Tallinn Central Market bought by controversial figures

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu

For half a million euros, Harju County Governor privatised plot under Tallinn Central Open Air Market to Turukaubanduse AS, a company owned by Andrei Polištšuk whose father Vadim Polištšuk – once chief of said market, a man who ordered assassination of vice mayor over it – had possession of buildings on the lot, privileging him to privatise land under them as judged by Harju County Court. Harju County Government says land sales price was €433,780.

In the expectations of Tallinn City Centre Government, father and son Polištšuk will build a contemporary trade and entertainment centre in place of the current market stalls.

Both Vadim and Andrei Polištšuk refused to explain the deal to Postimees. Via Rein Leemet, manager of the market, they let us know they wish to keep going with the market business.

«To develop the lot, there are five solutions; right now, the owners are right now in active discussions over these,» said Mr Leemet. «They have young local non-Estonian architects doing the design for them, but I have not seen the solutions neither do I wish to lift the sectary before decisions are made.»

While earlier the beloved shopping area yawned as a bomb crater in land register, last November assistant judge entered the 3.5 hectares of land into the register for the first time ever.

In August, county governor Ülle Rajasalu had signed a contract granting Turukaubanduse AS, pursuant to Land Reform Act, had the right of pre-emption to obtain the plot. Mr Polištšuk promptly paid a tenth of the purchase money, the rest transferred during 15 years plus interest of ten percent per year. A mortgage towards the state of  €507,500 rests with the lot.

City chiefs excited

Even though city government ratified detail plan of central market as early as in 2004, allowing for new buildings and a parking lot, now the Polištšuks must order a new one.

«The former detailed plan was very much outdated, as this is an area of very great importance to the city, with five star hotels nearby for instance,» said City Centre elder Mihhail Korb. «I met the owners. They are very enthusiastic. I urged them to fly high while planning, as the city would be delighted to have an area appear, on the lot, not for trade alone but also to spend time with the family, for partying.»

According to Mr Korb, quick development of Central market into an entertainment area would lighten the load of Old Town – currently the only favoured relaxation area for townsfolk and guests alike.

Tallinn is preparing to invest into rearranging the traffic and parking around Central Market, as the current streets network is hardly sufficient as things stand.

«With the transport department, we keep trying to improve the situation, but without substantial investments we haven’t achieved satisfactory results, merely tweaking the thing,» added Mr Korb.

Ten years ago, when approving the detailed plan, the city district pointed out the fact that as the central market is located in the midst of apartment houses, a large storage house type shopping mall looking like a box would not fit.

The stalls, standing where they fell, were suggested by the 2004 plan to be exchanged for a two storey building, plus several contemporary business buildings. The shop at Lastekodu St 14a was planned to be reconstructed into a four storey business building. A 3-storey business building was planned at the Torupilli-Lastekodu Street corner.

According to differing data, a parking lot with 250–325 places was planned for the Central Market. Building is complicated by an archaeological site, under state protection, on the market place. Not excluded that the site will be opened up for visitors, like the medieval lepers house ruins at the Tartu Highway extension.

Market outlook

Regarding the future of the market, entrepreneurs differ. Retail chain owner Oleg Gross says market business has no future in Estonia.

«The time of the markets is over. I keep a market in Rakvere and see with my own eyes how hard and even impossible it is for those who trade there, with Estonian food, to compete with the retail chains founded on cheap import stuff,» said Mr Gross. «For Tallinners, Central Market is a well-worn place to go, so it might have a future if they’d find some strong retail chain as the core rentee.»

Mr Gross thinks the planned municipal shops and existing city markets may only be maintained with local government subsidies.

«The six markets administrated by us are full of traders and in Tallinn there’s enough buyers and sellers for all markets,» assures Tiia-Liis Jürgenson, director of municipal agency Tallinna Turud [Markets of Tallinn – edit]. «A farmer can sell straight to the customer, and people like it a lot.»

According to managers of trade real estate, the Central Market has no future as a shopping mall, destined to be overshadowed by the existing shopping centres of the area.

«For residential area the location is good, but even when it comes to business real estate, it’s not the best being far from the main street,» said Eften Capital board member Viljar Arakas. «The market might continue in the area, because – as proven by global experience of large cities – when people are accustomed to visit the market grounds, business will bloom.»

According to Mr Arakas, the half-million-euro sales price for the Central Market was very cheap. «By a casual glance, the lot is impossible to evaluate; probably, the assets on the lot and the pre-emptive right played a role,» thinks Mr Arakas.

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Vadim Polištšuk ordered murder of vice mayor Mait Metsamaa

Turukaubanduse AS, owner of Central Market, belongs to Abring OÜ and Dzebeti AS, companies owned by Andrei Polištšuk. According to those trading on the market grounds, the shots are still called by Father of Andrei, Vadim Polištšuk. The market businessman, always escorted by security staff, avoids public limelight.

In 2001, Tartu Circuit Court prematurely released Vadim Polištšuk, the man seen as de facto chief of Central Market, from prison. In 2004, the court established that Mr Polištšuk, with no former misdemeanour of criminal record, ordered the murder of then Tallinn deputy mayor and Central Market council chairman Mait Metsamaa to help central market be privatised in a manner favourable for him.  

In 1999, then Central Market security chief Valeri Kuznetsov and security guard Sergei Normanov hired, upon order by Mr Polištšuk, an unemployed Andrei Dudotškin to kill Mr Metsamaa for $1,000.

Mr Dudotškin killed Mr Metsamaa on October 12^th 1999, in the staircase of an apartment building on Lastekodu St, by shots in the head from a pistol. By Tallinn City Court, Mr Polištšuk and Mr Dudotškin were sentenced for nine years of imprisonment, Mr Kuznetsov and Mr Normanov for eight, each.

Two years ago, the manager of Central Market was €138,000 in the red at almost €700,000 of turnover. Then, the assets of the company were assessed at €1.6m.