The Mayor’s office has came up with a project named “Regulations on deploying information constructions in the city of Moscow” that may harden retailers’ lives, as officers at commercial companies told “Vedomosti”. Every sign shall be approved by the Department of Mass Media and Advertising; it shall be placed not higher than the first floor of any building, and one building shall not have more than one sight, as it is stated in a draft project that “Vedomosti” possesses.

This project is sent to be approved, which will be accompanied by the hearings on its case, as Vladimir Chernikov, Head of the Department of Mass Media and Advertising, told “Vedomosti”. The document concludes a principle position of the city and its pursuit of improving the look of city streets, for some buildings are literally hidden behind various signs on their fronts, he explained. Chernikov promises “to simplify administrative procedures” – one will be able to agree placing a sign with the authorities through Internet. Real estate owners (hotels, banks, shopping centres) will get a right to place a sign on the roof, but only one, he continues. Though, these “roof installations” will be illegal inside the Garden Ring Road.

Anton Guskov, Member of the Association of Trading Companies and Manufacturers of Electrical Household and Computer Equipment, believes, most signs will have to be dismantled if regulations are adopted in this form. In his opinion, the Department seeks to restrict business activity and introduce new administrative barriers for entrepreneurs.

The Administration’s pursuit of regulating the activity of trade centres with the fronts looking like markets is evident, says Mikhail Susov, Corporate Relations Director at X5, but these severe regulations will make some problems for the civilized business. A lot of shops are located in rented spaces or shopping centres; that’s why these restrictions will be uncomfortable for consumers, who won’t be able to see what shops are located in a building.

Restrictions may decrease shopping centres’ effectiveness, as logos and names of shops allow to highlight a particular object, attract consumers, as Yekaterina Zemskaya, Head of the Jones Lang LaSalle Shopping Centres Department, warns. Today building fronts have banners of the largest shopping centres’ space holders. These severe restrictions will decrease marketing income from advertising in trade centres, says Zhanna Karapetyan, Dream House Project Manager.

Susov is sure that a constructive dialogue with businessmen will help the Moscow authorities find a compromise in improving regulations. “In case of adopting new regulations, we will consider them in our work,” promises Nadezhda Spiridonova, Representative of businessmen God Nisanov and Zarakh Iliev – owners a number of shopping centres including the Trade and Entertainment Centre “European”.

Chernikov believes that regulations on installation of information constructions may be reviewed by the Moscow Government together with the regulations on ads installation in early October.

Elena Vinogradova, Alexandra Kreknina, Anton Filatov

Project Group №5