Balgarianovinite.com Artificial intelligence (AI) is designed to help us, not replace us, said Nikolay Valkanov, Executive Director of the Modern Trade Association, in an interview to BTA on the occasion of International Workers’ Day and the application of the technology in work processes.
“As for job losses, at least in the retail sector, I don’t think we can talk about that yet. I see AI as something created to help us, not replace us,” he said.
According to him, artificial intelligence can have many applications in the sector—from supporting individual customer targeting with offers, to managing pricing mix, orders, and more. It can also assist consumers in choosing what and where to buy.
“Recently, McKinsey & Company released its annual report, which examines retail processes in detail, and one statistic caught my attention—100 % of surveyed companies use AI, but only 3% see any measurable effect. They call it the ‘AI paradox.’ This means it is a process that will still require significant effort before it delivers any real results,” Valkanov noted.
On the occasion of May 1, the Association for Modern Trade highlights the efforts of businesses and employees in the retail sector, who contribute daily to the development of the economy. An analysis of a survey conducted at the end of 2025 outlines a picture of resilience, adaptability, and a drive for improvement, despite growing challenges.
Among these challenges is the increasing time needed to hire employees, both for entry-level and managerial positions, even though wages are rising and social benefit packages are expanding, with nearly two-thirds of companies already offering additional perks.
According to Nikolay Valkanov, the reason lies in the specific situation of the labor market, characterized by historically low unemployment levels and record-high employment.
“ Bulgaria’s labour market is not enough to fill the vacancies that businesses are opening. This is also shown by data from the Employment Agency. This is pushing employers to offer increasingly attractive salaries and benefits, but even these are no longer enough if a person has decided they don’t want to work in a dynamic environment with people, for example, or want to avoid physical labour,” he said.
Така според него търговците ще трябва да стават все по-гъвкави и иновативни, да инвестират все повече, за да привличат и запазват служители, и да управляват успешно процесите в склад, търговска зала и на каса.
According to him, retailers will need to become increasingly flexible and innovative, invest more and more in attracting and retaining employees, and successfully manage processes in warehouses, on the shop floor, and at checkout.
Nikolay Valkanov did not rule out the possibility that within 10–15 years retail trade could change completely, driven by these very processes.
In his view, workers’ expectations are rising because they value themselves and their time more. In addition, today there is an endless range of opportunities a young person can pursue.
“Technology has opened up possibilities that simply did not exist 10–15 years ago. Time is becoming a very important motivator – how flexible working hours are, and whether the workplace can adapt to employees’ individual needs. In a sense, the expectations of employers and employees never fully align, but that is where the role of a good manager comes in – to use each person’s strengths and combine them in a way that creates a complementary, cohesive, and loyal team,” said the executive director of the Association for Modern Trade.
According to data from the Association, retail trade in Bulgaria generates 4.2% of the country’s gross value added and is among the largest employers, with 221,000 people employed. Modern Trade Association Executive Director: AI Is Created to Help People Not Replace Them 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-05-01 12:00:37 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law