Bristol head office. Chain of stores "Bristol": reviews of employees, working hours, assortment

The trading network of alcoholic products is focused on the sale of high-quality alcoholic and tobacco products. In "Bristol" discounts and various promotions are offered to the attention of buyers on a regular basis.

Company management

Who is the owner of the Bristol chain of stores? This question interests many potential employees. Chain of liquor stores "Bristol" owned by Igor Kesaev and Sergey Katsiev, firmly entered the segment of this market. They are included in the list of the richest people in the Russian Federation according to Forbes magazine. Igor Kesaev is ranked 27th in this list, and the value of his assets is estimated at $3.7 billion. Sergey Katsiev is ranked 64th in the magazine's ranking with $1.45 billion.

Team

The network of wine shops "Bristol" is focused on creating new jobs in the regions. The management states that it puts a lot of effort into making the place of work a second home for employees. According to numerous reviews of employees, the company has created comfortable working conditions.

Network specifics

The assortment of "Bristol" includes tobacco and alcoholic products. The company offers a wide range of products for favorable prices and tries to prevent the sale of illegal alcohol on the market. Bristol products are different high quality, according to the leadership of this network.

In 2012, the first Bristol store was opened in Nizhny Novgorod. To date, the chain of stores has about 2,100 outlets in 30 constituent entities of Russia. The network is actively developing and exploring new territories. The operating mode of "Bristol" in Moscow and the Moscow region is not around the clock, so customers can purchase alcoholic products only from 8:00-23:00.

In order to form an objective opinion about this employer, can be studied real reviews employees. Among the positive aspects, many employees note the payment of white wages. Some negative feedback reported that staff are forced to deceive customers who come to shop in a state of alcohol intoxication. Employees talk about the fact that they have to spend the working day on their feet. Part former employees trading network alleges that management is violating labor laws. This is due to the fact that they cannot allocate free time for themselves to rest and

Among the positive aspects, employees highlight the presence of a social package. Career growth is also possible within this company. Salesman "Bristol" - a rather nervous profession, because the work is associated with constant contact with different people. This vacancy requires excellent communication skills and high degree stress resistance.

Negative reviews about work in this structure indicate that the management takes acquaintances or relatives for free vacancies. Often such people do not have the appropriate education and work experience, which affects the reputation of the store. Feedback from employees report that the shortage at the checkout "falls" on the shoulders of the sellers. If a re-sorting was detected during the acceptance of the goods, the sellers are also responsible for this. Workers also have to perform the duties of cleaners. Wherein additional work not paid or compensated.

Main disadvantages

Among the main shortcomings, employees highlight the lack of loaders in stores. Therefore, sellers and administrators have to unload boxes with goods on their own. Also, there are no security guards in the stores who could resolve emerging emergency situations.

Employees warn that when applying to this company, they will have to perform a cleaner and a security guard. Many comments are full of negative information that the cost of stolen products from the store is deducted from wages.

Labor law violations

Applicants need to be aware that the labor code prohibits requiring employees to perform work that was not specified in labor agreement. Otherwise, such activities may be classified as forced labor. The employees claim that labor contract and job description do not provide for the obligation to unload the goods. This type of work must be paid by the employer in the agreed amount, so such a company violates the provisions labor code. All this is confirmed by numerous negative feedback employees about "Bristol".

The real state of affairs

Former employees they report that such stores are visited by a special contingent of people, so you need to control yourself. Employees of this network are strictly prohibited from showing any rudeness and disrespectful attitude towards customers. However, it is very difficult to restrain your emotional state. This is especially true of communication with people in a state of intoxication, who often visit such stores. Many talk about the fact that they sell not the highest quality products, so the prices for alcohol in this chain of stores are quite affordable and accessible to everyone.

Some employees talk about the terrible attitude towards the staff from the administrators and the personnel department. Employees also report that management is constantly imposing fines and applying various sanctions. Salespeople are not allowed to sit during their work shift. A lot of negative comments are left to warn other people that when they leave, employees are "hung" with a shortage. As a result, workers receive miserable wages.

Main difficulties in work

It's hard to keep up throughout the day good mood and a positive attitude in Bristol stores. Employee reviews note that some customers try to throw out their anger in the face of cashiers, yell and insult, so former sellers claim that this is a thankless job that is not appreciated and not paid. However, some workers were able to find creativity to fulfill their official duties, and have been successfully working as sellers for many years.

