Russians are not waiting for the return of foreign clothing brands

Most Russians have adapted to the new structure of the fashion market and do not expect the return of foreign fashion brands. According to a study by the MTS AdTech analytical center, which was reviewed by Izvestia on July 31, 54% of respondents said they did not expect the return of the departed companies.

According to the survey, the Central, Southern and Volga regions were the most adapted to the new realities.: Almost 60% of their residents do not pin their hopes on the resumption of international brands. At the same time, it is consumers from the Krasnodar Territory, Tatarstan, Rostov Region, Bashkortostan and Samara region who most often make shopping trips to Moscow.

In addition, 90% of respondents prefer to buy clothes on marketplaces, with 38% doing so more frequently over the past year. Only 14% reported an increase in purchases in the mass market, while luxury brands (4%) and retail platforms (5%) remained niche areas.

The audience of shopping malls has also changed: 64% of consumers have an income of up to 70 thousand rubles per month. Russians aged 35-44 (23%) are the most active in purchases, followed by categories 25-34 (18%) and 45-54 (17%). At the same time, there is a moderate participation of young people: the 18-24 age category is 11%, and the share of visitors under 18 is 14%.

Textile appearance: parallel import of clothes to Russia decreased

Smartphones, alcohol and medicines import more than other goods.

"In the fashion industry, we see an increasing demand for brand performance, an approach that combines image building and brands achieving specific business results. In particular, fashion brands were 30% more likely to involve influencers from January to May 2025 compared to the same period last year. This suggests that fashion brand advertising takes into account existing trends in the market - high competition on marketplaces, a decrease in the number of spontaneous purchases and a change in the role of shopping malls," says Marina Kondrashova, CEO of the Getblogger platform (part of MTS AdTech).

In addition, Russia remains an attractive platform for foreign buyers. The top 10 countries in terms of shopping volume in Russia include China, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United States, India, Kuwait, Germany and Italy. Kyrgyzstan, Belarus and Tajikistan are the leaders among the CIS countries.

Commercial real estate brokers in Russia on Friday, April 9, told Izvestia that the number of new foreign players entering the Russian market has been decreasing over the past few years. However, the withdrawal of brands from Russia in the current volume is not such an acute problem.

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