The exit of foreign companies from the Russian retail market against the background of the war in Ukraine strongly hit the shopping centers: they not only occupied to 3/4 areas, but also generated purchasing traffic; Business for survival needs a delay in taxes and loans, the head of the Crocus group Araz Agalarov.
Agalarov in March sent a letter to the Government of the Russian Federation, where he told about the problems of Retail in recent weeks, the source of Interfax was informed in one of the profile departments.
“Crocus” – a major player of the Russian market of trade and commercial real estate (network of hypermarkets “Your House”, TRC “Vegas”), as well as an exhibition business (“Crocus Expo”). The group has already encountered the “severe consequences of unprecedented international pressure” to the economy of the Russian Federation, there is a letter.
“Due to the rapidly changing structure of household consumption, the profitability of the retail is sharply. Import of widespread consumption goods are minimized. Care from the market or suspension of activities in the Russian Federation foreign brands has collapsed by a lease business of shopping centers. Their share in the structure of tenants is from 45% to 75% and most of them are “anchor”, that is, traffic “, – quotes the source letter of Agalary.
Failure of most foreign exhibitors from participation in exhibitions, freezing by Russian marketing expenses and departure from the domestic market of international exhibition operators threatens the exhibition industry of the Russian Federation by the transition to the status of a collapse, the head of the “Crocus” warns.
from the state, in his opinion, in this situation, extraordinary measures are needed, “to avoid total deficit and uncontrolled prices.” In particular, Agalarov proposes to think about the liberation of business specializing in importing, manufacturing goods and providing services for the domestic market, from paying all taxes and fees for a period of six months. For the same 6 months, Agalarov proposes to move the timing of payments on loans in Russian banks.
In addition, he considers it necessary to free the goods from the payment of customs duties, fees and VAT imported goods from a special temporary list of essential goods and urgent demand approved by the government.