OREANDA-NEWS. On 29 April DIXY Group, one of the leading Russian companies on the food and FMCG retail markets, announced that the Group has received the Bronze Meter Award in the annual Golden Meter competition organized by the Eurasian Merchandising Institute (EAIM).

The Megamart hypermarkets operated by Dixy Group in Tyumen, in the Urals Federal District in West Siberia, have been awarded the Bronze Meter Award as "The Most Efficient and Interesting Merchandising Project Implemented on the Russian Market Over the Past Year."

The Award's organizing committee based its assessment of the projects participating in the competition on their concepts, including:

- Project ideas (know-how)
- Description of the concept for arrangement of merchandise
- Innovative technical solutions in the project (e.g., its links to an automation system, etc.)
- Materials and equipment used in the project
- Financial results of the project

Megamart is one of the four store formats developed by the Dixy Group. The Company operates three Megamart hypermarkets in Tyumen with an average space of 2,350 sq.m./store and the 20,500 items of merchandise. As of the end of Q1 2008, the Dixy Group operates a total of nine Megamarts.

In 2007, the USD revenue of the Megamart stores grew 33% and was \\$126.8 million compared to \\$95.2 million in 2006. Like-for-like USD sales appropriate to the store format increased by 9% in 2007 compared to 2006.

In Q1 2008, the revenue from retail operations of Megamart-format stores stood at \\$43 million (1,042 million RUR), which exceeded same figure in USD in 2007 by 79.5% (RUR 65.3%).