Corecom

Corecom or Korekom ( Bulgarian Кореком, made-up word and abbreviation of the French words: Comptoir de représentation Commerciale ), was a chain of stores during the communist period in Bulgaria (1944 to 1989), which existed from 1960 until the 1990s, in which was paid in freely convertible currency. The goods were often more expensive than in Western Europe. However, they were inaccessible for most Bulgarians because the national currency Lew was not accepted. Except for diplomats and affluent tourists and visitors with hard currency, it was a privilege of the Bulgarian nomenklatura ( small, elite group of the general population), and a restricted group of people and it was approved only a very few people to travel according abroad or to work in the West.

The stores operate the same principle as the GDR Intershops, the Czechoslovak Tuzex or the Polish Pewex businesses. In addition Corecom accepted, even more western currencies such as U.S. dollars and foreign exchange certificates similar to the East German Forum checks and the Chinese Foreign Exchange Certificate. These retail stores also sold regularly imported spirits and tobacco products (such as Scotch whiskey or Marlboro ), consumer products ( such as VCR and video cameras), as well as cosmetics, clothing, magazines, toys, even food and candy as among other surprise eggs. There was also to buy some native Bulgarian products which were actually intended for export and were difficult or impossible to get or sold in Bulgaria only on long waiting lists per application. Ironically, the greater variety and quality of western consumer goods in Bulgarian society was noticeable that were inaccessible to the majority of the population, but the Bulgarian Communist Party afforded their elites and but at the same time did unintentionally the limited possibilities of the socialist planned economy in Bulgaria and at the same time the hypocrisy of the government anti-Western rhetoric and propaganda.