No international brands, No problem, says Russian Shoppers

• TsUM department store, is one of the last places Russians can get hold of authentic luxury items.
• Chanel, like many others, said it was pausing its business in Russia.
• Pausing because of “increasing concerns about the current situation”.

International fashion companies from Adidas to Zara; have suspended operations in Russia as a result of Moscow’s decision; to send thousands of troops into Ukraine at the end of February; and Nike is one of the few to commit to a complete pullout from the market.

Whether we have them or not, shopper Alexandra Moskunova told Reuters at the mall in Khovrino; “I am impartial on this. “I can live without them contentedly.”

Irina Stakhanova, a different client, remarked: “I just really liked H&M and another one that I can’t recall. To improve my attitude, I simply need something; that fits well and looks decent. I don’t require anything exotic.

There aren’t many overt indications that the mood in the Russian capital; needs to improve. As the temperature exceeded 30 degrees Celsius; buskers sang and played, restaurant terraces overflowed onto the sidewalk; and Muscovites sought relief in a fountain close to the Kremlin.

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However, the closed locations of high-end Western companies; are noticeable on the capital’s busiest retail corridors.

One of the only venues where Russians may purchase genuine luxury products; from foreign firms is the TsUM department store; which is owned by Russian luxury goods group Mercury.

Chanel has an outlet within TsUM, where a few watches are on display; despite the fact that the brand’s Russian stores are closed. A staff employee, who wished to remain unnamed, claimed that those were the only timepieces remained.

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