Lukashenko suggests building shopping centers to sell Belarusian goods in Russian cities

Upon arrival at the shopping center the president was welcomed not only by government officials and reporters but also by Ded Moroz [Grandfather Frost] and Snegurochka [Snow Maiden] because the event was taking place ahead of New Year’s Eve.

Nevertheless, Aleksandr Lukashenko made everyone pay attention to business by hearing out a report about the construction of the place, which had been overdue for years. An Iranian company was initially supposed to build a shopping and entertainment center at the site more than ten years ago. “It was effectively an abandoned facility. Instructions were given to build a shopping center and rental apartments for military personnel [on upper floors above the shopping center]. Everything was done the way it was conceived,” the Belarusian leader said.

The construction of the facility had to be completed on a tight schedule. Aleksandr Lukashenko drew attention to some flaws in the interior finish. He gave instructions to approach the matter wisely without spending crazy money. “Do what you think is right. The key thing is not to waste crazy money on it. Make it convenient for people,” he said.

“I was worried about trade in the least. I was concerned about getting our regions represented here. So that they would not cry that they are not given access to Minsk, not allowed to trade, that it is impossible to sell goods… Go ahead and sell. But I would like it to be the beginning. In this regard we should go ahead with building such facilities not only across Belarus but also in Russia. Why can’t we build such a place in St. Petersburg and bring the goods? In Moscow, Smolensk, Bryansk, Pskov… Not that big of a distance. And we could place our goods there and sell them. Besides, Russians don’t mind. Particularly in St. Petersburg – people meet us half-way. Bring the goods and sell them. And people respond well to Belarusian goods,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said. “I would like us to think about it. Otherwise, we give the goods to some frauds [mediators] at half the price and they sell our goods in Russia. And then we put bunches of them in prison in Belarus for taking bribes.”

“This is why such a [trading] house was necessary. Oblast governors pitched in. We helped with something. A simple and convenient house. Since it has been built, bring the goods and sell them. Particularly in Belarus. If you want to conquer your market and surrender it to no one, then naturally you need shops of your own in Belarus. We will get back to it yet. We have already talked about it using our light industry as an example,” the Belarusian leader added.

The shopping center First National Trading House has a unique format. It is the first time a store has been opened to sell products of Belarusian manufacturers from every region of the country. The shopping space is occupied by proprietary stores and public catering outlets of leading Belarusian producers. A visit to the shopping center is supposed to be included in Minsk city sightseeing tours so that guests of the Belarusian capital could get familiar with products of Belarusian manufacturers and buy them under one roof.

The shopping space in the new shopping center exceeds 21,000m2, with the number of retail outlets, consumer services outlets, and public catering outlets at 133.