Russians who want the return of foreign brands are most looking forward to IKEA, McDonald's, H&M and Zara, Maxim Protasov, head of the non-profit organization Russian Quality System, said in an interview with TASS on the sidelines of the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.

"There is a group of consumers who do not want the return of foreign brands at all. At the same time, the majority say that their return is only possible under conditions that are beneficial for the country. When it comes to specific brands, Russians are most looking forward to the return of IKEA, McDonald's, H&M and Zara," uvedl Protasov.

According to the organization's Consumer Behavior Research Center, 70 % to 93 % Russians choose domestically produced food, while these figures are lower for other categories of goods, he added.

According to estimates and reports from various sources, such as analyses by the Yale School of Management and other economic surveys, approximately 1,000 foreign companies have left Russia since February 2022, either completely or partially suspending their activities.

The main reasons include international sanctions, political pressure, logistical difficulties and ethical decisions made by companies in response to the geopolitical situation, especially after the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine. These sanctions include restrictions on payment systems (e.g. Visa and Mastercard), bans on imports of certain technologies and goods, and other economic measures that have made it more difficult to do business in Russia.

For example, IKEA suspended its operations in Russia in March 2022 due to "ethical and value reasons" and logistical issues, which included closing all of its 17 stores and stopping production in local factories. Similarly, McDonald's, which had over 850 restaurants in Russia, announced its withdrawal from the market in May 2022 and sold its outlets to a local entrepreneur who renamed them "Vkusno i točka".

H&M and Zara (owned by Inditex) have also left Russia, with H&M closing its 170 stores and Zara closing approximately 80 stores, severely limiting Russians' access to affordable clothing.

This massive outflow of companies has had an impact on the Russian market, causing shortages of some products and increasing demand for domestic alternatives. This explains the high preference for domestic food (70-93 %) mentioned by Protasov, as the food sector has been less affected by sanctions and Russia is relatively self-sufficient in this area.

Conversely, non-food categories such as clothing, footwear or furniture lack strong domestic brands comparable to foreign brands, which increases nostalgia for brands such as IKEA or Zara.

TASS/gnews.cz - GH