These words were spoken to AZERTAC by Araz Imanov, chairman of the "Development of Trade Networks" Public Union, who participated in a seminar held by the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange in Baku.

A. Imanov emphasized that the Public Union he leads unites the leading retail chains in the country.

“Our association includes the leading retail chains operating in the country - “Araz”, “Bravo”, “Bazarstore”, “Oba”, “Rahat”, “Neptun”, “Bolmart”, “Grandmart”, “Megastore”, “Al Market”, “Tamstore”, “Spar”, “Rossmann”, “Novas Home”, “Baku Electronics”, “Soliton” and others. Member companies operate mainly in the retail sector and occupy an important place in the country's trade sector with their extensive sales networks, thousands of employees and daily consumer contact. One of the main areas of activity of the association is to support member companies in familiarizing themselves with international experience, expanding their relations with foreign market participants and evaluating possible cooperation opportunities,” A. Imanov noted.

The chairman of the association said that expanding international relations, studying the experience of foreign countries in the field of retail trade, and evaluating new cooperation opportunities for member companies are among their main areas of activity: "In this direction, relations have already been established with Turkey and Great Britain, and relevant exchange of experience and cooperation opportunities have been discussed. The Belarusian market is also considered among the directions that offer interesting cooperation opportunities for Azerbaijani trade networks. Belarus is one of the countries with significant experience in the field of production and export of agricultural and food products. Establishing relations with producers of this country can contribute to expanding the product range in local trade networks and providing consumers with various choices. At the same time, the fact that some Belarusian producers, taking into account the characteristics of local markets, provide products in accordance with halal standards is of additional interest to Azerbaijani consumers."

Araz Imanov added that business forums are extremely useful in terms of establishing direct connections between entrepreneurs, exploring new trade opportunities, and expanding international cooperation.

"In the modern era, where e-commerce and digital solutions are rapidly developing, exchange trading also creates important opportunities for business entities. Exchange mechanisms serve to make trade transactions more transparent, systematic and secure, reduce risks and strengthen trust between partners. In this regard, platforms such as the Belarus Universal Commodity Exchange can open new channels of cooperation for Azerbaijani trade networks," A. Imanov concluded.

During the meetings, the current challenges and priorities of Azerbaijan’s retail sector were presented, with a particular focus on the digitalisation of in-store price management, the improvement of payment infrastructure, the enhancement of operational efficiency and the introduction of innovative solutions. The discussions also covered possible areas of cooperation and opportunities for the exchange of experience.

In the area of digital price labels, meetings were held with representatives of Etag-Tech, Pricer, Patron ESL, ZKONG and Hanshow. In the field of payment systems, discussions were conducted with Ingenico and Verifone.

In addition, meetings were also held with representatives of Sony, IBM, invent.ai, Optimum Retailing, Ergonomic Solutions, Logile, Diebold Nixdorf, FreedomPay, Nayax, Newland NPT, Bizie, Sensormatic, Proximity, Aura Vision, Datecs, Worldpay, Transaction Tree, Simbe Robotics, Lloyds Bank and Favewatch.

The Retail Networks Development Union continues its work aimed at studying international experience, monitoring advanced technologies and exploring partnership opportunities that may be beneficial for Azerbaijan’s retail sector.

“The Public Union for the Development of Trade Networks” held a business meeting with representatives of the Tax Policy Main Department of the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Within the framework of the meeting, tax- and regulation-related practical issues encountered by entrepreneurs operating in the retail trade sector during their day-to-day activities were discussed, and proposals developed by the sector were presented to the attention of the State Tax Service.

One of the main topics of discussion was the taxation mechanisms applied to spoiled and damaged products. In this regard, proposals were submitted on revising natural loss norms for food and non-food products, as well as on establishing more unified and practical regulatory mechanisms for cases involving product spoilage.

As the institutional representative of the retail trade sector, “The Public Union for the Development of Trade Networks” continues its systematic dialogue with government institutions and consistently carries on its activities aimed at resolving the practical issues faced by member companies.