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- Meter range: sellers of clothing and appliances are switching to a mini-format of stores
Meter range: sellers of clothing and appliances are switching to a mini-format of stores
Large retailers in the non-food segment are increasingly thinking about reducing retail space. They are developing new store formats — smaller in size and with a more understandable assortment for consumers, Izvestia learned. Lime, Melon Fashion Group (including Love Republic, Zarina, Sela and others), as well as Detsky Mir and M. have such plans.Video". Against the background of a slowdown in consumer activity and cost reductions, retail chains are optimizing the formats of their outlets in order to maintain profitability, reduce costs and better meet the changing needs of customers, experts say. Izvestia understood how retail is being transformed.
Why is retail reducing store space?
Non-food retailers have begun to develop new store formats with a reduced footprint, Zulfiya Shilyaeva, Senior Director and head of CMWP's retail real estate department, told Izvestia. This information was confirmed by Evgeniya Khakberdieva, Regional Director of the Retail Real Estate Department at NF Group.
In particular, Lime is working on the concept of stores in 1.2–1.5 thousand square meters, said Zulfiya Shilyaeva. According to her, this is due to the desire to adapt the format for regions where purchasing power differs from Moscow. Reducing the area will optimize the range and reduce the cost of finishing the premises. Izvestia sent a request to the retailer's representatives.
Melon Fashion Group (MFG) is also considering new types of stores, said a consultant with knowledge of the group's plans. For example, Sela has launched a concept store format with a range of household goods, premium clothing and cafes. The first point opened in Moscow's Aviapark shopping center (520 square meters), said Valeria Shuraeva, Deputy head of Research and Analytics at IBC Real Estate. According to her, there is also a common strategy among retailers to close small unprofitable stores while simultaneously developing outlets in the most attractive locations. Izvestia sent a request to MFG.
According to Evgenia Khakberdieva, mini-formats are being developed by Detsky Mir and M.Video". The latter is moving away from the classic "showcase" and moving to a model where the store becomes part of the logistics and service infrastructure, said a company representative. According to him, we are talking about the white store concept: "quickly assemble an order, issue it or send it on" — to the pick-up point or to the customer's home.
Detsky Mir is developing a model of small stores (up to 400 square meters) under the Detmir Mini brand, said a representative of the group. The compact format allows you to reduce the cost of opening, increase flexibility in choosing locations and accelerate payback, the source explained. According to him, this makes it possible to open in cities with a population of up to 100,000 people, as well as in small regional shopping malls where traffic is growing.
Why are retailers changing store formats?
Large-format stores in the regions are increasingly losing their appeal, a source in the consulting company told Izvestia. According to him, retailers are moving towards launching compact outlets with cheaper finishes and an adapted, understandable assortment.
Evgenia Khakberdieva from NF Group explains retail's interest in mini-formats by changing consumer behavior patterns and decreasing purchasing power. According to her, the buyer is becoming more rational, more attentive to expenses and expects convenience and accessibility.
Today, companies strive to "be closer to people," agrees the expert of the Pro retail space optimization service.Stores" by Irina Bolotova. Consumers do not need an endless assortment in stores amid the growing share of online sales, she noted.
According to her, in grocery retail, the trend towards the reconstruction of new outlets has been outlined for a long time. In 2025, Magnit launched Zaryadye stores, which assume a small size (100 sq. m.) within walking distance with an emphasis on ready-made food and drinks. X5 has opened new outlets under the On-the-Fly brand. The area of the premises of this network was estimated by Anton Belykh, CEO of DNA Realty, at 100-150 sq. m. for the industry publication Shopper's. The format is about 400 sq. m. m allows you to place the main assortment, Irina Bolotova added.
Companies are adapting to lower margins by consolidating assets, experimenting with store models, and cross-channel partnerships, according to a report by the Nikoliers consulting group on the results of the first quarter of 2026. According to Valeria Shuraeva, reconception is aimed at increasing efficiency and slowing the growth of costs. With proper positioning, the main assortment in offline outlets can become one of the brand's features.
The economy of retailers is affected by credit and tax burdens, rising costs of construction, finishing and other costs, Evgeniya Khakberdieva added. In these conditions, optimizing retail space is becoming one of the key ways to maintain profitability.
The new concepts take into account companies' plans to occupy as many "traffic points" as possible in the face of declining activity in shopping malls, Irina Bolotova believes. According to Focus Technologies, in January–March 2026, the average daily traffic of shopping malls in Russia fell by 2% year-on-year. Compared to the first quarter of 2019, the decrease was 25%, Kommersant noted. At the same time, consumers are increasingly coming to the shopping center to get high-quality customer experience, impressions and emotions, Valeria Shuraeva added. According to IBC Real Estate, the share of entertainment among tenants of the Moscow shopping center in 2025 reached 12% (+6 percentage points year-on-year), and the share of retailers specializing in clothing and footwear decreased to 23% (-5 percentage points year-on-year).
Against the background of the increasing role of omnichannel and the growing share of online commerce, companies continue to develop new models aimed at the target audience and more accurately meeting customer demand, Evgenia Khakberdieva noted. So, the Gulliver children's clothing chain is testing an "island format" with soft toys, the company previously reported. The first outlets opened in Moscow's EuroPark and Columbus shopping centers and Metropolis.
An additional factor was the limited amount of high-quality retail space: retailers are forced to look for more flexible solutions and adapt concepts to the available premises, explained Evgeniya Hakberdieva. By the end of 2025, the total supply of such premises in the Russian Federation amounted to 32 million square meters, of which 20 million were in the regions, 9 million in Moscow and 3 million in St. Petersburg, according to Nikoliers data.
The trend towards small formats will continue to strengthen, Irina Bolotova believes. Such concepts require less investment and maintenance costs and at the same time better match the customer's request for purchases "here and now".
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