LPP delighted with its initial impact in Ukraine

LPP opened its first store on the Ukrainian market a month ago and, "Sales are going much better than anticipated," said LPP deputy president Dariusz Pachla. The stock-listed company was planning to open three new outlets by the end of the year, but this project might be slightly delayed. "We are dependent on developer companies. Two stores will be located in shopping malls and the third one will operate independently," explained Pachla. LPP already owns 16 stores in Central and Eastern Europe. The company plans to enter Western markets by the end of 2004 with the first targeted city to be Berlin. According to the deputy president, one of the main reasons for its initial success in Ukraine was weak competition. "It is worth investing there, as demand is high, but due to administrative barriers many firms cannot afford it," said Pachla. The company hopes to make 2003 sales of zł. 10-20 million in Ukraine. (Puls Biznesu, p. 14) M.M.