Novosibirsk retail chain "Treshka" refused to lease two stores, which were immediately occupied by its competitor - the retail chain "Sibiriada". "Treshka" explains its decision by the unfortunate location of the premises and high rent. "Sibiriada" is confident that it will be able to make a profit in these stores.

The Treshka discount chain includes seven stores (sales area - 300 - 600 sq. m). The chain belongs to the Rossib-Product company, which imports fruits and vegetables, as well as supplies frozen fish and seafood. According to the company, the total turnover of the stores is more than $10 million per year. The assortment is slightly more than 1,500 items.

The company "Sibiriada" manages 12 stores of the same name (sales area - 300 - 500 sq. m). The chain is positioned as a soft discounter (product range - 5000 - 6000 items). The company's turnover is not disclosed.

The Treshka chain of stores appeared in Novosibirsk about three years ago. Positioning itself in the segment of cheap stores, the chain covered the residential outskirts of the industrial districts - Kirovsky and Leninsky.

As Vedomosti has learned, Treshka has refused to lease a store on Petukhova Street, which it opened just six months ago, and has not opened a store on Koshurnikova Street, the premises of which were also leased. This information was confirmed by Deputy Director of Rossib-Product Alexey Zhilenko. According to him, high rent and low store turnover due to the low purchasing power of the neighborhood residents were the main reasons for the chain's closure there. These same reasons were the basis for abandoning plans to open a store on Koshurnikova Street. He declined to name the amount of turnover at which the store becomes profitable, noting that in the best case, the store pays for itself in a year.

Another tenant has already been found for these premises - the main competitor of "Treshka" - the retail chain "Sibiriada". The store that opened on Petukhova Street became the 12th in the chain, and it is planned to open on Koshurnikova Street in the coming days.

The general director of the retail chain "Sibiriada" Alexey Kasimov says that the costs of opening a store in a rented space amounted to approximately $250,000. According to Kasimov, the turnover of "Sibiriada" significantly exceeds the turnover of "Treshka" stores. The formats of the stores "Sibiriada" and "Treshka", in Kasimov's opinion, are different: "They ["Treshka"] position themselves as a classic discounter: the assortment is limited, and less attention is paid to service. In our stores, the assortment is wider."

Treshka does not link the reasons for the failures to the format in which the chain operates. According to Zhilenko, the company, on the contrary, intends to position itself more clearly as a classic discounter: "The assortment will be streamlined. There should be less than 1,500 items left." Zhilenko declined to comment on the opening of Sibiriada stores in the former Treshka premises. In his opinion, the store closure and plan adjustments are not related to the chain's problems: "We need to be able to abandon unprofitable divisions. Such a step just speaks of our readiness to develop." But the company does not plan to open new stores in the next six months.

Kasimov said that the company plans to open two to four more stores in the first quarter of 2004.

Yuri Glazychev, President of TSUM OJSC, says that in trade, the size of rental rates is an important, but not decisive factor: "A well-organized team with a strong leader can handle a high rate, but a weaker team will not cope with a low rate." According to his estimates, the minimum required turnover for a store with a sales area of 300 sq. m. at a rental rate of 500 rubles per 1 sq. m. is approximately 2 million rubles per month.

METRO TRADE: In 2004, reconstruction of five entrances to the metro will begin in Novosibirsk. This will provide an additional 4,800 square meters of retail space. The mayor's office plans to receive approximately 35-40 million rubles from entrepreneurs for the right to reconstruct, which will be used to build the metro. After the buildings are put into operation, investors will have to transfer 15% of the area to the mayor's office free of charge.

"Treshka" lost to "Sibiriada"