Mere's unexpected shutdown comes amid possible sanctions-related complications.
After just a few months on the Slovak market, Russian discount chain Mere unexpectedly closed all three of its stores in the country last Friday, 30 July, reports the news outlet Aktuality.
Announcements citing "technical reasons" were posted on the social media pages of the stores in Banská Bystrica, Prievidza and Nové Zámky, as well as on notices displayed at the stores themselves. The chain did not specify when it might reopen, nor did it explain what the "technical reasons" actually were.
It remains unclear whether the closures are the result of a short-term operational issue or a broader problem related to the chain's Russian owners. Mere is part of a group linked to the Russian discount retailer Svetofor, based in Krasnoyarsk.
The move comes shortly after all Mere stores in Latvia also closed. Latvian broadcaster LSM reported that one of the company's owners, Russian businessman Sergey Shnayder, was added to the European Union's sanctions list on 23 July 2026.
