Cuba News
The government intends to create the logistical conditions sometime in 2021
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Store at MLC Minimax Sandino in Villa Clara. (Photo: Juan Pérez-Candonga de Santa Clara-Facebook)
Free convertible currency stores (MLCs) or popularly known as dollar stores, because the US currency predominates, will start selling their products online with the possibility of home deliveries, as confirmed by the directors of the Caribe store chain to the Cuban official press.
“Our real estate infrastructure conditions today do not allow us to move to virtual commerce in the country, but maybe in 2021 virtual marketing in MLC will begin,” the directors of the Caribbean stores in Sancti Spíritus told the newspaper. Escambray.
The new commercial way would make it possible to purchase food, household appliances, personal hygiene items and hardware products at MLC.
The plans are to create logistics infrastructure and national payment gateways, so that from Cuba you can buy in these stores using the internet without having to physically go to the store. The government’s goal is to make things less difficult for currency holders so that they can spend without major difficulties in state stores and thus collect all the money in circulation.
Dollar stores began in October last year, when it was decided to open 72 stores across the island with the promise of selling home appliances and electric mopeds, as well as other items that, due to their luxury features, were not essential because it is a market to which only a minority of the population has access. However, the government’s promise was broken only a few months later, with the expansion of these types of stores that now even sell rice in dollars.
In the face of criticism, communist officials acknowledged that although it is a “temporary” and “undesirable” measure, it is necessary because of the scenario of lack of liquidity in state houses.
MLC stores in Cuba will close on December 31
On the other hand, it was found that all dollar stores will remain closed on December 31, as the payment network in the point of sale terminals will be out of service from the night of 30, while the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC) adapts the system for the beginning “monetary order“.
During a speech by the head of the Commission for the implementation and development of the guidelines, Marino Murillo, it was explained that the payment platforms Transfermóvil and Enzona will also cease to provide services, so that on the last day of the year it will not be possible to e-commerce operations.