Panevėžys residents saddened
A laconic sign hanging on the door of the store located in the trading base territory on Ramygala Street reads: “Due to technical difficulties, the store will be closed until July 27.” However, its doors remained locked on Monday as well.
Valentinas, a Panevėžys resident met near the store, said he had heard that its name might change.
“I used to stop by here once a week. Food products were not very suitable for me, but I liked various vitaminized drinks, cookies, candies, small items. Household chemicals were cheaper here. I will come next time, but not today,” said the man.
Alma, who came to the store with her friend Žydrė, had also heard rumors about a possible name change.
“Judging by the sign on the door, it seemed that it was supposed to open on Monday, but it was closed. My friend likes to shop here,” the woman said.
Žydrė did not hide that the store’s closure saddened her.
“Everything suited me here because it was cheaper. The selection was also satisfactory – I could find what I needed. It’s sad that it’s closed,” said the Panevėžys resident.
Her friend Alma added that although she rarely shopped at the store, she had bought laundry detergents and spices here.
They called the store the main one
Aloyzas, who lives nearby in Pažagieniai, was even more disappointed.
“How sad that it’s closed. This store was my main one because I live nearby – I used to come here to shop within ten minutes. I could find everything here – clothes, shoes, and food. I have been shopping here since it opened, maybe for two years or more. But what can you do, you can’t cry. We will wait, maybe it will open, we will have to say prayers,” the man smiled.
Janina, a Panevėžys resident who came to the closed store with her relatives, also did not expect to find the doors locked.
“We used to come every week, mostly on weekends. And today we came especially. We will come the next day too – maybe it will be open by then?” the woman hoped.
“The little consumers are being hurt”
Vidmantas, who came to shop at “Mere” about once a month, was more critical of the store’s closure.
“The Ukrainian candies here were both tasty and cheap. It’s just a pity that some products were sold in large quantities, for example, packed in one-kilogram packages. Other products were similar to those in other stores, only maybe a bit cheaper here,” the man said.
He said he had heard that the stores were closed due to EU-imposed sanctions.
“Still, I was surprised that they closed. In my opinion, in this case, the little consumers are being hurt,” said Vidmantas.
Help promised to employees
Deputy Minister of Economy and Innovation Paulius Petrauskas told LRT radio on Monday that if necessary, help would be provided to “Mere” store employees in finding new jobs.
“Before initiating the entire sanctions process, we had discussions to ensure that these employees would be given special assistance to relocate or find new jobs,” said the deputy minister.
According to him, other retail chains are currently looking for about 2,400 employees, so former “Mere” employees could move to work in other chains. Employment service departments have already been informed about the situation.
According to P. Petrauskas, more than 250 people worked in “Mere” stores. According to “Sodra” data, the company managing the chain, “Valientė,” had 262 employees.
Sanctions applied
Russian businessman Sergei Shnaider, owner of the retail chain “Mere,” is included in the EU list of sanctioned persons.
According to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, from July 23, all funds and economic resources belonging to, controlled, or managed by the sanctioned owners of “Svetofor Group” must be frozen by the EU. They are also prohibited from directly or indirectly providing funds or other economic resources.
A “Mere” representative confirmed to BNS that all network stores in Lithuania are closed due to technical difficulties but did not comment on whether the closures are temporary or directly related to the sanctions.
On Monday, the “Mere” website was no longer operational, and the network’s Facebook account was deleted.
The report submitted to the Register Center indicates that “Valientė’s” revenue grew by 16.2% last year – up to 75.8 million euros, while net profit decreased by 14.2% to 1 million euros.
The company has been operating in Lithuania since 2019. The founders and co-owners of “Svetofor Group” own more than 2,200 stores in Russia and other countries operating under the brands “Svetofor,” “Mere,” and “MyPrice.”
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