Hypermarkets boom in ex-communist bloc

Published: 20 January 2004 y., Tuesday
The former communist states set to join the European Union in four months are embracing the West in wholehearted fashion — flexing their new market economy muscles in their own shopping centers and hypermarkets. The spatious well-lit stores chock full of food and merchandise are cropping up behind the old Iron Curtain, gleaming like jewels against the unadorned, grey, utilitarian architecture built for the old proletariat. Mass marketing - both the availabiity of goods and the buying power that makes one a full-fledged consumer - are still novel concepts in the former Soviet satellite states. "The people were frustrated by the lack of choice and the shortages under communism," said Tomas Krasny, director general of Incoma, a Czech marketing firm. "They now crave abundance." Thanks to very liberal laws, the hypermarkets generally remain open every day, some even 24 hours a day, even in Roman Catholic Poland where church tradition still upholds Sunday as the day of rest.
Šaltinis: bday.co.za
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

Taxation: Removing cross-border tax obstacles for EU citizens

Today, the Commission published a Communication which outlines the most serious tax problems that EU citizens face in cross-border situations and announces plans for solutions. more »

State aid: Commission opens in-depth investigation into Hungarian support measures for national airline Malév

The European Commission has opened a formal investigation under EU state aid rules to examine a number of support measures, including several capital injections and shareholder loans, that the Hungarian authorities granted to Malév-Hungarian Airlines in the context of its privatisation and subsequent renationalisation. more »

Fake Chinese products spread

Internet and lax customs enforcement drive growth of 600 billion US dollar counterfeit goods industry. more »

Report: millions escape poverty

350 million people rose out of poverty in the past decade, but 1.4 billion are still extremely poor, says the latest report into rural poverty. more »

Getting more people into better jobs

New plan sets out action to reach 75% employment target for the EU by 2020. more »

Innovation Union: three new European research infrastructures on wind, solar and nuclear energy announced

Research Ministers of the EU Member States and Associated Countries, together with the European Commission, are announcing in Brussels today three new pan–European energy research infrastructures. more »

Commissioner Šemeta visits Moscow to strengthen EU-Russia customs cooperation

Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation, Customs, Audit and Anti-fraud, is visiting Moscow today to discuss ways in which customs cooperation between the EU and Russia can be reinforced. more »

ECB must go on participating actively in tackling the economic crisis

Following on from Monday's debate with ECB President Jean-Claude Trichet, MEPs on Tuesday adopted a resolution, by a show of hands, gauging the ECB's performance in 2009 and suggesting actions to be taken in view of the economic situation. more »

Parliament approves aid to unemployed people in the Netherlands

The European Parliament today approved €10.5 million in European Globalisation Adjustment Fund aid to over 3,000 people in the Netherlands who lost their printing and publishing sector jobs last year, due to the economic crisis. more »

France unveils Taj Mahal gold coin

A diamond-studded gold coin engraved with a picture of the Taj Mahal and worth 100,000 euros is unveiled at the Paris mint. more »