Svetofor
IndustryRetail
Founded2009
FounderValentina Shnayder[1]
HeadquartersKrasnoyarsk, Russia
ParentTorgservis
Website

Svetofor ('traffic light' in Russian) is a chain of discount supermarkets headquartered in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.[2] The chain, owned by Torgservis, operates stores in Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and China.[3] As of December 2019 its network comprised approximately 1,400 locations.[4]

History

In November 2017, the chain registered the MERE brand trademark with the European Union Intellectual Property Office,[3][5] and the first store under this branding opened the following year in Snagov, Romania.[6] MERE has since expanded into other European markets including Germany, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland, where it opened its first outlet in Częstochowa in July 2020.[7] In 2021 it planned to open its first stores in the United Kingdom, Bulgaria, Austria, Spain and Italy.[2] Launch in Slovakia was planned for 2022.[8] In Greece, they started operating in May 2021, after a one-year delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures taken by the Greek Government to limit the spread of the disease.[9] Today, 4 large supermarkets operate in the cities of Tripoli, Larissa, Corinth and Agrinio.[10] The managing company of the Greek department is called TORG HELLAS IKE and is based in Athens.[11] In 2023, the Russian owners declared their willingness to remain in the Greek market at all costs and proceeded with a large capital increase of their company. The company's goal is 80 stores in Greece with the primary goal of development mainly in Athens and Thessaloniki.[12]

The company's operating model aims to undercut local supermarket prices by around 20-30% by having suppliers deliver directly to stores, keeping staffing levels low and displaying goods directly on the pallets on which they arrive.[2][3]

Controversies

In 2021, MERE was banned from operating in Ukraine due to its connections with Russian secret services.[13]

In March 2022, MERE closed its only UK store, in Preston, due to political pressure caused by the war in Ukraine.[14][15]

In early April 2022, activists in Poland organized a protest related to the criticism of Mere as a Russian network, in connection with Russia's invasion of Ukraine.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Torgservis, The Concept of the Month". Global Retail News. February 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Steve Farrell (6 May 2021). "Russian-founded discounter giant gearing up to open four UK stores". The Grocer (thegrocer.co.uk). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Na rynku zadebiutuje dyskont Mere. W Polsce chce mieć 105 sklepów" (in Polish). dlahandlu.pl. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  4. ↑ Maxime Delacour (19 June 2020). "Hard discounter Mere enters Lithuania". Institute of Grocery Distribution (retailanalysis.igd.com). Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "EUTM file information - MERE (017486036)". EUIPO. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Branislav Pekic (2 August 2018). "Russian Discounter to Expand to Romania". ESM Magazine. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  7. ↑ "Mere w Częstochowie otwarty. To hard dyskont, jakiego wielu nigdy nie widziało" (in Polish). Wirtualna Polska (finanse.wp.pl). 25 July 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Ultralacný obchodný reťazec z Ruska mieri na Slovensko. Do boja o zákazníka ide s nízkou cenou". Pravda.sk (in Slovak). 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  9. ↑ Χριστοδούλου, Κωστής (2022-11-23). "Mere: Πώς τα πήγαν την πρώτη χρονιά στην Ελλάδα τα ρωσικά σούπερ μάρκετ". PowerGame (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  10. ↑ "Το νέο Ρωσικό σούπερ μάρκετ που ανοίγει στην Τρίπολη δεν έχει καμία σχέση με αυτά που ήξερες". www.anagnostis.org/ (in Greek). Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  11. ↑ "mere.com.gr – ΛΙΑΝΙΚΟ ΕΜΠΟΡΙΟ SUPER MARKET". Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  12. ↑ "Mere: Πήραν παράταση ζωής τα ρωσικά σούπερ μάρκετ στην Ελλάδα". Business Daily (in Greek). 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-11-04.
  13. 1 2 Czoik, Tomasz (5 April 2022). "Dwie osoby protestowały w sklepie rosyjskiej sieci Mere. Przypominały o ludobójstwie w Ukrainie". sosnowiec.wyborcza.pl. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  14. ↑ Aziz, Fatima (2022-03-04). "Russian supermarket Mere closing Preston store after Ukraine invasion". LancsLive. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  15. ↑ Farrell2022-03-04T11:46:00+00:00, Steve. "Russian discounter Mere pulling out of UK". The Grocer. Retrieved 2022-11-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.