Russians For The First Time In Six Years Began To Go To Stores For Food Less Often

In early 2026, the situation worsened.

Russia's largest food retailers in the first quarter of 2026 for the first time in 6 years faced a drop in traffic, according to RBC, citing company reports and Infoline estimates.

X5, which operates Pyaterochka and Perekrestok stores, saw its traffic drop by 1.7%, while Fix Price's traffic fell by 5.8%. Lenta, which operates a network of 3,000 stores, barely kept traffic near zero (+0.1%) due to aggressive promotions, and the most noticeable outflow of customers was experienced by premium chains Vkusvill and Azbuka Vkusa, RBC notes.

"The first bells" for retail chains rang last year, when consumers began to go into austerity mode, and the growth of retail turnover slowed threefold - from 7.2% to 2.6%, according to Rosstat.

In early 2026, the situation worsened. The attendance of comparable stores turned negative in all offline retail formats, says Eiler senior analyst Nikolai Kovalev. People's incomes are declining, they have started to go to stores less often and are more attentive to the contents of their baskets, the expert explains.

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