Industry Developments

According to reports in the local press, Russia's biggest retailers have placed restrictions on the sales of imported alcohol in response to a recently adopted law. The country's... 2006-03-20

A controversial new law has been passed in the Czech Republic against the misuse of power by supermarkets. The law, which was passed yesterday, is aimed at preventing supermarket... 2006-03-17

Shareholders of Jelgavas Cukurfabrika, Latvia's largest sugar mill, have decided to close the mill in response to new EU-mandated production cuts which would render the business unprofitable.... 2006-03-17

Spar Slovenia, part of Spar Austria, is looking to establish a 25% share on the local market over the next several years, according to reports in the Slovenian press, which cited... 2006-03-15

Leader Price discount store has opened its first store in the Latvian capital of Riga. Leader Price has expanded its store count in Latvia to six since the first outlet opened in... 2006-03-15

German retailer Metro is continuing its expansion in the Ukraine, as it plans to open its ninth cash & carry outlet this spring in the eastern city of Luhansk. The total investment... 2006-03-09

German retailer Tengelmann opened its first ten discount stores in Greece last week, located in the towns of Athens, Thessalonikia, Katerini, Larissa, Serres, Drama and Ptolemaida.... 2006-03-07

Dutch fast-food company AmRest has announced plans to open the first Rodeo Drive and Freshpoint restaurants in Poland. The company, which owns Pizza Hut and KFC, will launch Rodeo... 2006-03-06

Slovenia's largest retailer Mercator has announced that its preliminary group net profit for 2005 fell by 34.9% y-o-y to SIT3.3bn (US$17mn), despite an 11% rise in group sales to... 2006-03-03

American food and beverage company Kraft announced on Tuesday that it will invest US$100mn in building an instant coffee plant near St. Petersburg. The new plant will have a production... 2006-03-03