It is not the highest paid and easiest, so potential employees need to make an informed decision before going to an interview at the Bristol store. Employee reviews say that the seller is a profession that requires respect not only from the buyer, but also from the management, which is far from always manifested.

Reviews of sellers-cashiers

Employees report that wages are paid on time, but the amount is always unpredictable. As the main advantage, many note the friendly atmosphere in the team, as employees show mutual assistance in different situations. However, employees note that this company has a cunning system for compensation for losses. As a result, the employees of the store have to pay for the shortage.

The employees of the alcohol market daily receive a lot of memos, which contain information about which employee should pay and what. Some of them are candid about what people use as freebies. work force in the Bristol chain of stores. Feedback from employees talk about the widespread violation of labor laws and the lack of prospects for development.

Administrators' opinion

According to managers, working in this structure is quite comfortable. The main thing is to prove yourself from the first days of work, so that the management notices ambitions and determination. Hard-working employees are waiting for career growth and high wages. Some comments indicate that employees can count on a decent bonus when performing their tasks. However, other reviews report that the company rarely indexes wages. Among the positive aspects, many highlight stability and timely remuneration without delay 2 times a month.

The Bristol network is represented in various regions, so there are such different reviews about the work. Much also depends on the specific outlet and employees who perform their work duties. Some reviews claim that employees pay only for the shortage that was identified as a result of the audit. True, this does not happen so often, and proven thefts in the police are not subject to payment by store employees.

What is the ideal convenience store? It has everything that will warm you in the evening, everything to meet guests with dignity or celebrate an important event. In such a store, there will never be any doubt: too expensive or too cheap. In an ideal store, a harmonious combination of price and quality, and a wide range of surprises with variety. "Bristol" - a network of shops near the house, which is the dream of a resident of any city, district and street! It's simple: we know what you want and how much it costs. In our assortment, alcoholic and tobacco products are widely represented, you can also purchase essential products and vape products. For our customers, we have developed a pre-order system, now you can order any product, choose the store closest to you and pick up your purchase at a convenient time for you. Ordering rules.

Story

The history of the Bristol chain of stores began on September 17, 2012 in Nizhny Novgorod, and very soon, with confident steps, we began to open in Nizhny Novgorod region: October 28 in Balakhna. Realizing that we are welcome everywhere, on July 31, 2013 we opened our first store outside the Nizhny Novgorod region in the city of Saransk, Republic of Mordovia. At the moment, our network has over 2,500 stores in more than 520 cities in 30 Subjects Russian Federation. We continue to actively develop in the regions of our presence and constantly discover new territories for ourselves, becoming "neighbors" for many Russians. If you want Bristol to become your convenience store, write letters with wishes to the post office

Which retail chains open the most stores in Russia? Last year, Magnit took first place: 1,600 new stores of various formats appeared under its sign. On the second - X5 Retail Group: almost 950 "Pyaterochka", "Perekrestkov" and "Carousels". But the third and fourth positions are occupied by the chains "Bristol" and "Red & White". In 2014 they opened 850 and 715 stores respectively. The main commodity for both is alcohol.

Shop network "Red & White" in Chelyabinsk

"Magnet", X5, "Red & White", "Bristol" and the network fix price(according to RBC magazine, it opened a little more than 630 stores last year) - this is the undisputed top five in the country in terms of store openings, says Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of INFOLine-Analytics.

Win at the expense of others

Market conditions for "sellers bad habits" v last years become tougher. Since 2006, the authorities have been tightening the screws on the regulation of the circulation of strong drinks (see inset at the end of the text), and in the summer of 2009, then-president Dmitry Medvedev launched a new anti-alcohol campaign. After that, the minimum retail price for vodka and other alcohol was introduced for the first time, the excise tax more than doubled (from 210 rubles per 1 liter of pure alcohol to 500 rubles in 2014), beer was equated to alcohol, places and times of permitted sale of such drinks are severely limited. Following alcohol, officials took up cigarettes: in 2013, the so-called anti-tobacco law was adopted, which limited places where you can sell tobacco and smoke.

