The customers of several supermarkets in La Plata were surprised in recent days that the premises were closed due to a municipal closure. Among others, it happened with the local “Super de Barrio” on Avenida 7 between 40 and 41 but the one on 48 between 14 and 15 was also notified; that of 66 between 8 and 9; that of Camino Centenario and 503; and the diagonal 74 and 56. But according to the Municipality, the sanctioned premises are more than ten.
“We raised a list with more than ten stores that were enabled as warehouses but we believe that they are undercover franchises”indicated to 0221.com.ar the citizen defender Marcelo Farronithe body that promoted the investigation that ended with the measure carried out during the last week by agents of Social Watch.
The closure order was carried out after it was verified that these businesses are directly linked to the Dia% chain despite the fact that their company name is apparently another. The irregularity detected is that these ventures presented all the documentation to function as warehouses, but in reality they are a “undercover” franchise.
in dialogue with 0221.com.arFarroni explained the procedure: “We began to act on this issue because we received a note from the Chamber of Supermarkets so that we can observe what was happening with some stores that opened very abruptly in less than a year. They are very beautiful on the outside but when you entered, there was all the Dia% merchandise and its employees were dressed as Dia% and at the checkout they offered you the card of that firm. And their offers were those of the chain”, he stressed.
The defender recalled that franchises are not allowed in the city by ordinance. “When Dia% opened, at the time one of the issues was that it open without franchises. We began to observe that there is a covert franchise that is the ‘Super in your neighborhood’ or ‘Discount in your neighborhood'”he added. And he pointed out: “The lack of control of the Authorizations Department also caught our attention.”
Farroni explained that together with his team they followed the issue closely and noticed that “Requests for authorization were made through warehouses and other names, which is why it did not attract attention”. “We investigated and asked Citizen Control if it could carry out the corresponding inspection of these warehouses, which are functioning as supermarkets. There were items that you do not sell inside a store and the entire building part, ”he completed.
Likewise, the local Ombudsman indicated that in these premises “Fruits, vegetables, perfumery and other items that are not authorized for a store were sold”.
It was so that several of these places were closed this week by agents of Citizen Control. And there were readers who began to report to 0221.com.ar about closed shops, such as Gonnet, at Camino Centenario and 503 or 66 between 8 and 9in addition to the Super de Barrio de 7 between 40 and 41 whose photos depict this note.
Now, Those in charge must appear in the Misdemeanor Court to clarify the situation corresponding to the authorization they requested. “They asked to function as warehouses and in reality they are supermarkets and all their staff are affected by Dia%,” added the official, who also remarked that the closure “does not mean that they are going to close.”
“We want to clarify that well, no business is going to close, from now on we want them to be updated to what the ordinance says, and that they were enabled as warehouses to function as such”. concluded.
