YEREVAN. – The world-renowned French Carrefour hypermarket chain’s opening in Armenia is important, and it may provide competition in the country’s market.

Economist Vazgen Safaryan, who is Head of the Union of Domestic Goods Producers of Armenia, expressed such a view on Monday.

In his words, however, it must be seen to it that the pricing policy will not be very large.

“The French hypermarket may also lessen our [, Armenia’s,] negative foreign trade balance,” Safaryan added.

But the economist noted that he is concerned by solely the talk about apricot exports, since Armenian apricots already have their market: Russia.

“If the Carrefour management wants to export apricots, it needs to invest in the planting new apricot orchards and their maintenance with special methods,” Safaryan stated.

To note, Carrefour hypermarket chain has officially opened a branch in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan on March 11.