‘In my opinion, it is only reasonable to put up no more than two Auchan supermarkets in the city’s suburbs; if they are located in the center of Yekaterinburg, this will increase congestion and force a number of local stores to close down,’ Valeriy Bubnov, General Director of Uniland Yekaterinburg, said to UrBC.

‘Besides, I don’t think fair completion among private companies allows for support of players from other fields of business, especially when it comes to foreign companies,’ Mr. Bubnov said.

The whole issue originated when Sverdlovsk Region Governor Eduard Rossel suggested putting up an Auchan supermarket in every of Yekaterinburg’s seven districts when he met Auchan chairman a short while ago.