All articles by Vlad Vorotnikov
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ArticleBaltic sporting goods market holding its breath as Decathlon increases its presence in 2025
However, the French giant’s regional investments may also be good news for local retailers.
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ArticleRussia hammers out new import-replacement plan for the sporting goods market
The Russian government has released an updated sporting industry development program through 2035, declaring import replacement as a key target for the domestic market in the coming years.
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ArticleHigh cost of borrowed funds hurts Russian sporting goods industry
The Russian Central Bank having jacking up the key interest rate on loans to a historic high, Russian sporting goods manufacturers and retailers may be forced to revise their development plans in 2025.
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ArticleRussian sporting goods market is flooded with fakes
The share of counterfeit fake products on the Russian market has expanded since 2022. This is SGI Europes staff member Vlad Vorotnikov reporting.
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ArticleRussian sporting goods market growth slows down
In 2024, the sporting goods market is largely driven by growth in sales in the SUP board segment, where the demand spiked by 176 percent during the first seven months of the year, Check Index estimated.
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ArticleYoung Russian sporting goods brands struggle to take off
Young Russian sporting goods brands face challenges, one being a lack of high-quality raw materials, especially fabrics.
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News briefsRussian beauty brands start selling sporting goods
The Russian beauty brand Mixit has announced plans to launch a sports brand called Made.
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ArticleWildberries finalizes a high-profile merger
Russia’s biggest online retailer, Wildberries, has merged with outdoor advertising firm Russ Group to form a new retail platform.
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News briefsLenta reports a 61% rise in sporting goods sales in 2024
Russia’s hypermarket chain sees a surge in sporting goods sales.
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ArticleOlympic hype drives growth in Chinese sporting goods
The 2024 Paris Olympics boost Chinese sporting goods market, with sales surging in key categories like shuttlecocks, swimsuits and outdoor gear.
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ArticleLamoda Sport pauses chain expansion amid growth
The Russian sporting goods chain temporarily halts expansion after launching 100 stores in Russia, with plans to reach 300 locations and maintain authenticity in its products.
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ArticleDesport returns Decathlon goods to Russian store shelves
The Russian company has reintroduced Decathlon products after rebuilding supply chains, maintaining competitive pricing and expanding its own brands.
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ArticleSanctions hamper Chinese sporting goods export to Russia
Sporting goods wholesalers in Russia started experiencing difficulties in making payments for Chinese goods, which takes a toll on the trade flows. The issue is not pressing yet, as the industry accumulated large stocks of goods in the key categories. Russia’s trade with China dropped by 9.9 percent in the ...
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ArticleRussian sporting goods industry hit by labor shortage
According to market players, Russian sporting goods retail is hit by a persistent labor shortage. Sportmaster, the largest Russian sporting goods retailer, “undoubtedly experiences a lack of workers,” Valentina Vatrak, Head of Sportmaster’s HR department, has told a local news outlet, Retail. Although she claimed the company is staffed 100 ...
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ArticleRussian sporting goods retail benefits from a surge of health-related costs
A study by VTB, Russia’s second-largest state-owned bank, showed that in the first quarter of 2024, Russians spent Rub 42 billion (€438 million) on health and sports-related costs, 21 percent up from the previous year. The sporting goods industry is reaping the benefits of improving health consciousness among the Russian ...
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ArticleRussian sporting goods market experiences surge in cross-border e-commerce
During the past year, the Russian sporting goods market saw a 16 percent rise in cross-border e-commerce, as customers are increasingly placing orders at foreign marketplaces, CDEK.Shopping, a Russian logistics company estimated. The company revealed that Russians purchase food additives and sporting goods in massive quantities to improve their performance ...
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ArticleDesport leases former Decathlon retail spaces in Russia
Desport, a chain comprised of former Decathlon stores in Russia, has started leasing some of its stores to fitness centers, sports schools and retailers that sell related products. The retailer offers between 100 and 500 sqm of sales floor in 30 stores in major Russian cities. The average space of ...
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ArticleSprandi poised for comeback in Russia
Sprandi, a once iconic brand in the Russian market, can reportedly resume sales in the country after almost two decades of absence. At the end of 2023, a local wholesale supplier, A Sport, obtained several certificates of conformity from a Russian technical regulator, allowing it to sell sporting shoes under ...
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ArticleRussia’s Sportmaster posts a 2023 revenue hike
Russian sporting goods behemoth Sportmaster solidified its position as the country’s largest fashion retailer in 2023, thanks to a 14 percent hike in revenue to 160 billion rubles last year. Sportmaster generated nearly 70 percent more revenue than Kari and twice as much as Gloria Jeans; the companies ranked second ...
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ArticleLamoda Sport and DeSport gear up development strategies
Over the last few years, new sporting goods chains such as Lamoda Sport and DeSport have emerged in Russia, replacing Western suppliers and constantly opening new doors. Lamoda Sport, an offline subsidiary of a prominent Russian marketplace Lamoda, has recently launched a new store in Rostov, a big city in ...
