There is trouble around the house of Mere

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 02. 13. 11:59

The Russian retail watchdog, Roskomnadzor, conducted a comprehensive inspection of Svetofor stores in January. Serious hygiene problems were found in one Moscow store: cockroaches, flies, food moths, garbage and expired products. As a result of the inspections, several stores were closed, in some cases for months.

According to Russia’s Forbes, half of the more than 70 Svetofor stores in Moscow have been temporarily closed. However, the problems do not end with hygiene concerns: almost half of the complaints received in the Russian grocery trade are related to Svetofor, and suppliers do not always receive their money on time.

Svetofor belongs to the Mere chain of stores founded by the Schneider brothers, Sergei and Andrei, which also plans to expand in Hungary. With a fortune of $1.4 billion, Szergej Schneider is among the 100 richest people in the country.

Mere’s expansion in Hungary hit obstacles even before the first store opened. TS Retail Kft., responsible for the Budapest store openings, hired more than twenty employees and created a purchasing and business development team that would also operate in three other regional countries, but the opening of the first Hungarian store continues to be delayed.

The problems mainly center around rental contracts. Mere wanted to conclude agreements with the owners of the selected store premises in which it would not have to pay a deposit, but the owners did not accept this. Previously, they would have opened a store in a Spar location in Káposztásmegyer and in Nyíregyháza, but the agreement without a deposit also hit obstacles here.