The rapid growth of online commerce and the development of public catering: MARCH on the situation in the consumer market

The development of trade and catering in recent years has been influenced by many factors, including the pandemic and sanctions . However, this year there has been a recovery growth of the economy and adaptation to the sanctions pressure. Nina Yemelyanova, Deputy Minister of Antimonopoly Regulation and Trade, spoke about the development of the industry and the situation on the consumer market at the Trade Dialogue international forum.

Trade turnover

As Nina Yemelyanova noted, trade from year to year remains one of the key drivers of the economy and the main link in the formation of the country's budget. In the structure of GDP, it ranks second after the manufacturing industry. Trade and catering services are among the most demanded among the population.

The main indicator of the economic activity of the population is the dynamics of retail trade. "When it grows, this indicates the activity of the population, which depends primarily on wages, the size of consumer loans, the free movement of the money supply, the saturation of trade with a wide range of goods," the deputy minister noted. Thus, retail trade turnover for the first half of 2023 amounted to Br35.5 billion, or 104.6% in comparable prices compared to the same period in 2022. The retail turnover of trade organizations is growing at a faster pace: in January-June it amounted to Br33.5 billion, or 105% in comparable prices compared to the corresponding period of 2022. Wholesale trade increased by 5.1%. And the trade turnover in the field of public catering showed a record growth at all - by 11.8%.

Trade facilities and the Internet

The retail trade turnover and the positive dynamics in the trade sector are affected by the development of its infrastructure. The number of retail facilities is steadily increasing: in the first half of the year their number increased by more than a thousand. "Taking into account the opening of new format facilities, our number of markets has been decreasing annually. But this year their number has remained at the same level - 364. This indicates their optimal number and demand. Our markets are more intended for organizing trade by individuals for sale surplus products," Nina Emelyanova pointed out.

In total, the retail space in the country is 7.2 million square meters, or about 857 square meters per 1,000 people, which is 1.4 times higher than the standard (610 square meters per 1,000 people).

According to the Deputy Minister, the most common format of retail facilities is shops. New forms of trade and new store formats are actively developing. The number of large players - retail chains - is also increasing. Today, there are 4.9 thousand network trading entities operating in the country, which own 35 thousand stores.

"Over the past six years, especially during the period of covid restrictions, there has been a rapid growth in online commerce. Over this period, the share of retail turnover of online stores has increased from 3.7% to 6%. And in just six months, their number has grown by more than 500 ", - stated Nina Emelyanova.

Public catering

The catering industry has also been actively developed. "If in 2020-2021 the number of catering facilities decreased, the turnover decreased, then at present the market is developing quite dynamically. In the first half of the year, 490 catering facilities were opened. Their total number increased to almost 25 thousand. And the number of places in catering facilities is almost million. The security of the population is also above the norm," the deputy minister noted.

The most common types of catering facilities are canteens and cafes. Canteens occupy a fifth of the total, cafes - 13%. Establishments that are distinguished by quick preparation and serving of dishes and their low cost (pizzerias, burgers, fast food restaurants, snack bars, mini-cafes with various forms of service) are becoming more popular. A network of specialized national catering facilities has been created and continues to develop.

Provision of domestic goods

MART pays close attention to saturating the domestic market with its own food products. "Belarus is a country with a high level of agricultural production. The level of self-sufficiency of the country in MEAT is 134%, MILK - 263%, eggs - 128%, SUGAR - 141%, vegetables - 103%, potatoes - 100%. Among the EAEU states, the country leads in self - sufficiency these goods," Nina Yemelyanova pointed out.

One of the important elements of ensuring food safety is the formation of stabilization funds for agricultural products. For the next off-season period 2023/2024, more than 122 thousand tons will be pledged to the stabilization funds - for the full needs of trade and public catering organizations. This year, MART has strengthened control over the conclusion of contracts for the supply of products during the off-season and the creation of proper storage conditions.

An important indicator of national food security is the share of sales of Belarusian goods on the domestic market. In the first half of the year, this figure was 77.7%. In general, the share of sales of domestic consumer goods for this period amounted to 60.8%. In the first half of the year, the share of sales of Belarusian cars, TVs, ceramic tiles, cleaners and detergents increased significantly. Of food products, the share of sales of domestic apples, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, canned fish, chocolate, and buckwheat has increased.

There are plans to further increase the share of sales of Belarusian goods on the domestic market.

Valeria GAVRILOVA,

BELTA.