Lilo Mall

Lilo Mall is a large open-air wholesale and retail bazaar on the Kakheti Highway at the eastern edge of Tbilisi, on the route towards the airport. The site dates to 1991, when it was established under the name Elsavaco and became the first commercial centre in the country to hold an official government trading permit. It has grown into one of the largest markets in the South Caucasus, with several thousand stalls and shops organised into sections for clothing, footwear, textiles, household goods and building materials, aimed at bulk and reseller buyers as much as individual shoppers. Trading takes place across long rows of containers and stands, with goods often sold by the batch at lower unit prices than in central Tbilisi. Wholesale hours run from 08:00 to 17:00. The market lies several kilometres from the centre and is reached by marshrutka minibus or taxi rather than by metro. Distances between sections are considerable once inside.