Džambić: Bingo will boost the domestic economy, but customers must also help with their patriotism

Now that Bingo has taken over Interex, with a total of 24 facilities in 20 BiH cities, Bosnian-Herzegovinian producers have the most reason to celebrate. Because Bingo will further promote and sell what is produced in BiH. I am sure this will boost the domestic economy – said Senad Džambić, owner of Bingo, in an exclusive interview for the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

The owner of the largest BiH retail chain took over the French Interex on November 13th. Interex has been operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1999, but could no longer compete with the growing BiH giant, which has about 100 facilities across the country and more than 3,500 employees.

With the takeover of 24 Interex facilities, Bingo's retail centers will now increase to over 120, and the number of employees to about 4,300. Only the Prevent group employs a similar number of people in the country. The takeover of Interex by Bingo will be gradual, and the last Interex facility should transfer to Bingo's ownership within six months at the latest.

Prestigious world business magazine Forbes named Džambić one of the richest businessmen in Bosnia and Herzegovina for 2014, and tenth in the region, with his company reporting revenues of 448.5 million convertible marks. Bingo was founded in 1993 in Tuzla, during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina, but from the very beginning, it promoted domestic food products and the BiH economy. Customers recognized this. Now, 21 years later, Bingo is a giant that is growing unstoppably and pushing out foreign retail chains, which drain millions of KM from BiH annually.

Just a few days after the Competition Council's decision to approve Bingo's takeover of Interex was announced, Patria journalists spoke with Džambić. He is happy and proud. Above all, he says, for the domestic economy. Personally, he might not have needed the French retail brand, but he bought it for the sake of BiH producers. Foreign retail chains that cover a large part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he says, have been stifling the domestic economy for years.

- We must put an end to this. I will do everything to ensure that domestic producers get the best places on our shelves, because they deserve it – says Džambić.

- However, our customers must also help strengthen the Bosnian-Herzegovinian economy. Patriotism must kick in for them. They cannot help the domestic economy if they continue to buy imported products.

The largest retail chain in BiH also has its own production of eggs, broiler chickens, pasta, and other food products, textiles... but he says he will not invest further in production, as this could harm domestic businessmen, which he absolutely does not want.

- If we were to open a meat industry, what would our Semići from Visoko, or other meat producers in BiH do? That is why we will leave production to them, and we will do everything to ensure that their products are sold as well as possible – says Džambić.