Bulgaria's retail sector is dominated by small privately owned shops, which are either privatized state-owned shops, or shops started by private owners. Shop owners are quickly gathering experience in modern marketing and sales promotion. As a leftover from the pre-1989 Communist days, larger cities and the major suburbs have one or two stores on the scale of a department store. The structure of the retail sector is slowly being transformed. Retail chains are beginning to emerge.
Some shops specializing in Levis, Samsonite and other U.S. brands are present.
However, the Bulgarian stores are not competitive with stores opened by foreign investors. Almost across the street, the Central Hali wholesale market was renovated by the Israeli Ashtrom company and reopened also in 2000 as a mid-range shopping mall together with specialty food shops and a food court. Shell gasoline stations all over the country also have minimarts stocked with imported consumer goods and food products, and the newer shops are co-located with McDonalds restaurants. Metro has been followed by the Greek Ena chain, and further investments by Greek, Turkish and even French hypermarket operators are expected. Estee Lauder, Fila, Hugo Boss and United Colors of Benetton shops are also in Sofia.