Alexander Malis, the new President of Euroset, who headed the company about 3 weeks ago, has already started the transformations. He suspended the investments into the project of opening the stores of deluxe telephones, while Euroset was to spend $25 mln for it. As Mr Malis said, during his first working day as the President of Euroset he forbade to spend the company’s money without his private permission. Vympelkom holding 49.9% of Euroset agrees with such a position. It’s not the best time to sell luxury now.
This week the “Tele2 Russia” mobile retailer addressed the Rostov UFAS with a complaint about Euroset. During the “A mysterious buyer” program the sellers from Euroset stores refused to sell the Tele2 contracts to the buyers under the pretext of delay in the contracts’ deliveries. However, the deliveries were effected in time. The representatives of Euroset say that they have no conflicts with the operators.
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“Teleforum” from St. Petersburg, another mobile retailer, might be extended by an operator. The Federal Antimonopoly Service approved a petition from MTS to purchase 100% of the company’s shares. The sum of the deal may come up to $10 mln.
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This week a series of the Russian mass media informed that the investigating committee at the public prosecutor’s office has finished the investigation of the criminal case in relation to Evgeny Chichvarkin, the ex-owner of Euroset company, and seven of his subordinates. As per the investigation version, they are all involved in kidnapping 2 expeditors of Iled M company (the sister structure of Euroset), which took place 6 years ago. However, the next day the investigation committee at the public prosecutor’s office disproved the fact of finishing the investigation. It also warned the journalists that spreading any information about the course of the criminal cases investigation, which are at the process at the investigating authorities from other resources, breaks the regulations of the Criminal code and can negatively affect the investigation results.
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The IKEA plans in Tyumen became known this week. The company is going to build a shopping and entertainment complex there. The volume of investments, terms and exact place are not defined yet. However, it’s known that a land area of about 36 hectares in the Ishimskiy region is the most perspective one.
Launching of Mega-IKEA in Samara, another company’s shopping and entertainment center, will not happen till the end of the month. The Swedish retailer accounted on receiving the permission to start-up the building by May, 10th, but this didn’t happen. The government of the Samara region says that IKEA still hasn’t fulfilled the list of requirements coordinated a month ago. In case the situation is not settled within the near future, more than 200 employees of the IKEA retail department in Samara may already be discharged in June. The experts do not rule out the fact that the Swedish company will implement this threat as a means of pressure.
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The network of “Okean” specialty stores is widening with a cruising speed. Alexander Saveliev, the head of Rosrybolovstvo Public Relations Center, has already informed about 42 objects in 30 Russian cities. The stores in Moscow and the Moscow region were launched not long ago. Rosrybolovstvo informed that they will follow the price policy of the new stores and will assist with logistics and direct fish deliveries from the manufacturers only to those stores, who will keep prices at 30% lower that in average networks.
The outdoor billboards calling the population to consume the fish products appeared in Moscow as a support for the stores. The campaign’s slogan is “The fish is waiting!”, and different fish dishes were used as a basis for the billboards drafts.
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Now only “Okean” reports about the launches. The social stores have become the objects of the week. They were launched in the Saratov and Primorye regions, at the Tverskaya street in Moscow and in Yekaterinburg. In the Ural capital the store holds the symbol of “Spravedlivaya Rossiya” and is supported by the political party.
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The first store of the Uniqlo Japanese clothes network might open within the area of the Atrium shopping center in Moscow. This area was taken by Arbat Prestige perfume and cosmetics store till February. Uniqlo already informed about its expansion to the Russian market last August: the trade areas in the shopping center “Mall of Russia”, “Godzon”, “Mozaika” were considered for the stores. No agreement on any objects has been signed yet.
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The company "TIB Investments Limited”, the Cypriot structure of the Russian bank “Trast”, has filed an appeal against the actions of the Arbitrage Court in the Omsk region. As per the bank’s opinion, the court has illegally accepted the actions about the self-bankruptcy of the two companies of Omsk retail group “Partner-retail”. Oleg Mkrtchyan is one of their co-owners. The bank informs: “Mr Mkrtchyan’s actions on the preliminary “voluntary” liquidation of the mentioned companies allowed him to follow the simplified bankruptcy plan according to the present law, which cornered the creditors.”
The suppliers also joint against Oleg Mkrtchyan. They are going to launch the Omsk purchase union and warn the network co-owner that they will demand prosecution of the criminal case at the “Conversion” article against him. In such case he will possibly have to repay his debts with his personal wealth.
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The product retailers’ shares show a stable growth from the beginning of 2009. The investors are primarily attracted by the shares of “Magnit” and Х5 Retail Group due to the good work results in the 1st quarter, receipts’ growth and number of the stores in these companies’ networks. The price for the Diksi group shares was growing slightly less actively. The shares of the company “Seventh Continent” have grown more than twice. The analysts suppose this became possible due to the rumors of the coming purchase of the network by the French retailer Carrefour. As per the experts’ opinion, now the discount used by the product retailers while haggling is not so large and the further growth of this company’s shares will not be significant.
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The Bill On the State Control and Development of the Trade Activity awaited by the agriculture producers and processors for a long time has been prepared, but sent for improvement. The Ministry of the Industrial Trade, the Ministry of the Agriculture and the State Antimonopoly Service, the developers of this bill, weren’t able to take into account all the interests in the chain “producer – processor — seller”. The new version of the document is promised to be submitted by October. The Duma hopes that the Law on the Trade will be accepted by the end of the year.
The digest was prepared by Retailer.RU and was translated by iTrex company. Itrex is a translation bureau. It offers written and oral translation, notary certification and a lot more. Itrex does work with every language: European, Eastern languages and others. Itrex does work with every topic: technical, legal, financial, business, etc.
