Policy in the field of circulation of consumer goods and services
The main goalThe policy in the field of trade, public catering and household services is to ensure stable conditions for the development of the domestic market of consumer goods and household services, and the formation of an effective, civilized trade and sales infrastructure capable of providing a high level of trade and household services to the population in accordance with their needs.The city has a developed network of retail establishments and consumer service enterprises. Currently, 611 trade and public catering enterprises are operating. The network of retail establishments includes 178 food stores, 177 manufactured goods stores, 9 supermarkets, and 256 public catering establishments.
Per one thousand of the city’s population, there are 1.28 public catering establishments, 0.89 grocery stores, and 0.88 stores selling non-food goods.
Trade and public catering enterprises of the city are working to improve the quality of service, namely, they are renewing their material and technical base with more modern equipment, carrying out reconstruction and repair of premises, and introducing modern forms of organizing retail trade, namely, the sale of goods by the self-service method.
Thus, during the reporting period, the stores Foxtrot, DID, Image, and Salyut, as well as the supermarkets Kolibri, Pelican, Eldorado, and Mebli, were opened in the renovated premises.
The trend of transforming trade into a high-tech mechanism for distributing food and industrial goods to the final consumer is becoming entrenched. Supermarkets are emerging as an instrument of civilized trade. Thus, at present, nine supermarkets operate in the city, and work is underway to open two more. At 11 trade enterprises, 63 units of barcode technology equipment have been installed. In the consumer's mind, trust in this type of retail enterprise is growing, where one can not only purchase quality certified goods at relatively low prices, but also, by using modern retail services, receive moral satisfaction. Today, supermarkets are becoming serious competitors to markets.
Currently, there are 21 markets operating in the city, where agricultural products, food and non-food goods are traded.
The number of places equipped for trade is 6,575. In total, more than 8 thousand people are employed at the city's markets.
With the aim of improving the quality of trade services for the population, the city’s markets are gradually being transformed into modern shopping complexes (the Pasazh shopping complex, the Dominanta company). At the Novyi market, coverings have been installed over the passages between trading rows, designed in a modern style and using modern roofing materials. The private firm Skorpion-Service has arranged a number of kiosk-shops that serve as a kind of fence for the Tsentralnyi and Zavokzalnyi markets. At the Tsentralnyi market, a new pavilion for selling
A pavilion for the trade in fish and fish products has been opened after reconstruction, equipped with modern commercial-technological and refrigeration equipment and inventory.
It should be noted that the first stage of market formation, when people gathered and sold products in unequipped areas, has passed. Today it is relevant to create full-fledged, comfortable conditions for both sellers and buyers. For example, the current state of the trading rows on Hrushevskyi Avenue (owner Joint-Stock Company "Zlahoda") can no longer satisfy either entrepreneurs or consumers (as was once the case with the "Yuvileinyi" market). Work is currently underway to reconstruct and re-equip the "Pryviz" market.
Relevant work is being carried out on reconstructions without reducing jobs, in particular on the phased reconstruction of the Zavokzalny and Central markets.
The city's public catering network continues to expand. New restaurants, cafes, and bars are opening with a high level of material and technical equipment, a wide assortment of dishes and drinks, and high-quality service. Thus, during the reporting period, the bars Atlant and Texas and the cafes Lancelot and Bravo welcomed their first visitors.
A school catering combine has been preserved in the city, serving 22 schools. Constant control is maintained over the provision of hot meals to pupils and students of general education schools, secondary specialized and higher educational institutions of the city. It is planned to provide meals for pupils and students in canteens using subscription coupons.
The network of household service enterprises has been expanded with newly introduced hairdressing salons that feature modern design and equipment (Scarlet, Sophie, and LAKKI salons).
The issue of social protection for low-income segments of the population is important. The "Veteran" store has been transferred to the trading company "YUSI", where. Today, the store offers a wide range of food and non-food products at relatively low prices, and for privileged categories of the population, the sale of goods with a 5 percent discount has been organized.
In order to improve services for patients with diabetes, a number of trade enterprises organized special service areas for this category of the population. In turn, Volynzovnishomkhlib LLC, Khlib OJSC, Liubart Trading House LLC, and Lutskkonditer VKF ensured the production of sugar-free bread, bakery and confectionery products, and fermented milk products on an acidophilus basis.
Quarterly, fairs for the sale of food, non-food goods, and products are held in the city with the participation of agricultural producers.
Retail trade turnover for 2003 increased by 28.7% compared to the previous year and amounted to UAH 474 million.
Per capita of the regional center per month, enterprises—legal entities—sold goods worth UAH 192.3 (last year – UAH 147.2), while the regional average is UAH 77.2. By this indicator, among the regions of the oblast, the city of Lutsk ranks first.
The main problems in the field of trade, restaurant business and household services remain:
- unprofitability of wholesale trade;
- a large share of goods sold at organized and informal markets (36.2% of total goods sales), which limits the conversion of financial assets into official monetary circulation;
- a low level of service in the conduct of trading activities at non-food and food markets;
- an imperfect system of legal relations that does not yet fully meet the requirements of a market economy and the regulatory and legal framework;
- organizational and economic integration of production and sales, and modern forms of organizing retail trade.
Main goals and priority tasks for 2004:
- active attraction of investments in the development of a network of trade and public catering enterprises;
- improvement of the regulatory and legal support for the functioning of domestic trade and household services for the population;
- to expand the network of public catering establishments with a predominant assortment of dishes and products of national Ukrainian cuisine;
- increase and expand the structure of providing household services to the population - by 5.5%;
- reduction in the number of unprofitable trade and public catering enterprises - by 5%;
- active expansion of the supermarket network as a tool of civilized retail trade and fast-service public catering establishments for the population with an assortment of dishes and products of national cuisine;
- ensure reliable protection of consumer rights and interests, make the trade process more civilized and attractive;
- expansion of the network of fast-service public catering establishments for the population with a predominant assortment of dishes and products of national Ukrainian cuisine;
- introduction of automated product identification technology, which will enable the city's trade enterprises to improve the procedure for accounting for goods circulation, as well as the process of selling goods;
- assistance in the development and implementation of a project to create an exhibition center for holding fairs and exhibitions (Mist, Svit, Chamber of Commerce and Industry).