A new business project installing automated lockers in Bulgaria.
Bulgarian is written very similarly to Russian and Ukrainian, since it uses the same Cyrillic alphabet. Among the local population, Russian is mostly understood well by the older generation, while younger people tend to be noticeably less comfortable with it.
Why Bulgaria specifically
Why Bulgaria specifically? The country has 18 popular resorts. The average price for an umbrella and sunbed is around 6 euros, reaching up to 12 euros on some beaches. A huge number of tourists arrive from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Poland, Germany, and other European countries, creating a great environment for investment and starting a new business.
We travelled through 6 resort towns in total: Dunes, Sozopol, Chernomorets, Pomorie, Nessebar, and Sunny Beach.
Results of negotiations with concessionaires
The total length of the densely populated beaches in these towns adds up to more than 25 kilometers. We managed to hold two meetings directly with beach concessionaires, that is, the beach operators, while the rest of the negotiations were held with their representatives.
We secured a 90% approval rate for installing automated lockers for beaches as early as the 2016 season. Everyone understands that this kind of equipment is essential for improving a beach: it prevents lost belongings, and additional features like phone charging stations, payment terminals, and paid internet access points make the beach experience noticeably more comfortable. That directly helps attract new visitors and keep returning ones, and it pairs well with other business formats too, right down to product pickup points set up on the beach itself.
What to do right now
That's why we're starting to secure good business spots right now: the earlier you reach an agreement with a resort's management, the better your chances of landing the best locations along the coast before next season.
