Some major retailers do not rule out that a similar network may appear again, just under a different name.
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“The market share occupied by smaller retail chains is relatively small, and the closed ‘Mere’ stores did not constitute a significant part. In any case, we are observing the market after the closure of ‘Mere’ and waiting to see if a similar retail model will try to return in a new format and name. Only then will we know whether any impact on the market can or cannot exist,” said Gintarė Kitovė, communications manager of the ‘Iki’ retail chain, in a comment to BNS.
‘Mere’ stores were urgently closed last Friday, as the network itself stated, due to “technical obstacles.” The network publicly announced managing 26 stores.
Representatives of ‘Rimi Lithuania’ and ‘Maxima’ stated, in turn, that the assortment of ‘Mere’ goods was narrow, and this network was not a competitor.
“At ‘Rimi’ we follow different principles, customers (…) find a wide range of products in ‘Rimi’ stores,” said marketing and communications manager Dalia Čenkienė in a comment to BNS.
“Considering our scale of operations and market position, we did not consider ‘Mere’ a significant competitor. In our activities, we focus mainly on offering customers a wide assortment that meets their needs and low prices,” said Giedrius Galdikas, director of Communications and Corporate Relations Department at ‘Maxima’, in a comment.
Antanas Bubnelis, representative of ‘Lidl Lithuania’, when asked by BNS whether ‘Mere’ posed competitive pressure and what the consequences of the network’s closure might be for the market, said that the Lithuanian retail market remains highly competitive, and customers value not only price but also product quality and business transparency.
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None of the retail chains commented on the pricing applied by ‘Mere’. It is discussed in the public space that ‘Mere’ offered goods at lower prices.
As BNS wrote, last week the EU announced sanctions against an additional 168 entities and 48 individuals, including the owners of ‘Svetofor Group’, which owns ‘Mere’.
Meanwhile, on Monday, the Ministry of Economy and Innovation contacted the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT), asking to assess whether the persons sanctioned by the EU’s 21st sanctions package are related to companies or other entities operating in Lithuania, and whether there is a basis to apply restrictive measures against them.
According to BNS information, the ministry suspected that stores with the name ‘Mere’ might be renamed to ‘Ola’.
‘Mere’ operated in Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai, Alytus, Panevėžys, Šalčininkai, Šilutė, Telšiai, Jonava, Tauragė, Jurbarkas, Kretinga, Marijampolė, Kaunas, Mažeikiai, Naujoji Akmenė, Utena, Plungė, and Radviliškis.
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