Dive Summary:

• According to analysts, Russia may soon become Europe’s largest retail shopping Mecca, surging past France and Great Britain as the country with the largest brick-and-mortar space.
•  Russian property developers have proposed adding an additional 2.87 million square meters, placing it ahead of France and the UK within two years.
• The retail expansion is a product of positive regional development, with roughly 70% of the new retail space planned for outside Moscow, the country’s largest city.

From the article:

“A few years ago, retail chains were reluctant to expand. Now, many brands are expanding regionally, including into small towns, their top priority. Leroy Merlin, Jeans Symphony and Subway are just some of the names that have already confirmed they are planning to establish a presence in cities with populations of fewer than one million people,” Kluchinskaya added.