Brands, Estonia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Retail

"The only change with which consumers will be faced when visiting Coop stores is that the sticker on the door will read Coop Eesti Keskuhistu instead of Eesti Tarbijate Uhistu. As to the rest, it's a juridical change for consumers," communications chief at Coop Estonia Ivo Rull told BNS.

There are no plans for renaming stores of the group's chains AjaO, Konsum, Maksimarket, E-Ehituskeskus and Tooriistamarket in the near future, Rull added. Nor will Coop own brand products well known elsewhere in the world hit shops in Estonia any time soon.

ETK Grupp announced on Monday it was adopting the international brand of cooperative businesses Coop. The name change is expected to produce an economic effect of a couple of million euros annually.

Both the central organization and its subsidiaries will be rebranded as Coop Eesti Keskuhistu (Coop Estonian Central Association), Coop Finants AS and Coop Jaekaubanduse AS (Coop Retail Trade), respectively. Most regional consumer associations also will adopt the new name. The associations' changeover to the new brand will take place gradually, Coop said.

Coop Estonia consists of a central association and 19 regional consumer associations which in turn have close to 83,000 customer-owners. It owns 355 stores most of which belong to the AjaO, Konsum, Maksimarket, E-Ehituskeskus and Tooriistamarket chains.