Auchan also remains in Russia. Commenting on this decision, the head of the Union of French Entrepreneurs Medef, Geoffroy Roux de Beziers, said that in general, about 160,000 people work in French companies in Russia. “They have to eat, get paid. Our responsibility as an employer is to pay salaries, which is now very difficult due to the introduction of sanctions under the SWIFT system. Our responsibility as an employer is to support our employees,” said Roux de Béziers.
At the same time, there were rumors that Auchan would leave the Russian market, but representatives of the retailer denied them. “We are surprised by the appearance of such rumors in the market. There is no reason to trust them: our stores continue to work as usual,” the Auchan press service said.
There were also reports that the German retailer Globus was leaving the Russian market. But they were also refuted. “The information that the Globus hypermarket chain is leaving is a fake. We are operating as usual, all 19 Globus hypermarkets in Russia continue to operate,” the company’s press service said.
Representatives of another German hypermarket chain, Metro, assured SCRussia that they would continue to operate in Russia. “We do not plan to close our shopping centers. All METRO stores are open as usual. We have provided the necessary stock of goods and are debugging supply chains. Shipments to companies in the restaurant and hotel business continue as before, in accordance with existing agreements. Now our main job and responsibility is to ensure that there are enough goods on the shelves, supplies are stable, and prices are reasonable,” the Metro press service said.
Many fashion brands have remained on the Russian market and are even planning their development.
On March 10, 2022, the international German brand New Yorker opened a new shop in VEGAS shopping center Crocus City. 1450 sq. m. located on the second floor of the shopping and entertainment complex and became one of the anchors in the segment of affordable fashion brands. The appearance of the New Yorker brand in the VEGAS Crocus City stores is one of the the most anticipated openings of the first quarter of 2022 after the successful launch of the brand in VEGAS Kashirskoye and the planned opening in VEGAS Kuntsevo, which is scheduled before the end of the year. The wide range of the brand organically complements the product offer in the category of fashionable casual wear at affordable prices for the target group of buyers aged 12 to 49 years.