A SUPERMARKET chain dubbed “Russia’s Lidl” is set to open four stores in the UK – and it claims to be up to 30% cheaper than rivals.
Svetofor was founded in Siberia in 2009, but it’s opened stores in Europe since 2018 under the name Mere.
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It’s now planning to open two stores in the north of England, in Preston and Castleford, and two in Wales, in Mold and Caldicot, reports The Grocer.
The first, in a former Nisa in Preston’s Ribbleton, is reportedly scheduled to open next month.
Pavels Antonovs, Mere UK’s head of buying, told The Grocer prices will undercut even the cheapest UK supermarkets by between 20% and 30%.
He said: “We are the gap in the market. We don’t have any competitors.
“Our model is no service and no marketing.”
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Here’s how to cut the cost of your grocery shop
SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from Money.co.uk about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:
- Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley
- Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping
- Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling
- Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering
- Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals
- Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains
- Check the small print – It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more
- Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards
Mere compares itself to Costco, but with no membership fee and no in-store service.
Each UK store will reportedly be about 10,000 square feet and have just eight workers.
The shops are also said to include a walk-in chiller room and freezer,and items are typically sold directly from the pallets they’re delivered on.
The supermarket buys stock from suppliers on a “sale or return basis”, which means it’ll return any unsold goods to the seller.
The Russian chain is said to have 3,200 stores around the world.
The Sun has contacted Mere for comment.
The news comes as Amazon Fresh went to war with supermarkets in March by opening its first real-life shop.
Around the same time, another new budget supermarket called OOPS! offered a year’s supply of free nuggets to one customer.
Aldi and Lidl are often crowned the cheapest supermarkets – which is thanks to their low running costs and a limited amount of products.
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Aldi beat off stiff competition and was crowned the cheapest supermarket in April, according to Which?.
Meanwhile, Lidl narrowly beat Aldi as the cheapest supermarket of 2020.
We’ve rounded up 16 tips to slash your supermarket shopping bill by hundreds of pounds a year.
The tricks Aldi uses to make shoppers spend more revealed
