In Vitebsk, a shop on the outskirts has resumed operations after citizens' appeal

The retail outlet on the outskirts of the city (at the end of Gagarin Street) was closed about a year ago due to unprofitability. The "Vitebskiye Produkty" retail chain, which owned it, was going through difficult times then – it was awaiting reorganization, and there was no possibility to keep an unprofitable store. This is how Valery Kasperovich, Director of OJSC "Vitebskmyasomolprom," which is now the managing organization of "Vitebskiye Produkty," explained the situation. "It was not possible to make it profitable at that time," he noted.

The head of "Vitebskmyasomolprom" said that the store would achieve positive economic indicators by operating on a self-service principle – this format increases sales. The city authorities also met them halfway by reducing the rent for the premises where the retail space is located. "This is our 25th store. We try to open new retail outlets every month, including in places where we had to close them earlier. We plan to open another one in the same neighborhood soon. In general, we plan to expand the network, including creating stores in the Vitebsk region," said Valery Kasperovich.

Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, also took part in the grand opening of the store on the outskirts of Vitebsk. It turned out that local residents had repeatedly appealed to him with a request to help solve the problem of trade services. After the store was closed, people, a significant portion of whom were pensioners, were forced to shop in the city center and buy in bulk. "Citizens asked to open a store within walking distance. And now, through our joint efforts of the authorities and business, we have resolved this issue," said the chairman of the regional council.

Continuing the topic of citizens' appeals, he noted that he receives calls daily from different districts of the region. "In addition, I have made it a practice to visit one of the rural councils in the district from which I was elected deputy several times a month. It is gratifying that the number of

граждан на приемах сокращается. Это значит, что проблемы решаются. Конечно, есть вопросы, которые требуют больших финансовых ресурсов, их сразу не решить. Ну а там, где можно помочь, ищем варианты, идем навстречу\", - отметил Владимир Терентьев.

Открытие магазина вызвало ажиотаж у населения. Люди с интересом заходили внутрь, делились впечатлениями. Говорили, что торговая точка стала совсем другой, очень хвалили самообслуживание. Покупателей очень интересовало, будет ли тут действовать система скидок торговой сети (раньше торговый объект в нее не входил). Руководство заверило, что модернизированный магазин - это полноценный торговый объект и все бонусные программы здесь будут поддерживаться. Покупатели говорили и о том, что магазин будет востребован не только жителями микрорайона, но и населением прилегающих к городу деревень. 

Алена Тихонова - БЕЛТА.