SenseIt did not have enough buttons – Newspaper Kommersant No. 33 (7478) of 02/22/2023

PSB initiated the bankruptcy of the Russian SenseIt, which produced shock-resistant smartphones and push-button phones. According to the bank, the legal entities, for which Sensit.ru LLC guaranteed, have ceased to service obligations to the bank since 2019. In recent years, SenseIt has received claims from counterparties for the supply of low-quality goods, debts, and a dispute with an enterprise that produced smart sockets for the company resulted in the recovery of 50 million rubles from Sensit.ru. Experts believe that with a stable demand for push-button phones, the company switched to the production of devices for the home in vain.

“Kommersant” found in the file of arbitration cases that on February 16, PSB filed a bankruptcy petition with the Moscow Arbitration Court for Sensit.ru LLC. According to Fedresurs, the PSB notified of its intention to go to court on January 30.

The PSB told Kommersant that Sensit.ru acts as a guarantor under a loan agreement dated 2018 with Voltego LLC and Technoliga LLC. Borrowers, explained in the bank, have ceased to service obligations since 2019, the debt is 69.2 million rubles. In “Sensit.ru” did not answer “Kommersant”.

In 2020-2022, there was a dispute between SenseIt and the Etalon plant in Tver, which produced smart sockets for the company, over payment and shipment of goods. SenseIt tried to recover 76.3 million rubles from Etalon, citing incomplete delivery of goods. The plant objected that it shipped goods worth 27 million rubles. out of 37 million rubles. advance payment, the remaining products were ready for export, but since January 2019 the customer stopped picking them up. The Moscow Arbitration Court agreed to recover 41 million rubles from Etalon. penalties, but in November 2021 the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal reduced it to 2.6 million rubles. In parallel, Etalon itself demanded 25 million rubles from Senselt. debt to pay for the goods and the same penalty. The Arbitration Court of the Tver Region fully satisfied the claim, and in January 2022 the decision was confirmed by an appeal.

In 2022, the courts awarded penalties against SenseIt and other counterparties: Vimpelcom – 284 thousand rubles. for the supply of low-quality goods, the Tech.ru data center (Tech.ru, Digital Network) – 136 thousand rubles. for communication services. The Moscow Arbitration Court is also considering Drivepixel’s claim for the recovery of 1.56 million rubles. debt for software development, the next meeting is scheduled for April 5.

KA Delcredere partner Denis Yurov notes that four months have passed since the end of the bankruptcy moratorium: “This is a long enough period for such stories. Perhaps the reason is that the parties could not agree, and therefore the PSB launched the bankruptcy procedure right now.” The lawyer notes that the main surge in bankruptcy cases was at the end of 2022: in the fourth quarter, they were registered by 50% more than in the same period of 2021: “In general, according to our practice, we can conclude that at least a quarter of companies have a history of financial difficulties began during the pandemic and are still ongoing, some of them are now starting to fall into bankruptcy.

SenseIt chose the wrong strategy, deciding to produce smart sockets from 2015, says Denis Kuskov, CEO of Telecom Daily: “Simple dialer phones have always been in demand, so the company’s transition to the production of smart devices was incomprehensible. Moreover, it is stupid to compete with one outlet with companies that produce a whole range of devices, Yandex or Xiaomi. According to him, the demand for phones with basic functionality remains, mainly among corporate clients and the elderly.

Yuri Litvinenko, Anna Zanina