Beryozka (Russian retail store)
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Beriozka (
Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
: , lit. ''"little birch tree"'') was the overall name applied to two chains of state-run retail stores in the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
that sold goods in exchange for
foreign currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general def ...
. Beriozkas sold luxury goods such as chocolate and caviar that were often unavailable or unaffordable in traditional Soviet markets and shops. In English-language advertisements and signs, the spelling was always "Beriozka" rather than the more conventional transliteration "Beryozka." Beryozka existed between 1964 and 1990 up to the point of the Soviet Union dissolution.


Background

Since 1921 up until 1927 during the
New Economic Policy The New Economic Policy (NEP) () was an economic policy of the Soviet Union proposed by Vladimir Lenin in 1921 as a temporary expedient. Lenin characterized the NEP in 1922 as an economic system that would include "a free market and capitalism, ...
trading of foreign currency in Soviet Union was legal. In 1927 however the trade was outlawed. It became illegal to possess and trade foreign currencies (unless specified by the law otherwise) with a punishment up to six month of imprisonment (the events were reflected in ''The Golden Calf'' movie). Businessmen that were often referred as
NEPmen NEPmen (russian: Нэпманы, translit=Nepmani) were Businessperson, businesspeople in the early Soviet Union, who took advantage of the opportunities for private trade and Small business, small-scale manufacturing provided under the New Econom ...
during this period of time were banned from using it in everyday commerce. As result of this policy it became necessary to have places where goods could be purchased for foreign currency. The money were usually spent by workers who earned abroad or by tourists and westeners who visited the Soviet Union.


Overview

The Soviet ruble was not internationally convertible and the government was desperate for foreign
hard currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and ...
to buy goods and services from abroad and government exchanged it at fixed prices which often wasn't fair. The Beryozka shops were an efficient source of this currency. One chain belonged to the '' Vneshposyltorg'' (Foreign Mail Order Trade) and was intended for Soviet citizens who were paid some of their salary in foreign currency or received remittances from relatives or friends abroad. The foreign currency had to be exchanged for
ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...
-denominated ''Vneshposyltorg'' cheques, either by the recipient or by government intermediaries. The other chain sold goods directly for foreign currency and for ''
Vneshtorgbank VTB Bank (; formerly known as ''Vneshtorgbank'', , lit. 'International Trade Bank') is a Russian majority state-owned bank headquartered in various federal districts of Russia; its legal address is registered in St. Petersburg; as of 2022 ...
series D'' cheques. Only foreigners and Party apparatchiks were allowed access to these shops. Initially the shops only carried the Beriozka branding in the territory of the RSFSR and Kazakhstan. In other republics of the
Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
different "national tree" names were used. For example, in the
Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
they were called ''Kashtan'' (
Chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...
), ''Ivushka'' (a tender diminutive for "iva",
willow Willows, also called sallows and osiers, from the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 400 speciesMabberley, D.J. 1997. The Plant Book, Cambridge University Press #2: Cambridge. of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist s ...
) in the Belarusian SSR, ''Chinara'' (
Oriental plane ''Platanus orientalis'', the Old World sycamore or Oriental plane, is a large, deciduous tree of the Platanaceae family, growing to or more, and known for its longevity and spreading crown. In autumn its deep green leaves may change to blood red ...
) in the
Azerbaijan SSR Azerbaijan ( az, Азәрбајҹан, Azərbaycan, italics=no), officially the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic (Azerbaijan SSR; az, Азәрбајҹан Совет Сосиалист Республикасы, Azərbaycan Sovet Sosialist R ...
, and ''Dzintars'' (
amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...
) in the
Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR), also known as Soviet Latvia or simply Latvia, was a federated republic within the Soviet Union, and formally one of its 16 (later 15) constituent republics. The Latvian Soviet Socialist Rep ...
. Eventually all of these shops rebranded under the Beriozka name. Beriozka stores were present only in the major cities, most prominently Moscow. There were also separate ''Albatross'' stores in Soviet port cities, such as
Vladivostok Vladivostok ( rus, Владивосто́к, a=Владивосток.ogg, p=vɫədʲɪvɐˈstok) is the largest city and the administrative center of Primorsky Krai, Russia. The city is located around the Zolotoy Rog, Golden Horn Bay on the Sea ...
, that sold goods to Soviet sailors returning from abroad. The Albatross stores sold goods for Torgmortrans cheques issued by the Department of the
Soviet Naval Fleet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
in exchange for foreign currency earned by the sailors. Beriozka stores were opened in 1964. Their predecessors were
Torgsin Torgsin (Russian: ) were state-run hard-currency stores that operated in the USSR between 1931 and 1936. Their name was an acronym of ''torgovlia s inostrantsami'' (Russian: '), "trade with foreigners." Unlike the later Beryozka stores, Torgsi ...
stores of the 1930s and the highly ineffective Vneshposyltorg departments of the large Soviet department stores (e.g. State Universal Store) that allowed catalog mail order from abroad by customers paying in hard currency. Beriozka stores became obsolete in the early 1990s when the ruble became convertible with other currencies. The stores were privatized and in the mid-1990s most were closed as uncompetitive. Many other socialist countries had similar retail chains, such as
Intershop Intershop was a chain of government-owned and operated retail stores in the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) in which only hard currencies (and later Forum checks) could be used to purchase high-quality goods, usually from or asso ...
s in the
German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
, Friendship Stores in the
People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, and
Pewex Pewex () (short for ''Przedsiębiorstwo Eksportu Wewnętrznego'' – Internal Export Company) was a chain of hard-currency shops founded in 1972, during the Communist era in Poland that accepted payment only in United States dollars and other h ...
in Poland, though some of these systems allowed anyone with foreign currency to shop there.


See also

*
Eastern Bloc economies The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc and the Soviet Bloc, was the group of socialist states of Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America under the influence of the Soviet Union that existed du ...


References


External links


"Shopping in Beriozka:Consumer Society in the Soviet Union" (Zeithistorische Forschungen)
{{Hard currency shops in socialist countries Hard currency shops in socialist countries Retail companies of the Soviet Union Retail companies established in 1964 1964 establishments in the Soviet Union