A Chinese wholesale market that opened in July in Havana has closed its doors until further notice and without any explanation.
"This is the Chinese market they opened in Centro Habana, you can tell it's Chinese, it didn't stay open for long," said the self-employed Yosniel Gonzalez in the Facebook group MIPYME Habana.
The YouTuber known for his channel "Vámonos con Juanka" also shared his astonishment at seeing the so-called "Chinese Costco" closed and wonders what could have happened.
"Today I set out to make purchases at the huge Chinese wholesale market that created a sensation on social media a few days ago. My surprise upon arrival was finding this sign at its entrance announcing the closure until further notice," he reported on Facebook.
"The reasons? They are unknown. The attendees at the location appeared surprised, and there were even those who speculated about the possible cause of this sudden closure," he added.
On social media, there are abundant comments about the reason for the closure of the establishment just over a month after its opening, but for now, everything remains in assumptions and conjectures.
"The children and grandchildren of the leaders of this country don’t find businesses like that suitable for them because they don’t sell afterward," stated a self-employed worker.
"The good doesn't last long... someone doesn't agree with the prices being so low," said an IT professional.
"It doesn't add up because it works very well. Now they are closing it, and when it reopens, they will see the adaptations to the apagonia system," assured another self-employed worker.
The new wholesale market China Import, located at Manglar and Oquendo in Centro Habana, near the Cuatro Caminos market, quickly caught the attention of Cuban entrepreneurs due to its wide variety of products and competitive prices.
The Facebook user "Cubano De Pura Cepa" celebrated the return of this type of commerce to Havana after 60 years, and specified that the offer from the Chinese business was so diverse that "there is everything like in a pharmacy."
He then explained that the products could be purchased in national currency (MN) at the informal exchange rate of the day and that payments would be accepted by transfer in MN and in MLC, although initially that option was not available as they were facing technical issues with the payment platforms in Cuba.
The fact that buyers could pay in MN at the current informal exchange rate was a very attractive option for entrepreneurs, but inaccessible for the average Cuban.
Another user, Lisandra Martín, expressed her surprise at the pricing model in dollars and wondered what would happen if small and medium-sized enterprises adopted this "daily exchange rate" system.
What do you think?
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