Have Russians started drinking and smoking less? Both official statistics and independent experts say yes. According to Rosstat, alcohol consumption in the country decreased from 9.7 liters per capita in 2007 to 8.5 liters in 2013. The consumption of cigarettes, according to the Russian Tabak media group, decreased by 13% from 2012 to 2014. However, the gray market has grown in parallel. The share of illegal tobacco products is still relatively small, but over the past year, according to British American Tobacco Russia, it increased from 1.6% to 2.7% of the market. But underground-illegal-surrogate alcoholic products now may account for half of the entire market, says Vadim Drobiz, director of the Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRRA).

Why are two of the five most dynamic chains in Russia - "Krasnoe & Beloe" and "Bristol" - developing precisely through the sale of alcohol and tobacco? The answer is simple: they are trying to turn the tightening of legislation to their advantage.

The first Krasnoye & Beloe store opened in August 2006, when, as Sergey Studennikov, the founder of the chain, said, a “real alcohol crisis” broke out in the country. "Red & White" immediately declared itself as a company with a large alcohol assortment, - he recalled in his first interview, which he gave in 2012 to the Chelyabinsk glossy magazine"Mission" (hereinafter, links to the text of the interview from the Integrum media database). - We were at the right time in right place, the stars aligned, and the combination of circumstances helped us. RBC magazine failed to meet with Studennikov before this article went to the printers. However, the interview - the second for Studennikov - took place later, it will soon be available on the website.

Aleksey Toporkov, manager of the Bristol network, also believes that the launch of his network in 2012 coincided well with legislative initiatives: “We entered when it was most profitable for cigarette chains to enter. Because for us it was transparent the legislative framework, and the current players had to abandon some of the points or reformatted.

Stores "Bristol" and "Red & White" in the same building in Omsk (Photo: Alexander Rumyantsev for RBC)

Head of alcohol

“Are you working with Red & White?” - so now the buyers of "Magnit" and other leading retailers are starting negotiations with producers and distributors of alcohol, the suppliers of "Red & White" say. For many contractors, this network is already one of the largest sales channels.

According to Igor Komarov, general director of Trade House Aroma (producer and importer of alcohol), the holding sells more through Krasnoe & Beloe than through Magnit or X5. Mikhail Shtyrlin, general director of the Legend of Crimea group of companies (producer and importer of alcohol), says that their sales volumes through Krasnoe & Beloe are comparable to sales in Magnit or X5.

Bristol has not yet been a major buyer for suppliers, but they have followed with interest the network, in which two members of the Forbes list invest - Russia's "tobacco kings" Igor Kesaev (29th place with a fortune of $ 3.7 billion) and Sergey Katsiev (67th place and $1.45 billion).

"Bristol" and "Red & White" are small shops near the house with an area trading floor 80-90 sq. m, where from floor to ceiling in five or six rows are placed alcoholic drinks(approximately 800 commodity items).

Bristol is being developed by the founders of the largest Russian tobacco distributor Megapolis, Igor Kesaev and Sergey Katsiev. It is not surprising that, in addition to alcohol, the stores of this chain have a wide selection of cigarettes - about 200 items. In "Red & White" cigarettes, as in most grocery stores, 60-70 types. There are also "related" products: crackers, pickles, chocolate and other products (300-500 items in total).

The Red & White network includes more than 1700 stores, Bristol - more than 1200. Each operates in about 350 settlements. These are the two most large chains alcohol markets in Russia, and competitors are several times behind: the next players in terms of the number of outlets - Gorilka, Norman, Aromatny Mir - unite 250-350 stores each.

“I don't think they did something impossible,” Mikhail Shtyrlin says of the founders of Krasny & Bely and Bristol. “We just believed that it was possible to create an alcohol chain comparable in the number of stores to the largest grocery chains.” The size of the chains is already comparable: Dixy, whose main owners are also Kesaev and Katsiev, has a little more than 2,000 stores.

The financial indicators of Krasnoe & Beloe and Bristol have not been disclosed before. As Sergei Studennikov said in an interview with RBC, the revenue of Krasny & Bely in 2014 was 55 billion rubles. (VAT included). According to Mikhail Burmistrov's calculations, the network's revenue without VAT could amount to about 47 billion rubles. This is several times more than that of Bristol, which opened the bulk of its stores last year: according to INFOLine-Analytics, its revenue in the first half of 2014 amounted to 6.5 billion rubles. (without VAT).

