21 October 2026
Around 60 Russian retailers have begun closing stores due to consumers’ austerity measures. In the third quarter of this year, the number of retail chains scaling back their presence in the market increased by 54%. This follows from data from the consulting firm NF Group, cited by Vedomosti. Most retailers (37) that have decided to close their stores specialize in clothing and footwear, four each in home goods, cosmetics, and perfumes, and three brands are in the food service industry. The remaining retailers specialize in household appliances, electronics, and jewelry.
Among those closing stores are the Stockmann department store, clothing brands CR, XC, RE, Sin, MO, Lime, and Terranova, home goods chains Redecoro and Kultura Doma, and cosmetics companies M.Kosmetic, The Act, and Oomph. According to Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics, in the non-food retail segment, approximately 90% of companies are currently closing more stores than they are opening. Only the largest chains are maintaining investment programs, but even they continue to optimize their stores, the expert noted.
Some retailers are relocating stores to more advantageous locations, says Yulia Kuznetsova, a representative of Nikoliers. She cites Gloria Jeans, M.video-Eldorado, Zolla, and L’Etoile as examples. However, according to NF Group, 35% of brands reconsidering their market presence intend to close all their physical stores. The ongoing optimization is driven by changing consumer behavior and rising operating costs, says Olga Sumishevskaya, founder of the consulting firm One Story. She notes that shoppers have become more likely to purchase discounted products, and revenue for many brands is growing slower than inflation.
Russians switched to savings mode last year, cutting back on groceries , medicine , clothing, and footwear . This trend has intensified in 2026. According to a study by the Higher School of Economics and discounter Chizhik, 40.2% of Russians will save in brick-and-mortar stores in 2026, while the figure is 28.2% online. Meanwhile, a Romir survey found that 58% of consumers are consciously giving up certain items they previously purchased, 57% are trying to find similar products in lower price categories, and almost half (46%) are trying to visit stores as little as possible.