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A:
Government to discuss trade development strategy
Belgrade,
16 December 2008
Minister of Trade and Services Slobodan Milosavljevic today announced that government committees will next week discuss a trade development strategy, which might even be passed the same week.
At a joint meeting of the city and state boards of the Independent Trade Union, Milosavljevic specified that the strategy will support the development of SMEs, improve competitiveness in the domestic market and help Serbian trading companies to place their goods on neighbouring markets.
In order to increase competitiveness the government will encourage foreign retail chains that wish to come to Serbia, he said, adding that for instance, on December 18 Croatian hypermarket Pevec will open in Serbia, while a new domestic retail store chain, Familija Market, has already begun operating.
He confirmed that talks with IKEA are underway, adding that the Swedish company wishes to establish a partnership with Serbian furniture maker Simpo. Therefore it is likely that, next year, IKEA will start constructing shopping centres in Serbia, which will employ 500–1,000 workers, he noted.
Milosavljevic recalled that next year France’s Interex is to open an even larger store in Serbia and that Slovenia’s Tus opened its first store in Belgrade in mid-2008.
He stressed that the Ministry supports the formation of a national association of retailers, modelled after Germany’s 80-year-old retailers’ association, which makes a turnover of €250 million a year.
Milosavljevic concluded that Serbia’s trade sector has in the past eight years managed to increase its number of employees to 330,000.
In order to increase competitiveness the government will encourage foreign retail chains that wish to come to Serbia, he said, adding that for instance, on December 18 Croatian hypermarket Pevec will open in Serbia, while a new domestic retail store chain, Familija Market, has already begun operating.
He confirmed that talks with IKEA are underway, adding that the Swedish company wishes to establish a partnership with Serbian furniture maker Simpo. Therefore it is likely that, next year, IKEA will start constructing shopping centres in Serbia, which will employ 500–1,000 workers, he noted.
Milosavljevic recalled that next year France’s Interex is to open an even larger store in Serbia and that Slovenia’s Tus opened its first store in Belgrade in mid-2008.
He stressed that the Ministry supports the formation of a national association of retailers, modelled after Germany’s 80-year-old retailers’ association, which makes a turnover of €250 million a year.
Milosavljevic concluded that Serbia’s trade sector has in the past eight years managed to increase its number of employees to 330,000.
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