Russian budget supermarket chain Svetefor is all set to open its first planned store in the UK. Operating under the name Mere in Europe, it claims to cost up to 30 per cent less than Adli and Lidl. It reportedly plans to open its first store at a former Nisa branch in Preston, Lancashire. Additional three stores are also said to be in the works – with two in Wales namely Mold and Caldicot, and one in Castleford, West Yorkshire.
Mere's UK website states it is looking for suitable locations across the nation to expand its retail chain. It says, “At the moment, despite coronavirus, we are actively involved with landlords, their representatives and agents with the aim to open our MERE retail stores ASAP.” The business' other locations of interest include South Scotland, Devon, Cardiff, Southampton, Stockport, Neath, Banbury, Selby, Bradford, Grantham, Kettering, Gloucester and Sheffield.
Each store is estimated to have up to 1,200 products, and eight staff – counting a director, four cashiers and three delivery workers. Founded in Siberia in 2009, Mere has 3,200 stores globally. It expanded to Europe in 2018, with stores in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, and Ukraine. The announcement of its opening in the UK comes at a time when Lidl narrowly beat Aldi as the cheapest supermarket of 2020. Waitrose came in as the most expensive.
