The "Mere" supermarket chain, which is a branch of the Russian "Svetofor" chain, has been operating in Ukraine since July and plans to expand to 40 outlets.
At the same time, the secretary of the National Security Council, Aleksey Danilov, assured that it is impossible for the network to enter the Ukrainian market.
Now the chain operates in Nikolaev and Pavlograd (Dnipropetrovsk region), but plans to open new supermarkets in Dnipropetrovsk and Kyiv regions. A total of 40 supermarkets are planned to be launched by the end of the year.
The director of the Mere network said that when the network was launched in Ukraine, it did not face resistance from the Ukrainian authorities.
The "Svetofor" chain belongs to Russian businessmen Sergey and Andrey Schneider. It positions itself as a discounter and offers lower prices compared to competitors.
Earlier, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Alexey Danilov, said that the entry of the Russian supermarket chain into the Ukrainian market is impossible. According to Danilov, local authorities must oppose this, otherwise "measures" will be applied to it. At the same time, Alexander Senkevich, the mayor of Nikolaev, where the supermarket opened, said that he did not understand how the local authorities could prohibit the resumption of the Mere store.
