Russian discounter wants to open 100 stores in Romania

Russian retailer Svetofor plans to expand to Romania with its brand here, aiming to reach 100 hard discount stores on the local market in two years. However, the company will adapt its plans according to the market response, according to the local executives, Ziarul Financiar reported. The retail network was founded in 2009 and currently operates some 600 stores in Russia. It also has stores in Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and plans to enter the markets in Romania, Poland and Germany. “The first store will open in September in Snagov and we will also go to Brasov in September. By the end of this year, we want to have 16 local stores,” said Andrei Filip, acquisitions manager of Torgservice RM SRL, which operates the Svetofor business in Romania. The Russian retailer will compete directly with German chains Lidl and Penny Market, which have over 200 stores in Romania each. Japanese low-cost retailer enters Romanian market editor@romania-insider.com