Exact date set when the Russian chain of stores opens in Serbia – this is where the first 15 markets will be located

Market Mere, Photo: EPA

Sales facilities are already being prepared and will open in Batajnica, Kruševac and Subotica no later than mid-January, during February in Kraljevo and Vršac, and a total of 15 stores are expected to open in our country by the end of April and early May.

This is what Trade Minister Tatjana Matić says, noting that the Ministry was confirmed at the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation.

– The fact that one of the largest discount chains in Russia comes to Serbia is just another confirmation that our retail market is among the most promising in the region – emphasizes Matic.

– The arrival of another large retailer will increase competition in the retail market and affect the modernization of the commercial network.

As announced in mid-August from the branch of this Russian company in Belgrade, it is planned to open at least 100 markets in the Serbian market with an average area of ​​1,000 square meters. They then stated that their prices would be 20 percent lower than average, as well as that they plan to work directly with producers, with strict quality control and a low commercial margin.

Mladen Alfirović from the Serbian National Consumers Organization points out that his association strongly supports the arrival of any competition. This, as he claims, is good news for consumers, because it provides better purchasing conditions in terms of better quality goods and more affordable prices.

Market Mere, Photo: EPA

The MERE brand is promoted under the motto: only the lowest prices every day. When they entered the German market in January last year, the demand was so great that they exhausted all product stocks in the first week after opening and therefore had to temporarily close the store in Leipzig. Then the German media reported on the opinion of consumers about the Russian discount chain, who pointed out that it was a good cheap alternative, as well as that a complete weekly purchase could be made at relatively low prices.

ONE OF THE GREATEST DISCOUNTS

MERE is part of the “Svetofor” group, which is one of the largest discount chains in Russia. It was founded in 2009. Svetofor has more than 2,500 stores in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. The MERE brand, which simply means, has been present in Europe since 2017, when the company was registered in Romania, and the first stores were opened a year later. As a discount chain, in addition to that country, they also operate in Germany, Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. They have also opened offices for the acquisition of goods in Bulgaria, Italy, Spain and Greece, where they plan to expand their network.