Who is Mr. Studennikov?

“Very demanding, but fair,” says the former administrator of one of the Red & White stores about Sergey Studennikov. "Sometimes harsh and rude."

According to the Mission magazine, he started trading back in the 1980s: he stood in queues for hours for alcohol, in order to resell it later. In the 1990s, he traded almost everything that came to hand: alcohol, groceries, building materials.

Studennikov moved from wholesale to retail. In 1998, his wife and business partner Elena Soboleva opened in Chelyabinsk big store"House of tiles" (still working). In the mid-2000s, the entrepreneur opened Eurograd building materials supermarkets, participated in the launch of the Monetka chain in Chelyabinsk region, and in 2006 opened the first Krasnoe & Beloe store.

In the fall of 2008, the Krasnoye & Beloe network included over 80 alcohol stores, a year later - about 150. Gradually, this project became Studennikov's main business.

Founder of the Red & White network Sergey Studennikov (left) and co-founders of the Bristol network Sergey Katsiev (center) and Igor Kesaev (right)

Four employees of the network, in a conversation with a correspondent of the RBC magazine, called him the owner of the company, without specifying the ownership structure. Operating companies"Red & White" (there are several dozen in total) belong to Studennikov and his wife.

Some market participants doubt that Red & White would have been able to develop so quickly without external investors or backers. They express very different assumptions - from local businessmen and officials to employees of federal law enforcement agencies. But none of them could be confirmed: there was not even indirect evidence of the formal presence of such people in the capital of the network.

There is another version: Studennikov has many envious and ill-wishers, and successful business model he built himself. “Sergey Petrovich created a primitive and brutal concept that definitely hit its mark. target audience, - says Alexander Shirekov, general director of the Classics pharmacy chain (headed various grocery chains in Chelyabinsk). “Already from the name it is clear that these are shops for poor people who choose wine by color - red or white.”

"Squeezed to the penny"

"Squeezed to the penny" - under such a "severe" slogan, "Red & White" used to hold discount promotions. In fact, the network operates in the segment of discounters. “Our strategy is to work on a low margin, on the verge of profitability,” Sergei Studennikov said in an interview with Mission. As he told RBC, the network's gross margin is now 2-3% below the industry average, which he estimates at 26-27%. For comparison: the gross margin of Magnit at the end of 2014 was 28.9%, while X5's for ten months of 2014 was 24.4%.

When the minimum retail price for vodka was 220 rubles. per 0.5 liter, Red & White had one of the widest product ranges at this "first" price. So, on January 13, in the stores of the network, judging by its catalog in mobile application, there were 16 types of vodka for 220 rubles.

Many producers and sellers of alcohol have repeatedly complained that it is impossible to make money on the cheapest vodka: only excise and VAT on one half-liter legal bottle is 120 rubles. As a result, up to 90% vodka for 220 rubles. in Russian stores, according to Vadim Drobiz, it was produced without paying excise duty. True, large networks like Red & White do not deal with illegal products, the expert believes.

On February 1, a new minimum price began to operate - 185 rubles. Krasnoe & Beloe was able to offer vodka at this price as well. For a number of positions, the network holds the most low prices. How does she do it?

Having brought the network to a certain size - about 200 stores - the retailer began to afford purchasing interventions, says Alexander Shirekov: “They came to suppliers and said: here we have 30 million rubles, we are ready to pay for the products, what will be the price?” This is an unusual tactic for retail market: usually food chains try to get the maximum deferral of payments from suppliers and thus are actually credited at the expense of suppliers.

"Legend of Crimea", which has been cooperating with "Red & White" for many years, used to supply products there, including on prepayment, Mikhail Shtyrlin confirms. So "Red & White" sometimes managed to get products with a distributor's margin of only 2-4%, Shirekov assures. One of former suppliers The network also heard that Krasnoe & Beloe worked on a prepaid basis, and considers such a low distributor margin quite real, although with other schemes this figure reaches 35%. Distributors still benefited from the low markup: they received bonuses from manufacturers for large volumes of sales. Now all network suppliers surveyed by RBC magazine work with deferred payments, but these delays, according to them, are less than those of most retailers.

