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FROM RUSSIA FOR LESS – Not just no frills, no shelves. Russian discounter Mere plans to revolutionise UK retail.

FastTrack | 60-second read

Mere sees “hard discounting and customer service as entirely incompatible".

The next retail revolution is coming to the UK directly from the land that’s famous for them.

Mere was founded in 2009, in Siberia, and is promising to undercut Lidl and Aldi by up to 30 percent.

In the UK, this level of discounting will be revolutionary. Essentially, Mere will be doing to Aldi and Lidl what they once did to Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

According to the Retail Gazette, the Russian discounter has “plans to open over 300 stores in the UK within the next eight to 10 years.” The first opens in Preston this month.

Mere sees itself as a “hard discounter.” Not just no frills, but no shelves. Products are displayed on the very same pallets they arrive on.

And each store has a maximum of only eight staff.

The Grocer says Mere sees “hard discounting and customer service as entirely incompatible.”

Revolutionary? The Russian retailer might well be.

Extract from Human Capital – Drayton’s business magazine.