The first regional supermarket opened in Armenia today. ‘Star’ supermarket is a chain of large and medium sized supermarkets. Pretty much the standard fare we are used to in the ‘West’. Whilst it is yet to fully saturate the Yerevan market, it is exciting to see the first one open outside of the capital, in Hrazdan.

It is 1800 metres square, and is pretty much a hypermarket. Selling everything from electricals to food. I personally went to visit the first Star hypermarket in Yerevan last year and I can safely say it was a great experience. Special offers, easy going friendly staff, great atmosphere. You’d hardly remember you were in Yerevan until you step outside and get confronted by the dust and smell of kebab floating through the air…

Ok, seriously, I wonder, is the Armenian grocery sector ready for this? With most people purchasing their food from small retailers, won’t this completely kill their trade as the supermarkets begin to buy in bulk and knock these small retailers away?

I know this happens everywhere, particularly here in the UK, with our supermarkets now taking over our local stores and rebranding them, but our retail sector can cope, here we have other options..in Armenia, this might be a disaster. Still, the fact remains the shiny stores and bright lights will attract the consumer.

It remains to be seen how this will develop. The chain is part owned by the European Bank for Reconstruction and development, and the chain hosts loyalty card schemes, as well as other familiar western retail practices.

Here’s a picture from Armenia now, of the one I visited in Yerevan.

The European Court of Human Rights today ordered the Armenian Government to pay A1 Plus’ parent company 30,000 Euros in damages after their case was heard of late.

A1 Plus, a once pro opposition ( or more unbiased, depending on who you ask ) television channel was effectively banned from the airwaves 6 years ago after changes were made to the law on tv and radio. A1 plus has been participating in tenders for a number of years and has yet to win one.

It is unclear what this will behold for the tv company itself, but this gives strong weight A1plus’ long established view that they were effectively forced off the air for political reasons, pro government sources claim their tender bids were not of a high enough standard to compete.

Considering today we have one tv channel owned by a businessman who sits and talks to you all day about how great he is, one channel that seems to show nothing but adverts for cars in between an occsional Russian show, and one channel that does nothing but rebroadast another channel - I am unsure what A1plus’s tender proposal must have been. Only a blank screen 24 hours a day could be worse - or perhaps better, these days?

I noticed a blog over on Cilicia discussing a repatriate’s fears that tourism numbers may well dwindle this year due to fears for safety following the unrest recently, surging prices, and the fact that simply the “novelty” may have worn off. I plan to be in Armenia of course and the work I do there depends greatly on young Armenian diasporans visiting. I have no figures but I am worried. I just thought I’d see what our readers think, a few thoughts:

4 Years ago I paid £268 for a flight from London To Yerevan via Prague. That same flight is now costing £440. Whilst the rest of the world seems to be getting cheaper to visit, Armenia increases.

There is a fear amongst people too regarding what happened in Armenia after the elections, but this often comes from people who are ’slightly’ in tune with the situation, telling those who aren’t in tune at all.

I know I’m generalising here but from my experience few young Armenian diasporans take an active interest in the everyday situation in Armenia, be that political, social, economic, whatever. Those who do, are usually slightly older, and may have read something ’somewhere’ that said ’something’ happened in Armenia, and it was bad.. result :

“Don’t go to Armenia this year, it’s dangerous, people got killed”

Young diasporan says, “what happened?”

“I don’t know exactly, but people died”

“Ok, Greece it is then..”

Bye bye tourism profits, bye bye Armenia’s reputable image…bye bye dream of Armenia being a meeting place for any Armenian, anywhere.

Ok, I’m being extreme, but it’s scary…no?

We are so quick to judge ourselves as Armenians, and even quicker to judge what is our 16 year old republic, without realising that we damage it by doing so.

Sorry if I seem self righteous, I am as guilty of doing that as the next person, I’m just making the observation.