Get alerts on this situation
We’ll email you as it develops, and you can follow the whole thread from day one.
Unsubscribe anytime.
[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]
3 clusters · 18 sources · 18 days · First seen · Last updated
Categories: BUSINESS
EU sanctions pressure European grocery retailers
Entities: European Union · Mere · Torg Hellas · Svetofor · Sergey Shnayder
Overview
In early July 2026, the Dutch‑owned Spar chain kept expanding in Russia despite EU measures targeting the war economy, prompting criticism from Dutch officials. A week later, the EU’s 21st sanctions package named Russian businessman Sergei Shnaider, owner of SIA Latprodukti, leading to the immediate shutdown of the Mere discount‑store chain in Latvia and Lithuania. All nine Mere outlets in Latvia and the twenty stores in Lithuania were ordered to close within minutes, wiping out roughly 1 % of each country’s low‑price grocery market and causing a sharp profit decline for the Finnish‑registered owners.
On 24 July, the closures were confirmed as a direct response to the sanctions, which freeze assets and halt sales of businesses linked to Shnaider. By 28 July, the impact spread to Greece, where Torg Hellas, the Greek operator of the MERE chain, suspended operations at all 11 stores nationwide. The shutdown affected about 170 employees and numerous local suppliers, with the operator reviewing legal options to resume trading. Together, these developments illustrate the divergent effects of EU sanctions on European grocery retailers: some continue to operate or expand in sanctioned markets, while others are forced to cease operations when ownership ties bring them under sanction.
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 8 SOURCES] The European Union included Sergey Shnayder in its 21st sanctions package. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Torg Hellas operates the MERE discount supermarket chain in Greece. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Torg Hellas suspended operations of 11 MERE stores in Greece. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] The suspension affects about 170 employees. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] MERE stores are located in Thessaloniki (Evosmos), Larissa, Tripoli, Corinth, Agrinio, Amaliada, Trikala, Kalamata, Giannitsa, Veria and Ptolemaida. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Similar suspensions of MERE stores were implemented in Latvia and Lithuania. (All articles)
- [● 8 SOURCES] MERE's 2024 turnover increased 60.5 % to €11.99 billion, while pre‑tax losses rose to €797 thousand. (All articles)
- [● 5 SOURCES] The Greek labour union Εργατικό Κέντρο Πέλλας appealed to the government to protect approximately 170 jobs. (Multiple articles)
Timeline
-
3 days ago
[BUSINESS] 11 sourcesMERE supermarkets in Greece suspended after EU sanctions on Russian ownerTorg Hellas halted operations of 11 MERE discount supermarkets in Greece, affecting about 170 workers, after the EU added co‑founder Sergey Shnayder to its 21st sanctions list; similar bans hit stores in Latvia
-
7 days ago
[BUSINESS] 5 sourcesEU sanctions force closure of all Mere discount stores in Latvia and LithuaniaEU sanctions on Russian owner Sergei Shnaider forced the immediate shutdown of all Mere discount stores in Latvia and Lithuania, affecting 9 stores in Latvia and 20 in Lithuania.
-
20 days ago
[BUSINESS] 2 sourcesSpar supermarkets keep opening new stores in Russia despite EU sanctionsSpar supermarkets are opening new stores in Russia despite EU sanctions, with the Dutch government urging withdrawal and experts questioning contract compliance.
Sources
albrandswaardsdagblad.nl · businessdaily.gr · christianitytoday.com · dagblad070.nl · gargalianoionline.gr · jauns.lv · kauno.diena.lt · kreis-elchniederung.de · la.lv · m.naftemporiki.gr · nabu-bw.de · newsbomb.gr · nra.lv · olympia.gr · seleo.gr · thepressroom.gr · tromaktiko.gr · ve.lt