X5 Retail Group N.V. announced the opening of its first hard discounters under the Chizhik brand in the Rostov Region and Krasnodar Territory, as well as the opening of a new distribution centre in Krasnodar to serve its Chizhik stores. On Tuesday, the retailer opened two stores in Bataisk and one store apiece in Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar, Novokubansk, the settlement of Yablonovsky, and the Cossack village of Novotitarovskaya. The new stores will be supplied from Chizhik's distribution centre in Krasnodar with shipments from both nationwide and local suppliers.

The 14,845 square metre distribution centre has capacity to handle shipments from over 200 suppliers and serve up to 250 stores in the retail chain across the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, as well as in the Rostov Region. Chizhik plans to open 22 more stores in the Rostov Region and 30 stores in the Krasnodar Territory before the end of August, aiming to bring the total store count in the regions to 49 and 65 stores by year-end, respectively. In 2023, the retailer expects to create over 1,200 new jobs for local communities in these two regions.