A year after its failed attempt to conquer Western Europe, Russian discounter Mere is trying again under the name MyPrice. With a website in five languages, the retailer again seems to have lofty ambitions.
Bargain hunters
With the same holding company and claiming to be “active in Belgium since 2020”, it looks very much like Mere is back with a new name. Under the MyPrice, the Russian discounter has opened a store in Opwijk, near Brussels, in the same building where Mere came (and went) in 2022. Most things still look the same, from the very austere interior to the dodgy-looking offering from countries like Uzbekistan.
MyPrice is not an immediate threat to the regular supermarket: it is meant for weekly shopping, but for bargain hunters looking for the very lowest price. Food products on offer include some frozen and pre-packaged cold cuts, but no fresh fruit and vegetables. There is also some non-food: maintenance products, toilet paper, aluminium foil, slippers…, displayed on pallets or in large bins.
Ten countries
On its website, MyPrice claims to operate in ten European countries, but it does not divulge any further information on that. Ambitions seem lofty (as were Mere’s), with a website in five languages – Dutch, English, French, Germand and Russian. However, all websites only mention the three same stores in Belgium: one in Opwijk, one in Boussu, and one in Boom – that has certainly not opened yet. That website is also not very up-to-date: the chain says it plans to open three to six shops… by 2023. The company prefers to stay in the shade: attempts to reach it came to nothing.
Local authorities are not happy with the retailer’s return: “This is not the kind of shop Opwijk is waiting for”, mayor Inez Deconinck told VRT. In Boom, the municipal council is also concerned. “I can act as mayor if public order is disturbed. I have therefore asked the police to monitor. If there are problems, I can close the supermarket”, mayor Jeroen Baert explained. He is also worried whether the low-cost products may constitute breaches of the international sanctions against Russia.
