Foreign retailers slow their entry into the Russian market
In the first half of 2025, 20 new brands appeared in Russia, eight of which were foreign, according to consulting company Nikoliers. In the same period last year, 35 new retailers (including 19 from outside Russia) announced the opening of their premises in shopping centres and main streets. Thus, the rate of entry of new foreign brands into the Russian market has fallen 58%, against a smaller slowdown for domestic brands (a 25% fall).
In 2025, 37% of the total foreign brands opening in Russia were from Italy, another 25% from Turkey, 12% from China, 13% from Belarus and 13% from Kazakhstan. In the first half of 2024, China led with 26%, while Turkey, South Korea and Italy tied with 16% each, followed by Germany with 11%.
Of the eight foreign brands that made their debut, four are in the apparel and footwear sector (MUA, Gaissina, Les Benjamins, Doucal's), two in the domestic appliances and electronics sector (BEKO, De'Longi), and one each in the sporting goods (Kappa) and household goods (Jinkailai) sectors.
Nikoliers forecasts that a total of 51 brands (24 foreign and 27 domestic) may debut in Russia in 2025. In 2024, 35 foreign brands entered the Russian market. "The slowdown in the emergence of new players is a natural process after the active development in 2023-2024, when both Russian and foreign brands actively stepped in to replace the international names that left," the Nikoliers analysis shows.
In 2025, up to 25 foreign brands may enter the Russian market, Natalia Kermedchieva, vice-president of the Union of Shopping Centres, said in mid-May. These would include China, the UAE and South Korea, as well as European companies. "What is different is the emphasis on equivalent luxury goods, for example, Turkish brands instead of Zara," she said. She added that the brands that left the country are being rapidly replaced by Chinese brands. "In 2022-2025, dozens of Chinese brands entered the Russian market, or announced plans to do so, especially after the departure of Western companies," Kermedchieva said.