Russian low-price retailer Mere plans to open stores in all Latvian cities

“We plan to open in all Latvian cities,” said Volkov and called to follow the news.

According to him, the company SIA “Latprodukti”, which represents the “Mere” network in Latvia, is currently actively working to find rental premises. The company is interested in at least 800 square meters of space with a ceiling of at least four meters high, as well as parking for at least 30 cars.

Asked whether the country of origin of the products sold in the store will play a role, Volkov emphasized that “Mere” is more interested in acceptable quality and price. “Currently, there are many goods from the European Union, including Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia,” said Volkov.

It has already been reported that on March 13, in Riga, Spilves Street, the first “Mere” store in Latvia was opened. The agency LETA observed that several days after the opening of the store, long queues of people formed near it.

The Svetofor chain of stores established in Russia operates in Europe under the Mere brand. Mere’s sales network currently includes more than 2,000 stores located in countries such as Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Serbia and Romania. In Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the company operates under the Svetofor brand.

At the same time, the development manager of Mere stated that starting operations in Latvia is the next step for the development of the company in the Baltic region. There are currently nine Mere stores in Lithuania. It is also planned to open Mere stores in Estonia.

Volkov previously told LETA that Mere is one of the largest low-cost retailers in Eastern Europe, with a sales network of more than 2,000 stores in countries such as Lithuania, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Romania, Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus. He added that in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, the company works under the Svetofor brand.

The Svetofor chain of stores founded in Krasnoyarsk is managed by the company Torgservis, the largest owner of which is the Schnaider family.

Information “Firmas.lv” shows that “Latprodukti” was registered in May 2020, and its share capital is 200,000 euros.

The company is 60% owned by Sergei Schneider, a Russian citizen, who is also the real beneficiary of Latprodukti. The company’s co-owners are also Jevgēnijs Pšenitsuns (20%), Andrejs Šnaiders (12%), Valērijs Jakovļevs (5%) and Andrejs Veikulainen (2%).