Retail chains unite

LARGE retail chains have clustered in a new trade association in Slovakia, the Slovak Alliance of Modern Commerce (SAMO). Its launching members are Billa, Kaufland, Lidl, Tesco and Metro. The aim of the alliance is to actively participate in the development of trade in Slovakia and simultaneously to be a platform for an expert discussion whose aim should be well-tuned and permanently sustainable relations of trade and production, a balanced regulatory framework and suitable protection of consumers, the SITA newswire wrote.

LARGE retail chains have clustered in a new trade association in Slovakia, the Slovak Alliance of Modern Commerce (SAMO). Its launching members are Billa, Kaufland, Lidl, Tesco and Metro. The aim of the alliance is to actively participate in the development of trade in Slovakia and simultaneously to be a platform for an expert discussion whose aim should be well-tuned and permanently sustainable relations of trade and production, a balanced regulatory framework and suitable protection of consumers, the SITA newswire wrote.

SAMO formally operates within the framework of The German-Slovak Chamber of Industry and Commerce (SNOPK). Guido Glania from the chamber said at a press conference in mid- September that an important factor of this initiative is the fact that large retail chains have joined and have stepped in front of the public with the offer to discuss with consumers and politicians about trade. They also want to recall the importance of trade as it is in terms of the economy of the country when retail chains invest without any requirements of investment stimulus into all regions and employ thousands of people.

“Contrary to industry or other sectors, where it is a common habit to require from the state contributions for the creation of work places, we have created these places from our own resources, without any contribution from the state,” Stanislav Čajka, the head of Lidl in Slovakia told the TASR newswire, adding that retail chains plan to continue in their investments.

SAMO clusters retail chains operating 449 retail and six wholesale outlets. Since their arrival in Slovakia, they have invested here almost €2.5 billion and employ over 23,000.

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