“Shop for the People” Pilot Opens in Kuklen, Offering Lower-Cost Essentials

One of the first outlets of the “Shop for the People” initiative has been officially opened in the town of Kuklen, Plovdiv district, Southern Bulgaria. The pilot project has launched with 70 permanent stores and one mobile outlet operated by the COOP retail chain in the Plovdiv region.

The range will include more than 45 items from the basic consumer basket, as well as the most sought-after products from Bulgarian producers. The retail mark-up will be capped at up to 10%.

Nikolay Petrov, Executive Director of “Shop for the People”, said:
“The main advantage of these products is their price compared with what we currently have in these shops—and not only in these shops. The whole idea is for people in smaller settlements to have access to just as good prices as those we in larger towns always have within ten minutes. They too should have the same access to buying good-quality goods at low prices.”

Maria Veselinova, Chair of the “Uspeh” Consumer Cooperative in Kuklen, said:
“The greatest interest is in staple goods—flour, cooking oil, rice, beans, tinned foods, lyutenitsa and pickled cucumbers. Price is a leading factor to some extent. The quality is good. We have tried almost everything, and it is all good. The quality is high.”