Are Armenia’s oligarchs using their financial and political power to block the world’s second-largest retail empire
from entering the country’s largely monopolized foodstuffs sector
For Armenian consumers beset by high food prices and low incomes
the question has become a matter of principle
billboards at one of Yerevan’s luxury shopping centers
owned by Russia-based billionaire Samvel Karapetian
have announced the arrival of a 10,000-square-meter Carrefour hypermarket
a facility combining a large supermarket with departments selling electronics
has already taken a first step into the South Caucasus; in 2012
along with its United-Arab-Emirates-based partner
it opened a Carrefour hypermarket outside of Tbilisi
the capital of Armenia’s northern neighbor
still struggling to boost foreign investment after the 2009 financial crisis
But some Armenian observers believe the reason is entirely human – namely
the alleged owner of the country’s largest supermarket chain
and of the country’s largest food importer
which ranks as one of Armenia’s biggest taxpayers (in 2012
which owns 14,000 hypermarkets and posted a 2012 profit of $1.6 billion
a member of parliament for the ruling Republican Party of Armenia
But within this country of just over 3 million people
his assumed influence – most directly reflected in the prices of flour and sugar – is legendary
Yet one senior Republican Party of Armenia member argues that Alexanian has no bearing on Carrefour’s decision to enter Armenia or not
Alexanian is banned from directly owning any businesses
and has described himself as a poor man with seven children.)
the word ‘oligarch’ is a matter of perspective… depending on what we imply by saying ‘oligarch,’” cautioned RPA parliamentary faction leader Galust Sahakian
“The emergence of economic pillars in Armenia cannot be considered an oligarchy.”
commonly known as “Lfik Samo” (“Lfik” taken from the Russian word “lifchik” for bra; a reference to a lingerie company popularly linked to the Alexanians – ed)
Not known for his legislative activity – no record exists of his work on draft laws – Alexanian nonetheless does his part for the government in exchange for being allowed wide play with food imports
Local election observers and media charge that Alexanian paid for buses to transport voters to take part in carousel voting for the RPA during Armenia’s February 18 presidential election
His representatives said that Alexanian only “helped” voters get to the polls
So long as powerful businesspeople like Alexanian work with the RPA
the “link” between the government and Armenia’s oligarchs “will be maintained like a vicious circle,” fumed human rights activist Arthur Sakunts
chairperson of the Helsinki Assembly’s Vanadzor office
“There seems to be no end to this at the moment.”
A 2012 Investment Climate Statement from the US Department of State noted that “well-connected businessmen … enjoy government-protected market dominance [which] raises barriers to new entrants
and discourages investments by multinational firms that insist on partnering with politically independent businesses.”
The list of such businessmen is as motley as it is short on exact details
the best known figure is 55-year-old entrepreneur Gagik Tsarukian
the flamboyant head of the Prosperous Armenia Party
and chairperson of Armenia’s Olympic Committee
Other such businesspersons range from Mikhail Bagdasarov
an oil and gasoline tycoon who owns the national airline Armavia
Popular anger against the “permissiveness” granted Armenia’s oligarchs on everything from tax breaks to accountability before the law surfaced most visibly last summer
when Yerevan residents took to the streets to protest the death of army doctor Vahe Avetian at the hands of security guards employed by businessman Ruben Hayrapetian
chairperson of the Armenian Football Federation
Hayrapetian later resigned from parliament over the scandal
civil society representatives and the Diaspora have urged the government to diversify the economy and push back against the oligarchs’ influence
reasons apart from Alexanian could explain any reluctance by Carrefour to charge full-steam into Armenia
More than a third of its population lives in poverty
Although the World Bank has ranked Armenia second in the region (after Georgia) for ease of doing business
the country has high import costs (thanks in part to its blockaded borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan) and a reputation for corruption
State Revenue Committee Chairperson Gagik Khachatrian asserted that the reasons why Carrefour has not yet entered Armenia “are not related to the customs service.”
the project’s Armenia-based representative
stressed to the newspaper Zhogovurd that the Carrefour hypermarket would open
Representatives of Majid Al Futtaim did not respond to requests for comment from EurasiaNet.org about their plans in Armenia
that brings the blame right back onto Alexanian
given his presumed control of food imports
“These people will vanish from the system if rules of the game are changed,” argued Stepan Safarian
a senior member of former presidential candidate Raffi Hovhannisian’s opposition Heritage Party
who lost his seat in parliament to Hayrapetian in 2008
Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am
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Arnaud Mourier
Page Facebook officielle Le Drive tout nuC'est à Toulouse que le premier drive zéro déchet au monde a vu le jour et le moins que l'on puisse dire c'est que ce dernier a trouvé son public et n'a pas fini de se développer
La preuve avec l'ouverture d'un nouveau lieu
Les récents événements en lien avec la crise sanitaire actuelle ont aussi eu
Rien ne dit que cela va continuer et on peut tout à fait estimer que les erreurs du passé ne resteront pas longtemps derrière nous
Et s'il est un commerce qui a su tirer son épingle du jeu pendant l'année qui vient de passer c'est bien le Drive tout nu établi à Beauzelle depuis la fin de l'année 2018 et qui a lancé un deuxième établissement à Balma par la suite
il s'agit d'une épicerie qui vend ses produits en vrac et dont la "contrainte" principale pour le client est d'avoir à amener avec lui ses propres contenants
un couple toulousain a décidé de passer à l'étape supérieure avec le premier drive zéro déchet
Un troisième magasin de ce tout nouveau genre a donc ouvert à Montaudran, perpétuant la montée en puissance du concept. C'est à deux jeunes entrepreneurs locaux que l'on doit l'idée lumineuse de lancer le premier drive zéro déchet : le Drive tout nu.
Il s'agit d'un système permettant de commander ses produits en ligne avant de venir les chercher, ce qui implique de ne plus avoir à errer dans un magasin plus ou moins bien agencé. Ici on n'a qu'à faire ses choix sur le net puis à choisir un créneau pour venir récupérer ses produits
Le second intérêt, très fort lui aussi, est qu'au Drive tout nu on n'a plus besoin de prendre ses propres emballages
bouteilles ou bocaux. On pratique ici un système de consigne inversée
On ne paye pas et dès qu'on ramène un contenant on reçoit un bon d'achat de 10 centimes
Ce Drive tout nu a vu son chiffre d'affaires doubler pendant le premier confinement (confinement à qui l'on souhaite encore un bon premier anniversaire) et c'est un grand nombre de commandes qui ont été réalisées à Beauzelle puis à Balma-Gramont et maintenant à Montaudran (où les commandes sont possibles depuis le 10 mars dernier)
L'établissement installé à Balma-Gramont (4 rue Théron de Montaugé) est depuis un moment déjà sur le pied de guerre et c'est maintenant au tour de Montaudran de voir débarquer un nouveau Drive Tout Nu.