Ljubljana, July 20 - Slovenia's largest food retailer Mercator said on Monday it would open its first shops in Albania and Bulgaria this year, while further expansion in the region was planned despite the global crisis.
"By the end of 2012 we plan expansion to Macedonia and Kosovo. We are always open for all forms of expansion," chief executive Ziga Debeljak told reporters on Monday.
He said business conditions had not improved. "Economic conditions on all markets are very demanding ... the second quarter is the same or more demanding than the first."
Mercator, which owns stores in Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro, is due to announce first-half results on August 25.
Its shares fell 0.4 percent to 168 euros on Monday while the blue-chip SBI index <.SBI> lost 0.6 percent.