Thessaloniki was the first stop in the Open Extraversion Strategy of the Hellenic Retail Business Association (SELPE).
At the event, SELPE President Costas Gerardos presented the work that has been implemented to date, the main axes of action in the three -year period 2024 – 2027 and the ongoing institutional interventions.
With the participation of representatives of the business world of the city and companies – members of the Association, a detailed presentation of the key priorities of SELPE, as well as the initiatives already implemented, such as:
- Active participation in the institutional dialogue with the state
- The targeted meetings with the government
- The “SELPE Mornings” with the participation of ministers and institutional agents
- Extroverted Retail Brand Brand Campaign
- And the participation of SELPE in the 89th TIF.
Among other things, Mr. Gerardos stressed that the most essential demands to the Greek state relate to:
- the need for equal competition with international platforms operating without sufficient arrangement,
- market protection from unfair commercial practices,
- the necessary adaptation of tax policy to the modern needs of the industry,
- The emergence of retail as a strategic sector for the development of the Greek economy.
“I became a member of SELPE because as a retailer I felt the blows from the pandemic, the fines, the distortions. These are lived by other colleagues, so it is worth unite and act collectively. Retail is the industry that drives all the gears of the economy. In this ecosystem where we coexist employees, states and businesses, we need to build balances that return value on each side. We are blood donors of many other branches such as construction, supply chain and real estate market. We have a huge contribution to the national economy, but it is not recognized to the extent that it deserves. We have to strengthen the retail brand, reinstall it as a industry worth working, building a career and evolving, “the SELPE president said.
SELPE’s presence in Thessaloniki is part of a broader circle of targeted actions across Greece, with the aim of continuously interconnecting retail enterprises, recording the real needs of businesses and forming policy proposals that are essentially responding to today’s challenges.