Samson Grigoryan: 'I Advise Officials Not to Suggest Changing Our Location'

“I advise state officials not to suggest that we replace a traditional dish with pasta or change our location,” said Samson Grigoryan, coordinator of the 'Suspension' civic movement and representative of the SME sector, in an interview with 168.am. He deemed the recommendation made by the Deputy Minister of Economy, Naira Margaryan, to entrepreneurs to “change location if rents are high” as unprofessional.

“The location determines, for example, how many customers you will have. If you operate in the center, you might attract 1,000 customers, but in a third district, you won't have that many. The location also affects the purchasing power of your customers. I don't consider such statements serious,” Grigoryan added.

According to him, the location is vital for business. “The location is crucial even for producers in terms of transportation, lobbying, and so on. For retail sales, the location is definitely essential. People categorize businesses based on location; they gather customers in a particular area and will lose a certain amount of customers if they move.”

When asked whether entrepreneurs would follow this advice, Grigoryan responded, “If any entrepreneur follows such advice, then they are not an entrepreneur. That’s all.”