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- Reset everything: clothing retailers have started selling products at a discount of up to 90%
Reset everything: clothing retailers have started selling products at a discount of up to 90%
Russian brands of clothing, shoes, and accessories have begun to move towards uncharacteristically deep sales. In the first half of the year, about ten major players announced discounts of up to 90%, Izvestia learned. They are trying to free up working capital in this way against the background of weak demand, rising costs and deteriorating financial performance. At the same time, experts warn that in the long run, such measures will only worsen the financial situation of companies and will not solve problems with low consumer demand. In the first half of 2026, the number of purchases of clothes and shoes fell by 10% year-on-year, while the average receipt increased by 7%. About how domestic fashion brands are experiencing a decline in sales, see the Izvestia article.
Which brands have announced large-scale sales
In the first half of 2026, about 10 major Russian clothing and footwear brands began actively selling products with discounts from 30 to 90%. This is stated in a study by the consulting company Commonwealth Partnership (CMWP, formerly Cushman & Wakefield), which was reviewed by Izvestia. Among the companies that have announced large—scale promotions are Gate31, Chois, Bat Norton, I Am Studio, Viva la Vika, Feelz and others.
One of the most illustrative examples was Gate31. According to the results of the first quarter, the company made a loss of 31 million rubles, after which it launched a sale with a 31% discount. Denis Shevchenko, the brand's founder, explained financial difficulties on social networks due to the prolonged recession in the fashion market, as well as the fact that the retailer maintained its store network and staff until the last moment, hoping for a recovery in consumer demand.
The underwear brand Chois also announced a 30% price reduction. Its founder, Sofya Vlasova, warned on social media back in May that the company was considering closing. According to her, over the past year, consumers have become less likely to buy clothes, the average receipt has decreased, and attracting new customers has become more difficult due to restrictions in the work of a number of social networks.
Viva la Vika jewelry brand has chosen a similar strategy. In the spring, its founder Victoria Moldavskaya reported that four branded stores were under threat of closure, and a 30% discount was introduced not to stimulate the sale of goods or the sale of old collections, but as a necessary measure to support the business.
The Feelz clothing brand has applied an even more aggressive pricing policy. In April, he announced the suspension of work and the sale of the remaining collections with discounts of up to 90%. Nikita Serebrov, the founder of the brand, explained this by a sharp drop in sales, primarily in the offline channel, as well as an increase in marketplace commissions, logistics costs and storage of goods. After the sale is completed, the company intends to review its business model, he said.
According to CMWP, the sales were primarily the result of a decrease in consumer demand due to the strengthening of the savings model of customer behavior, as well as changes in the VAT rate. According to analysts, as a result, many brands found themselves in a difficult financial situation and approached the risk of closure. To stimulate sales and accelerate the turnover of goods, they started launching large promotions.
How discounts can help fix the retail situation
Discounts remain one of the ways to attract customers to stores and increase related sales, said Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of Infoline Analytics. However, according to him, for many companies, sales have become a tool for quickly raising funds. The debt burden of fashion retailers continues to grow, both due to bank loans and delays in payments to suppliers. Due to a shortage of working capital, companies are reducing purchases of new collections, which leads to a decrease in the diversity of the assortment.
According to the Fashion Consulting Group (FCG), the market is facing overheating due to an increase in the number of players who have replaced the departed foreign brands: Russian chains and new companies opened more than 500 stores in 2022-2023. At the same time, dozens of new brands entered the market, and supply began to grow faster than demand. By 2025, this imbalance led to the opposite process - the elimination of unprofitable outlets and the optimization of retail chains.
Closing inefficient stores allows not only to reduce costs, but also to speed up the sale of accumulated inventory, Mikhail Burmistrov added. The pace of closing outlets is already exceeding the pace of opening new ones, and large-scale discounts allow companies to temporarily maintain liquidity and free up warehouses before the start of the new season, One Story partner Olga Sumishevskaya agrees.
However, such a strategy carries long-term risks, the expert draws attention to. According to her, customers quickly get used to buying clothes only for promotions, which reduces the ability to sell collections at full price and puts pressure on business margins.
Mikhail Burmistrov called currency expectations another factor. According to him, many market participants assume a weakening of the ruble in the coming months. In these circumstances, companies prefer to sell goods now, albeit at a discount, in order to receive funds and reduce the risks associated with purchasing new collections at a higher rate, he explained. In addition, storage costs make slow-selling goods a source of additional losses. Therefore, it is often more profitable for companies to sell such leftovers at a significant discount than to continue paying for warehouse maintenance, the expert added.
Olga Sumishevskaya believes that the number of brands forced to resort to such measures may increase in the coming months. However, according to her, the market will not be able to use deep discounts: in the long run, they only worsen the financial situation of retailers and do not eliminate the problem of low demand. According to analysts at the Check Index of the OFD Platform, in January–June, the number of purchases of clothing and shoes decreased by 10% year-on-year, while the median cost of a check increased by 7%, to 3,129 rubles.
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