Chips, socks, vodka

Krasnoe & Beloe, according to suppliers, does not import alcohol, but instead brings products from brands unknown to us, such as Jacker chips from Malaysia. They are similar in packaging and taste to Pringles, but cost half the price on the shelf. “In Russia and in most countries of the world, only Pringles are known and our brand is not known at all,” complains Reni Lowe, export manager of Oriental Food Industries. “We are very proud to ship our chips to Russia.”

In order to have low prices, more than 30 types of goods "Red & White" produces under its own trademarks. For some regional producers, the network has become the largest customer. So, the Chelyabinsk hosiery factory "Etalon" before working with "Red & White" simply kept afloat, had large debts and delayed salaries, says Zemfira Vinogradova, lead sales manager. Previously, the factory produced 30-40 thousand pairs of socks per month, today it supplies 60 thousand pairs of men's socks to Krasnoye & Beloe alone - an exclusive model under the brand of the same name.

Traditionally, an important source of income for most food chains is marketing services to suppliers. In "Red & White" the same set marketing services minimal and no entry fee, reveals another principle of the retailer's work Roman Akhmetov, Deputy General Director for Marketing of Trade House "Piteinoff" (network supplier). “They only take products that are on sale,” he explains.

The network uses advanced technologies in its work: for example, its Commercial Director Sergei Gorbunov a couple of years ago went to the world's largest retail company Walmart, says Akhmetov. “When you enter the Red & White store, it immediately becomes clear that the guys travel around the world, study other people's experience,” agrees Alexey Toporkov. “They are not trying to do something by touch.”

Factories and alcohol markets

In the latest ranking of the largest Russian companies"Expert 400" included only four enterprises with head offices in the Chelyabinsk region. Three of them are industrial giants Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, Chelyabinsk Pipe Rolling Plant and Chelyabinsk Electrometallurgical Plant, the fourth - "Absolute", wholesale company"Red & White".

There are now about 470 Krasnoe & Beloe stores in the Chelyabinsk region, and over 170 outlets in Chelyabinsk itself. This is more than the Pyaterochka and Magnit stores combined. "Red & White" has already ... monopolized us all, ”the Ural-press-inform news agency quoted Anna Kozlova, head of the OFAS for the Chelyabinsk region, in mid-2013. According to the department, in 2012 the network occupied the largest market share in the region. retail products - 5.9%.

Since about 2010, under pressure from society and authorities, as Sergei Studennikov admitted, he began to add products and non-food products, and the stores themselves are not called alcohol stores, but “convenience stores”. The most popular were goods for children. “It's a matter of psychology,” the entrepreneur reasoned. “I, as a parent, may be making amends with my child: I go to the store for a bottle of beer, and for the children I buy a toy that costs 2 times more than beer.”

There are already so many Krasnoe & Beloe stores in Chelyabinsk that they have begun to take customers away from each other (“cannibalization effect”), notes Alexander Shirekov. Often they work in neighboring houses, but Aleksey Toporkov has even seen shops in the same building.

"Bristol" is not going to Chelyabinsk yet, meanwhile the manager of the company goes there every two months - to see what new competitors have come up with. Toporkov and the leaders of Krasny & Bely do not know each other, but Studennikov also went to the Bristol store, he mentioned in telephone conversation with a correspondent of the RBC magazine.

Sergey Studennikov, founder of the Red & White network (Photo: Ekaterina Kuzmina / RBC)

Shops instead of kiosks

The main competitor of "Red & White" - "Bristol" - appeared involuntarily. The opening of pilot stores in Nizhny Novgorod in September 2012 almost coincided with the introduction of an “anti-tobacco” law into the State Duma. For Megapolis, which controls about 70% of tobacco distribution in Russia, the main problem after the introduction of the new law could be the restriction of places where cigarettes are sold. According to INFOLine-Analytics, the company sold about 35% of cigarettes through kiosks and pavilions. The bill stated that only stores with an area of ​​more than 50 square meters would be able to sell tobacco products in cities. m. And "Bristoli" began to open with just such an area.

