The number of new foreign brands in Russia has fallen

In the first nine months of 2026, five foreign brands entered the Russian market, two of them being joint Russian-Chinese projects. RIA Novosti writes about this with reference to data from consulting companies.

The NF Group indicated that in 2025, 15 foreign brands began operating in the country, that is, if there is no breakthrough in the fourth quarter, the result of the current year will be noticeably worse.

The three completely new brands are the Austrian equipment and accessories manufacturer Zanier, the restaurant brand IYKYK from Armenia and the Chinese slot machine manufacturer Much Fun. Also in Moscow, a store of household appliances and electronics was opened, created by the Russian Red Soft and the Chinese Passion, and a point of the Russian-Chinese project “Polaris | TCL", specializing in the same field.

Five foreign retailers already present in the market opened new stores in Russia, including German clothing brands Frapp and Oliver and Italian luggage and handbag brand Eberhart.

Representative of the Association of Retail Real Estate and Retail Experts Natalia Kermedchieva explained that foreign brands need more clarity about the situation in Russia. In particular, they are interested in whether the departed Western brands will return and whether after some time they will have to compete with the conventional H&M, Inditex and Uniqlo.

Commenting on the declining number of new discoveries, the expert suggested that everyone who wanted to come to Russia had already done so in 2023-2025.