Russian hard discounter Svetofor has announced plans to launch in Romania under the Mere banner, with the aim of opening 100 stores in the next two years.
According to Andrei Filip, procurement manager at Torgservice RM, which represents Svetofor’s business in Romania, the first store will be opened in September at Snagov, around 40 kilometres north of Bucharest, to be followed by another store in Brasov in the same month.
He told local daily Ziarul Financiar that the plan is for the retailer to operate 16 stores by the end of the year.
Filip added that the strategy for the Romanian market will be adapted in time according to the market requirements, but did not provide any financial data.
The average surface of the stores, which will target middle and low-income families, will be between 800 and 1,200 square metres. The assortment will consist of 70% food and 30% non-food products.
Founded in 2009, Svetofor operates about 600 stores in Russia and also has a presence in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The company is planning further international expansion, including Poland, Germany and Moldova.
The modern retail trade market in Romania is worth €12 billion and is dominated by a small number of players. In the discount segment, Svetofor will compete with German retailers Lidl and Penny Market, which already have more than 200 stores each.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
