Lukashenko explained why he is against monopoly of large retail chains
During his today’s meeting with representatives of private enterprises, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko spoke out against the monopoly of large retail chains
In particular, the Head of State said that he had recently received a letter from the Government regarding the development of the Wildberries marketplace in Belarus.
“It [the marketplace] is ready to expand [its presence] here and sell. The question arises on what will be sold, [and the answer is]: ‘we strive for import substitution; our market is small, but we would like to occupy it with our production’ – and so on and so forth. Welcome, if so – but there is one more aspect that needs to be taken into account. I do not want the convenience stores, small shops, and so on to disappear. I do not want there to be a monopoly of large retail chains. I do not want someone to enjoy the terms different from the others’,” the Head of State noted. Aleksandr Lukashenko continued, “However, if someone has upgraded and progressed into the future – Wildberries works that way (and I am even afraid that all trade will soon move to the Internet) – then we will support such enterprises. At the same time, any enterprise should work to benefit Belarus, the state – and we will have no problems with you in this case.”
