Citizens do not save on vigilance – Newspaper Kommersant No. 178 (7379) of 09/27/2022

Retailers and technology vendors are seeing increased demand for security systems in the private sector, with video surveillance equipment sales up 84% in eight months. Market participants attribute the demand to citizens’ concerns about the safety of property, including cars, parts for which are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain. Experts expect continued growth in demand for such systems due to fear of looting amid tensions in the country.

In January-August, Russians bought 84% more video surveillance kits than in the same period last year, Citylink told Kommersant. Growth in sales in the network of alarms, intercoms, outdoor panels, locks and monitors amounted to 41% year-on-year, demand for video cameras, video recorders and accessories for them increased by 35%. In addition, Citilink notes a 20–25% increase in sales in the “surveillance cameras” category.

As Ivan Polikarpov, head of the procurement department for office equipment, network equipment and accessories at Citilink, explained to Kommersant, demand caused an increase in repair work – both private houses and refurbishment of offices. “During repairs, people and companies began to integrate more security and video surveillance systems, access control and management, as well as smart home systems into the premises,” explains the top manager.

On the Citylink website, on average, a video surveillance kit can be purchased for 15 thousand rubles, and video recorders – from 600 rubles. up to 67 thousand rubles. The most popular brands of video surveillance systems were Chinese Hikvision, TP-Link, Russian Falcon Eye and Tantos.

According to MTS, devices for home security in their network were bought in January-August by 120% more than a year ago. Ivan Goryachev, Head of Automation and Security Systems at Smart Home diHouse (part of the Lanit group), confirms the increased demand for video surveillance systems. According to him, only in the first quarter, sales of IP cameras grew by 55-60%, home and outdoor IP cameras, motion sensors, as well as window opening sensors that are integrated into a smart home were in the greatest demand.

At the same time, in MegaFon’s network, according to the company’s sales director David Borzilov, in these categories of goods “no noticeable dynamics was noted”, although in September sales in them increased by 3%.

According to one of the market participants, the increased demand for security systems arose among Russians due to “uncertainty and tension” in the country: “Now, due to problems with imported auto parts, people prefer to secure the car and update alarms more often, install video recorders, to protect real estate using video surveillance.

Against the backdrop of a shortage of spare parts for foreign cars and a general sharp decline in the production and import of cars in the country, the All-Russian Union of Insurers (VSS) made a forecast at the end of March according to which a sharp increase in theft should be expected this year (see Kommersant on March 22) .

TelecomDaily CEO Denis Kuskov noted that Russia is already the third largest in the world in terms of the number of video surveillance systems after China and the United States, as well as the second in terms of growth in the number of such systems. According to Mr. Kuskov, the rise in sales is connected, among other things, with the general activity of the state in installing video cameras, “which in the future can also be used to track recruits.” Mr. Kuskov agrees that growth in demand in the private sector and business may continue and even intensify “because of the fear of looting and unrest in the event of a declaration of martial law.”

Timofey Kornev