Rostelecom's own mono-brand retail network will consist of 2.5 thousand stores, most of which will be transferred to the management of Euroset or Svyaznoy.

The fact that Rostelecom intends to acquire its own mono-brand network became known in the spring of this year. In its memorandum for the IPO, Russia's largest cellular retailer Euroset said it was in talks with Rostelecom about managing its future network.

As Rostelecom President Alexander Provotorov said today, it is planned that the operator’s network will consist of 2.5 thousand mono-brand stores. Of these, Rostelecom will keep approximately 500-700 showrooms for itself; it is planned to sell financial products in them, while accessories for cellular communications will be presented to a minimum. Accordingly, 1.8-2 thousand stores will be transferred to the management of one of the largest cellular retailers. A source close to the company explains that we are talking about Euroset (as of December 31, 2010, it managed 4,014 points of sale in Russia) and Svyaznoy (as of August of this year, it managed 2,475 stores in Russia). According to him, by the end of the year it is planned to hold a tender, the winner of which will be the one who offers the smallest amount based on the cost of one workplace in the salon. This year, Rostelecom intends to open one flagship store, and another 14 flagship stores are planned for next year. A source close to the company clarifies that the cost of promoting the network is estimated at more than 1 billion rubles by the end of the year, including television advertising, outdoor advertising, press, etc.

In addition, Rostelecom officially presented its new brand, the development of which cost 12 million rubles. The company will provide services under the motto “More opportunities”, and the logo will be a three-dimensional sign that looks like both an ear and the letter “P”. The brand was developed by TNC.Brands.Ads, part of the Leo Burnett advertising group.

Vladislav Novy

Rostelecom got a feel for retail