Moscow, 31 May 2019 – X5 Retail Group N.V. (“X5” or the “Company”), a leading Russian food retailer (LSE and MOEX ticker: “FIVE”), launched a pilot project to promote the use of reusable, environmentally friendly shopping bags, which are now available in Pyaterochka stores in Moscow and the Moscow Region. When purchasing eco-bags, customers will receive double points on their Vyruchai-Karta loyalty card.
From 17 June 2019, the initiative will be rolled out to include Pyaterochka stores in 14 other major cities: St Petersburg, Voronezh, Kazan, Samara, Volgograd, Perm, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Chelyabinsk, Rostov, Krasnodar and Sochi. The reusable eco-bags are offered as an alternative to plastic bags and reusable polyester and polypropylene sacks already available in stores.
The bags are made of unprocessed cotton, an environmentally friendly material, confirmed by its RosEcoStandart safety certificate. The design was chosen from a competition organised by Pyaterochka on a specialised design platform. The eco-bags will be available in the checkout area, where bright green labels will tell shoppers about the campaign and provide information on the material used to make the bags.
Last year, Pyaterochka sold around 2 million reusable bags. X5 expects that the initiative will demonstrate the benefits of reusable packaging and stimulate responsible use of disposable bags. A number of Pyaterochka stores in St Petersburg are also offering paper bags, as a pilot project.