restaurants continue to operate today. Including due to the fact that most of them get bookings at zero Commission, which acts in support of local restaurants, add it.”Even a very small institution, so as not to generate losses, you need to make a delivery 25-30 thousand rubles per day, a larger — 70-80 thousand rubles a day. It is a minimum, not allowing to accumulate debts to suppliers of products and to pay employees.In this case, most likely, the owner of the premises refuses to provide vacation rental or serious discounts if the school is open for delivery”— retorted Mikhail Burmistrov.Other manufacturers have had to completely stop his business. Ekaterina Ivashchenko kept a pastry shop, where she prepared cakes for coffee shops, but to vacate the premises because private orders to rent a shop too unprofitable. In addition, the entrepreneur developed the Fika coffee shop in the center of Moscow. She also closed the school as soon as the city imposed a quarantine.”The landlord gave us a 30% discount, but not enough. To retrain for shipping we would not be able, says Ms. Ivaschenko.— Pastry shop I will restart as soon as you remove restrictions and there will be orders, but to re-open your own coffee shop is not planning”.Pay or wholesalechina small businesses enter into contracts of lease or for 11 months, or for two or three years, but the owners of the premises there is always the possibility to unilaterally terminate the contract, said the head of Department of commercial real estate JLL Polina Zhilkina. On the other hand, these tenants usually pay little, and are usually located in specific areas which are not suitable, said the Deputy Director of the Department of street retail at Colliers International Larisa Eremina.The company R4S (the owner of the premises of street retail in Moscow) say that about 10% of their tenants are participants of creative industries. “Assessing the future developmentment of the current situation, we individually each tenant is discussing the granting of discounts or vacation for a period of quarantine”— a comment R4S.Michael Eaglin of Redneck Ware says that they rent Studio space from several owners, which are in internecine conflict, that the tenants could not pay the rent in recent months. “Talking about negotiations is now also not possible. I hope that we will be able to get some discount on these difficult months, but is unlikely to agree on full rent holiday,” he says.Stepan Belocura the lessor has granted a reprieve: half the amount in April he would have to pay now, the second half— in September of this year. Showroom “Nettle” is located in the premises of street retail on Pyatnitskaya street in Zamoskvorechye. “The landlords offered us a 50% discount”,— says Elena Chernin. The owners of the cafe “Books and coffee” received a rent-free period in may. The landlord has provided the Moscow club Powerhouse big discount at the time of the current restrictions, says its co-founder Andrew Algorithmic. He adds that even with this preference it is difficult to seek and pay for the remaining part of the rent.Photo: Archive of the Studio “Nettle”co-Owner of tattoo parlor Love Life Tattoo Dmitry Sobolev, for seven years, moving premises near Chistoprudny Boulevard, failed to negotiate with the owner. After several rounds of negotiations, the latter offered him a reprieve of 20% per month of downtime with a full payment in the year following the pandemic. At the end of last month, the owner vacated the premises: “the city Authorities announced a state of emergency, to sue, meaning we do not see. Real estate prices are falling, we will look for a new site after the city will remove restrictions”.Photo: Archive of tattoo parlor Love Life TattooВот and prileteli some cases, owners were forced to suspend the work of institutions trying to consolidate, to negotiate with the owners of the premises. Alexey Trishin, the founder of the bar “Success”, located on the territory of the Moscow art cluster “the Aviator,” due to the epidemiological situation has closed his establishment in mid-March. Paid rent, he requested vacation for the duration of the pandemic and the transition to the payment of rent of 10% of the monthly turnover in the first six months after the lifting of restrictions.Photo: Personal archive of Alex neuralgic”Owners do not give any official response, but APR 20, sealed the premises for non-payment. Waiting for them. Let them or yourself terminate the contract and we will find new premises or make concessions”,— says Alexey Trishin.Another tenant of the same art cluster, bar Punk Fiction, also cannot negotiate with the owners. ��We wrote a collective letter, signed by other tenants, requested vacation or discount on downtime from 50% to 80%,”— says one of the founders of Punk Fiction Mikhail Minin. But, he continues, all individual terms of the lease.Photo: Archive of bar Punk Fiction”for Example— says the entrepreneur— our neighboring coffee shop West 4 Roasters was forced to pay the full amount of the rent for April, as the “Aviator” they sealed the building.” In “the Aviator” did not respond to a request “b”.In the second half of 2020 will start a wave of litigation about the lease, I’m sure the partner of the bar Association Pen & Paper Stanislav Danilov. Despite the government decree and the Federal law №98 “On amendments to certain legislative acts of the Russian Federation for prevention and liquidation of emergency situations”, the landlords denied in guaranteed benefits for tenants, citing its obligations to creditors, employees and the lack of them any of the benefits.A large part of the lawsuits will not be for the recovery of rents, and the termination of the contract. “Obviously realizing the inferiority of their position, the landlords just trying to find any reason to terminate the lease under threat of eviction forces the entrepreneur to pay at least some fee,”— says Stanislav Danilov.Saving utopayuschih April, the Moscow and Federal authorities announced several packages of state support of business in the conditions of crisis caused by the pandemic COVID-19. “There was an extended program of subsidies for small and medium enterprises, which even in the current environment continue to invest in new equipment or fulfilling export orders… Small and medium businesses will receive support to pay the salaries, subject to a maximum of preservation of labour collectives”,— is spoken on a personal site of the mayor of Moscow Sergey Sobyanin.According to Stepan Blond, 30 April his account was blocked by FNS for failure to pay tax on any subsidies from the state he also does not expect. Alexander Alexandrov said he had the opportunity not to pay penalties for non-payment of utility bills. Mikhail Minin left a request for the payment of minimum wages to each employee Punk Fiction. Chef Ekaterina Ivashchenko is not made out any subsidies to support: “the State does not consider my business small, while the taxes I pay regularly”. Mrs. Chernin was also not approached for support: manufacturers flower pots do not fall in the list of affected industries, besides, she doesn’t feel the need of assistance from the state.In Redneck Ware before the crisis, there were 20 people, half were sent on unpaid leave. Stepan Blonde also wants her to drink��tit most of its employees on leave. The club “Books and coffee” were forced to dismiss a number of employees, and the other to lower the salary. Powerhouse have lost 10% of its employees. Workers Punk Fiction are on paid leave, says Mr. Minin. Salon staff Love Life Tattoo got piece rate, respectively, in the absence of orders, no revenues, explains Mr. Sobolev.Light boumeester will be able to earn by September and will be actively placing orders for their manufacture, counting Michael Eaglin. At Powerhouse I believe that will be able to return to pre-crisis levels of revenue for at least a year.”We will continue to go in a new format, it is obvious that the previous project in the past. We will keep events before they have been every day, but in what it will form is still unknown,”— says Alexander Alexandrov.Photo: Archive of the club PowerhouseАлексей Trishin understands that this year’s tour in Moscow of the foreign artists whom he had invited to perform in your cafe, is no more. Therefore, he believes, the members of the entertainment industry will be a great opportunity to develop local players of show business. The same is said and Andrew Algorithmic. At the same time, he adds, Powerhouse to crisis concerts every day — and they were mostly Russian musicians.”But while the country is epidemic, about organization of events in a closed room cannot be and speeches,— he argues.— Published by the CPS recommendations depressive. But, we may be able to work in open space. In any case, after two months spent at home, Muscovites will try to compensate for this time, active campaigns of the bars and museums”.Nikita Sharenkov
