"Tinex" Sold to a Pristina Company: The Brand Stays, the Price of the Deal Is a Secret

"Tinex" is no longer in Macedonian hands. The supermarket chain that was part of shoppers' daily lives for more than three decades has been taken over by "Proex International", a company from Pristina that had earlier also bought "Interex" from the French group "Intermarché". The new CEO is Liridon Berisha, a manager from Kosovo with 18 years of experience in retail.

The takeover announcement is full of nice words. "Tinex will remain Tinex", the new owner promises: the brand and identity stay, and the priorities are fully stocked shelves, competitive prices, a wider range and reliable service. Founder Vladimir Todorović signs off with the line "Tinex deserves new strength and new investment in order to grow". According to business sources, the change covers the entire retail business - the brands "Tinex", "SuperTinex", "Tinex Delicatessen", "Konto" and "Spot".

What the announcement doesn't contain is the price. How much one of the best-known domestic retail chains cost - an investment described as "strategic and long-term" - remains unknown. When one of the best-known supermarket chains changes hands, shoppers have a right to know at least the outline of the deal, and whether there will be consequences for employees and suppliers.

On social media the sale has already taken on a national tone, with comments that it's "unpatriotic" to sell the chain "to someone from outside". But capital has no passport, and shoppers in the supermarket will judge by one thing - what's on the shelves and at what price. If the new owner keeps the promises of cheaper, better-stocked stores, few will ask where they're from. If not, even the "Tinex" name over the entrance won't help.

The real question is a different one: is this sale a sign that domestic retailers can no longer grow on their own, or no longer want to - and which big Macedonian brand will be the next to change owners?