Protest Action in Shopping Center Bina

On Monday, January 18 most shops in Bina, one of the biggest shopping centers in the country, did not open.

In the morning, hundreds of shops in the center, located at the southern entrance to the capital, refused to work to protest against the high rents.

Turan was told by the owner of a sholp the management of the center has not yet responded to the request.

According to the same source, if the store is privatized, the owner pays for every 40 square meters 1,200 manats (900 manats - the shopping center, 250 - Tax Service, 50 manat to the Fund of Social Protection, 5 manats - for air conditioning and 50 manats for electricity).

For those who rents a shop, this amount includes an additional 500 manats, though a few months ago it amounted to only 100 manats.

"Owners and tenants need to reduce rents by 500 manats a month," said the source. He explained this requirement that after the second devaluation (December 21 2015), the daily trade turnover of each shop was 1,000-1,500 AZN.

"Today, we sell goods to a maximum of 100-150 manats. In addition, the supply of goods from Turkey and China stopped, prices rose and we do not sell anything, so traders are selling the remains," said the businessman.

The situation in the neighboring shopping center Sadarak is relatively stable. However, the owners of shopping facilities there complain about the sharp decline and the growth of trade losses.

Our attempts to get comment from management of the shopping center Bina produced no results.

Recall that in January 2013 hundreds of owners of the center Bina for two days protested, complaining of high rents. Then the police dispersed the participants, arresting dozens of people. -03B-