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"Eight years removed from independence, Ukraine
can finally boast of having a one-stop grocery superstore."
"Billa, an Austrian supermarket chain, on
Feb. 2 opened its first Ukrainian outlet on Kyiv's Left Bank.
The opening took place less than two years after parent company
Eurobilla first announced that it planned to brave Ukraine's
unpredictable market."
"The store is everything its owners advertised: 16 electronic
cashiers--with the capacity to check through more than 1,000
customers per hour--a 400-vehicle parking lot, and rows of
grocery products and consumer goods."
"The multi-million complex is the first venture
into the former Soviet Union for Eurobilla,
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BILLA'S FIRST SUPERMARKET
IN KYIV
Kyiv, Ukraine
Photograph Taken May 24, 2000
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which has made a name for itself in Eastern Europe
by building several hundred Billa stores in Poland, the Czech Republic,
Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria."
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BILLA'S FIRST SUPERMARKET
IN KYIV.
BILLA CAR.
Kyiv, Ukraine
Photograph Taken May 24, 2000
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"Ukraine's first Billa is located on 3 Hryshka
Street in Kyiv's Kharkivsky district, on the south end of
the left Bank (Pozhyaky metro)."
"According to Gotthart Klingan, general director
of Eurobilla's Ukrainian affiliate, Billa-Ukraine, the company
has plans to open three to five supermarkets a year across
Ukraine, concentrating on major cities. He said Billa-Ukraine
hopes to build a chain of 20-25 supermarkets throughout Ukraine
within three years."
"Billa will differ drastically from the so-called
Western- style grocery stores that are popular with foreigners
and the newly rich."
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"The main difference will be its sheer size. Kyiv's
version of Billa is a two-story, 4,300-square-meter beast that cost
$ 4.5 million to build. Embracing Eurobilla standards, the supermarket
has a sales area of 2,000 square meters and a storage area of nearly
1,000 square meters."
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"Unlike Western-style stores, Billa emphasizes
local products. More than 60 percent of Billa's products are
locally produced. Nearly 80 percent of those products are
food items, including packaged meat, cheeses, fresh vegetables
and various salads. According to sales manager Yury Orlov,
Billa will feature unique products unavailable elsewhere in
Kyiv."
"Billa will also be much cheaper than Western-style
stores, which tend to be pricey. The press release said the
company will cater to Ukrainians of average incomes. Prices
on opening day indeed handily undercut prices at typical Western-style
establishments."
"Billa is open Monday through Saturday from
8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m."
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BILLA'S FIRST SUPERMARKET
IN KYIV.
RACK OF BILLA GROCERY CARTS
Kyiv, Ukraine
Photograph Taken May 24, 2000
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BILLA'S FIRST SUPERMARKET IN KYIV
Kyiv, Ukraine
Photographs Taken May 24, 2000
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BILLA SIGN
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BILLA MEAT COUNTER
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BILLA CUSTOMERS LOOKING AT
FRESH MEAT COUNTER
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BILLA MEAT COUNTERS
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BILLA MEAT COUNTER
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