The law was eventually adopted with a different wording (the sale of cigarettes was banned in non-stationary shopping facilities), but for Megapolis it still meant the reduction of an important sales channel. “Undoubtedly, we knew that the legislation would be tightened, we prepared our draft in advance, and in part the timing of its start and legislative initiatives coincided,” Alexey Toporkov states.

The preparation of the Bristol project was started by the shareholders of Megapolis back in 2010. In the business tandem Kesaev - Katsiev, Bristol is more involved in Sergey Katsiev, says Toporkov, who combines the positions of Bristol network manager and head of department internal control Megapolis group (Megapolis with a turnover of almost $ 14 billion in 2013 is part of the Mercury Group of Kesaev and Katsiev). During the work of the project, Katsiev flew more than a dozen times to Nizhny Novgorod where is the head office management company"Bristol" - "Albion-2002".

Kesaev and Katsiev invest personal funds in the project, the amount of investments is not disclosed. Opening one store, excluding rent, can cost, according to INFOLine-Analytics, 1.5-2 million rubles. Thus, only these costs for the launch of 1200 stores could amount to 1.8-2.4 billion rubles.

The founders of Bristol immediately decided that they would build something big, says Toporkov: “The shareholders are such that they are not interested in local business.” At the beginning of 2013, when Bristol included only 10 stores in the Nizhny Novgorod region, businessmen did not like the pace of the network's development and it was decided to expand to other regions, he recalls. In the summer of 2013, Bristoli opened in 11 nearby regions.

Unlike Red & White, Bristol does not have its own distribution center, distributors in each region deliver goods to stores. Thanks to this, the network exhibits a wider range of locally produced goods familiar to residents. Megapolis, which distributes not only cigarettes, but also Baltika beer, energy drinks Red Bull, Dilmah tea, Milagro coffee and other products, is one of the key suppliers of Bristol.

“Alcohol, tobacco and beer are quite a structured business in terms of distribution,” explains Alexei Toporkov. “On its basis, we can quickly and efficiently scale our business from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad, and then add some more products to the line.” In the future, Bristol should become a full-fledged convenience store, where alcohol and cigarettes will not prevail, Toporkov assures.

A minority share - 1.2% - of Albion-2002 belongs to Dixy Yug, which is part of the public Dixy Group. Dixy has a priority right to enter the capital of Bristol if this network is successful, Dixy President Ilya Yakubson told RBC.

Means war

Despite the fact that "Red & White" and "Bristol" are very large networks, their "areas" almost do not overlap. At Krasny & Bely, the bulk of stores - more than a thousand - are located in the Urals Federal District, while Bristol operates mainly in the Volga, Central and North-Western districts. But in some regions, the networks began to “face heads-on” intentionally.

So, in Nizhny Novgorod, the home of the competitor, Krasnoe & Beloe came in the middle of 2014. The Chelyabinsk network has opened over 20 alcohol stores in the city, most of them, according to Alexei Toporkov, next to the Bristols. “Bristol”, having “jumped” the Urals, went to Omsk, where Krasnoye & Beloe is actively developing. “We decided to feel ourselves there, in a highly competitive territory,” notes Toporkov. Krasny & Bely now has 84 stores in Omsk, Bristol has 29. Often they are located next to each other, and in five places - in the same building.

“At first we thought that Red & White would be a pricekiller for us: their prices are lower by a number of categories. That it is possible to close shops next to them, - says Toporkov. “But no, nothing is happening.” The top manager believes that one of the advantages of "Bristol" is in a different assortment from "Red & White".

So far, small players are dying from the confrontation between the two leaders: for example, the Septima and Napoleon chains of alcohol stores have recently left the Omsk market. In Omsk and Chelyabinsk, there are already an overabundance of alcohol stores. “There shouldn't be so many specialized alcohol retail stores in the city, this is absurd,” admits Toporkov. That does not prevent both retailers from continuing their active expansion. This year, Bristol is going to increase the number of stores to at least 2000, the plan of Red & White, according to Studennikov, is 3000.

Reducing the minimum price for vodka and the economic crisis will play into the hands of alcohol markets operating in the economy segment, Vadim Drobiz is sure. “During a crisis, the consumption of cheap strong alcohol always grows: for people it is an antidepressant,” he concludes.

Featuring Denis Puzyrev, Mikhail Rubin, Natalia Suvorova