LOCAL

Getting a quick snack in Moscow might soon become challenging, as some of the survivors of last year’s kiosk cull are still under threat.

City officials have presented new regulations on where to put street vendors – but players in the industry say these are bad for both customers and businesses.

Mayday alert

Moscow’s street-shopping map is expected to be ready by May 1, and before then Muscovites can try to convince the local authorities to change their mind.

While some traders can stay put, many will have to move – and experts fear the planned new spaces will not be big enough for everyone.

“The schemes say nothing about how many retail facilities will be placed in one vending zone,” Sergei Rak, development director of Markon, the company which operates the Stardogs hot-dog chain, told RIA Novosti.

Pedestrian problems

A major reason for moving kiosks from the areas around metro stations and bus stops is to ease transport flows and pedestrian access.

But special research carried out by the Public Transport Stops Investors Guild suggested these facilities cause no problem for pedestrians – appearing to undermine a key reason for mayor Sergei Sobyanin’s clampdown last autumn.

These facilities should be regarded as a part of transport infrastructure, Vladimir Paisov, Guild’s chairman, said.

“Probably the authorities have got an impression that this business is extremely profitable,” Paisov told the agency. “But actually people can barely survive on their income, and in addition to that they provide services,” he concluded.

Demise of the press

Newspaper kiosks might also become a rare thing on the Moscow streets as they will be obliged to sell mostly press products with only 20 per cent left for other things.

“Press sales produce low return, and when the rent and other expenses grow, this business becomes unprofitable,” Alexander Oskin, chairman of the board at the Press Distributors Association, said.

Selling consumer goods is crucial for business owners, as it helps them meet expenses and keep it running, he concluded.