The owners of the shopping center offered to subsidize the opening of outlets inside the malls

The owners of shopping centers asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to provide subsidies to small and medium-sized businesses so that they can open points in malls instead of kiosks at the entrances to stores. About it report Izvestia, citing a letter from the Russian Council of Shopping Centers (RSTC) to Deputy Prime Minister – Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov. The department confirmed receipt of the letter.

It is clarified that the mass installation of stalls and kiosks near the entrances to the shopping center will lead to a drop in mall attendance by 10–20%, while shopping center attendance has already decreased by an average of 30% throughout the country compared to the “pre-Covid” 2019. RSTC emphasized that now every second mall has the risk of going bankrupt.

The RSTC proposes to “develop and implement in the regions a program of budget subsidies for the opening of new stores and restaurants in the shopping center for small and medium-sized businesses.” According to the managing director of the RSTC Oleg Voitsekhovsky, in order to open a small store or a food outlet, it is necessary to invest about 4 million rubles, for very small ones, 2 million may be enough. In addition, the RSTC offers to set up tents in certain areas and only after agreement with the , as well as organize control over kiosks and goods sold in them.

January 11 Manturov recommended heads of regions to create conditions for the opening of kiosks near the entrances to shopping centers and shops. This became known on January 19. According to the document, representatives of small and medium-sized businesses will be able to use the shopping traffic of large shopping centers. Among those who can open kiosks and tents in these places, Manturov includes farmers, manufacturers of textiles, clothing and footwear. The Ministry of Industry and Trade stressed that the measure is advisory in nature.