By Robbie Byrne
A Rusian-based supermarket chain that claims to be up to 30% cheaper than Lidl and Aldi has entered the UK market.
MERE, which was founded in Siberia in 2009, now boasts over 3000 stores across mainland Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan and China.
Each store operates with a skeleton staff of just eight while the supermarket chain doesn't invest in marketing.
A typical MERE store.
All produce is delivered by the supplier with stores doubling as warehouses with produce displayed on pallets, while cold and frozen foods are stored in a walk-in chiller room.
The no-frills chain is opening four stores in the UK, two of which are in Wales.
Pavels Antonovs, MERE's UK head of buying, told The Grocer that the company "has no competitors" and works on a return basis, meaning any unsold food is returned to the seller.
While there's no official word on MERE entering the Irish market, given their ambitious European expansion plans it could be only a matter of time before there's a MERE store in the South East.
Images: MERE
