‘We have got one major rival, Grossmart. When Park House Trade Center that now hosts Grossmart was under construction, we were worried about the upcoming opening of a supermarket in the immediate vicinity of our store. However, we have been able to compete successfully; moreover, we are getting more and more customers since the quality of goods and service in Grossmart leave a lot to be desired. The federal chain stores are trying to lure the customers into their outlets with the help of low prices, but one cannot stick to such prices for a long time. The experience of Park House and Yekaterininskiy trade centers has shown that the number of customer eventually goes down,’ director of Atlant store Elena Semenova said to UrBC representative.

‘The arrival of Ramstore is not something to be afraid of. We are past competing with the federal brands; our store has already developed certain ways of working. Grocery stores located outside large trade centers inevitably get fewer customers at weekends: one goes to a trade center to spend a few hours window-shopping and is likely to do one’s grocery just as well. On weekdays, however, a customer wouldn’t go to a trade center after work; he or she would rather use a shop close to where they live,’ Ms Semenova explained.