Press release "NEW TRADE ASSOCIATION ESTABLISHED"

PRAGUE, July 3 (APROTEXT) - The retail in the Czech Republic is developing very fast, with modern retail formats now taking their place in the market. In order to promote a balanced and transparent position of the retail branch in the Czech society, to contribute to its respectability and to serve better and at lower costs the general public, the retailers have set up the Czech Retail Forum (COF) association. Members of the association are companies carrying out business in the territory of the Czech Republic and their main scope of activities includes business activities providing distribution of a wide range of food and non-food products to the productive and consumer sphere. Within that business activity each party to the Agreement has to solve a wide range of issues, particularly coming out of specifics of the respective markets, legal regulations, qualification of employees and relations to state authorities and organisations and to local authorities. The main purpose of the Association is to rationalise solving those separate issues by providing a platform for common discussion and exchange of experience thus allowing Participants of the Association to be more effective in carrying out their activities and so to have also an intermediate and positive effect on the functioning of the Czech retail market. The COF membership is open to all retailers active in the Czech Republic. The co-operation will be non-discriminatory and open for Czech and foreign retailers alike as well as for other professional associations. The co-operation will always act within the frame of the law, will cover only non-competitive issues of general interest for the retail, the industry-trade relations and the general public and will be pursued by a.o.: § cooperating with the public authorities to increase security for the customers, § raising the quality standards of products and services, § providing training and education for all persons working in or with the retail branch, § preventing theft and other criminal behaviour, § eliminating unnecessary complications and increasing efficiencies throughout the supply chain. Discussion platforms similar to the Czech Retail Forum are successfully improving the functioning of retail market in most of the developed countries. The Association is not a legal entity. Mr. Levinus A. Oggel (Makro CR spol. s r. o.) has been appointed as first Chairman and Mr. Dick Boer (AHOLD Czech Republic, a.s.) and Mr. Pavel Turek (PLUS- DISCOUNT, spol. s r. o.) have been appointed as first Vice- Chairmen of the COF. The ultimate goal of modern retail is to offer to the public the best quality merchandise at the lowest possible price at the time and place that suits the customer best. The COF will strive to help the Czech retail to realize this fastest. ### Contact: Miroslav Kajnak PR manager Makro CR Jeremiasova 7/1249 155 80 Praha 5 phone: (02) 2038 9507, fax: (02) 5111 1150 miroslav.kajnak@makro.cz Distribution: CTK Intelligence Service incl. publishing on www.protext.cz Web pages of COF: www.obchodni-forum.cz CZECH RETAIL FORUM MAIN PURPOSE Main purpose of the Association is to co-operate in handling and/or improving the following range of issues: § creation and proper function of Retail Academy, § design of systems for more effective supply of and delivery of goods from suppliers (ECR, EDI etc.), § establishing a more effective co-operation with criminal investigation authorities, in particular with the Czech Police, for better protection of the Participants' property and interests, § human resources, exchange of experience and information, § creating more efficiency in dealing with returnables, § creating faster and more effective procedures of homologization of new introduced products to the Czech market, § minimising negative effects in situations of protecting the consumers for potentially dangerous merchandise, § discussing the improving of systems for rationalising inventory and related procedures with the relevant authorities, § discussing uniformity and standardisation of regulations for hygiene, labelling, work place safety, fire protection, etc, with the relevant authorities, CZECH RETAIL FORUM LIST OF MEMBERS AHOLD Czech Republic, a.s. Baumax CR, a.s. Carrefour CR C & A Moda CR, v.o.s. DELVITA, a.s. GLOBUS CR, k.s. Hornbach Baumarkt CS spol. s r. o. IKEA CR, s.r.o. Makro CR spol. s r.o. OBI Systemova centrala, spol. s r. o. Penny Market, obchodni spolecnost s r. o. PLUS-DISCOUNT, spol. s r.o. Sconto Nabytek k.s. SPAR Ceska obchodni spolecnost s.r.o. Tesco Stores CR, a.s. VEGA obchodni agentura spol. s r.o. Status quo: June 30, 2000 Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug "PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to be published under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial service providing distribution of press releases from clients, who are identified in the text of Protext reports and who bear full responsibility for their contents. APROTEXT