The Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism (COCR) claims that an informal network of small non-stop shops run by Vietnamese store owners are responsible for one-fifth of the sales of groceries in the Czech Republic. COCR president Tomáš Prouza told the Czech News Agency that this includes numerous COOP stores which are now run by Vietnamese franchisees. “No one does anything about the fact that they look like independent operators on the outside with their own business registration numbers,” he complained. Prouza challenged the Czech anti-monopoly board to investigate the matter and prove what he suspects are close ties between them. He complained that Vietnamese shops are rarely controlled by retail inspectors because of difficulties in fining them. Even when they are fined for various infractions, the company running the store is liquidated and is replaced within three months a new one run by the same managers, claims Prouza.
