Consumer exodus: Major Russian grocers see traffic slump
Major Russian food retailers faced a contraction in consumer footfall during the first quarter of 2026, marking the first such decline in six years. Reports from RBC and The Moscow Times, citing Infoline estimates, indicate a significant shift in consumer behavior.
Traffic erosion across key players
Market leader X5 Group, which operates the Piatiorocika and Perekrestok chains, reported a 1.7% drop in customer traffic. Fix Price saw a steeper decline of 5.8%. Meanwhile, Lenta managed to keep its numbers flat at +0.1%, a result attributed to aggressive discounting strategies across its 3,000 stores.
Premium segment under pressure
The sharpest declines were recorded by premium retailers Vkusvill and Azbuka Vkusa. This trend follows a broader slowdown in retail growth, which plummeted from 7.2% to 2.6% last year, according to Rosstat data.
Macroeconomic drivers
By early 2026, the situation intensified as comparable store visit frequency turned negative across all offline formats. Experts from Euler note that falling disposable incomes are forcing consumers to shop less frequently and scrutinize their purchasing patterns more closely.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
