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At least 10 Turkish retailers have exited or decided to exit Russia since 2022, while six Turkish brands are currently among 47 domestic and international retailers reviewing their presence in the market in 2026, according to reports.
The retreat follows a post-2022 expansion by some Turkish brands that moved into Russia to fill the gap left by Western retailers. When the war began, 32 Turkish brands operated 655 stores in the country, but their presence has since declined.
Among these are Turkish home, lifestyle and fashion brands such as Madame Coco, Chakra, NetWork, OXXO, Beymen Club, Karaca Home and Les Benjamins, which have exited or decided to leave the Russian market in 2026.
Mudo, another Turkish lifestyle retailer, completed its exit in 2025, while women's fashion brands Ipekyol and Twist closed their stores in 2023 after about a year of operations.
The pullback reflects mounting pressure from higher operating expenses and taxes, weaker consumer demand, declining shopping mall traffic, high rents and financing costs, and growing competition from online marketplaces and lower-priced Chinese products, business-focused ekonomim.com reported.
The impact is sharper among brands that entered or expanded in Russia after 2022, while longer-established retailers such as LC Waikiki, Koton and Colin's continue to operate with stronger brand recognition and established customer bases.
The retreat by Turkish retailers comes as Russia's wider retail market undergoes a broader shake-up, with 47 domestic and international brands reviewing their presence in the country in the first seven months of 2026, according to NF Group, a Russian commercial real estate consultancy, as cited by RIA Novosti.
Of those retailers, 21 are reducing their store networks, 17 are leaving the market and nine remain uncertain about their future. Overall, 45% are optimizing their store numbers, 36% are closing all stores and 19% are suspending expansion.
Russian retailers account for 36 of the 47 brands reviewing their strategies, or 77%, while Turkish companies make up 13%, or six brands. Finnish companies account for 4%, while Italian, Korean and Kazakh retailers each represent 2%.
Clothing and footwear brands face the biggest pressure, accounting for 60% of retailers experiencing difficulties, as consumers shift toward more rational spending. Traffic at fashion retailers' physical stores fell 5% in the first 22 weeks of 2026 from the same period a year earlier.
The wider pressure is also visible in shopping malls, where vacancy in Moscow rose to 6.4% in the first half of 2026 from 5.5% a year earlier and could reach 8% by the end of the year.
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