// Mere to close first UK store following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
// The Russian discounter paused plans for further UK store openings
Russian discounter Mere has announced plans to close its first UK store and has paused plans for new openings across the UK.
The retailer has informed its suppliers and said its UK expansion plans were halted due to the “political situation” following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Staff at Mere’s Preston store were informed on the same day that the shop would close in two weeks.
READ MORE: Mere delays UK store openings due to supply chain challenges
Mere opened the Preston store last summer, and planned several more openings by this spring, with a longer-term ambition to build a UK estate of about 300 branches within a decade.
The chain was founded in 2009 in Russia, where it trades as Svetofor, and has since grown to about 3,000 stores globally, including in Germany, Spain, Poland Romania and Lithuania.
In the UK, it aimed to undercut even Lidl and Aldi prices by up to 30% thanks to its low-cost operating model.
The model means suppliers can deliver directly to stores and providing no customer service aside from staffed checkouts.
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