At the end of April this year, the Moscow-based Alcomax group, which specializes in distributing consumer electronics, acquired the St. Petersburg chain of Moydodyr stores, Andrei Gutman, the manager of Moydodyr, told Vedomosti yesterday. Alexei Vodovatov, chairman of the board of directors of Moydodyr and the manager of Alcomax, said that by the end of the year, Alcomax will invest $500,000 in the development of Moydodyr, and another $1–1.5 million in 2007.

Next year, Moydodyr intends to open new stores, primarily in shopping centers, says Gutman. He does not name the exact number of stores, since the investment plan for 2007 is still in the development stage. The main task is to increase the company's market share, which is currently estimated, according to him, at 2%. True, in the segment of built-in household appliances, the company occupies about 27%.

The new owner intends to rebrand the St. Petersburg chain, but in the next year and a half to two years, Moydodyr, according to Vodovatov, will retain its name. The chain will develop both areas – built-in and solo equipment.

As a wholesaler, Alcomaks is interested in having its own network, says Vodovatov. Market participants are skeptical about Moydodyr's expansion plans. The new owners of the network are entering a tough market where there are already major players, warns Viktor Vazhenin, CEO of ABC-Electronica, which is developing the Telemax network. According to him, in order to increase its market share, the company will have to invest heavily in advertising or service.

The St. Petersburg market is not infinite and is close to saturation, agrees Timofey Surovtsev, PR director of Eldorado. “Big ambitions will require big expenses,” he says, adding that both companies are not widely known in the market. And Vazhenin doubts that a small chain will be able to rent space in shopping centers. According to him, large electronics stores usually negotiate with shopping center operators about the exclusivity of the assortment. Such a practice exists, confirms Yuri Borisov, managing partner and developer of IB Group. He believes that Moydodyr would look good in complexes of convenience stores.

Convenience stores with small areas, where small household appliances are sold, are the only niche that Moydodyr will be able to maintain, Surovtsev agrees.

"Moidodyr" will receive $2 million