Maag, a substitute for Zara in Russia, opens its doors

The maag clothing chain, which replaces Spain’s Zara (Inditex), which sold its business in Russia to the Daher group due to the Russian military campaign in Ukraine, inaugurated its new store in Moscow on Wednesday. “We really missed this kind of store in Russia. It was about time,” Oleg, a thirty-year-old man who came to the bar to buy a short-sleeved T-shirt, told the Efe news agency.

Many customers crowded the Maag store throughout the day, from young people eager to try on new fashionable clothes for the upcoming May festivities, to adults and even children. “It is very important that this clothing line is back, even if it is under a different name. The collection looks very similar. I always dressed in Zara and Mango,” said Oleg, who is also glad that the prices have not changed much. In the meantime, Maša believes that the store is very similar to its predecessor, although with one major flaw, the assortment is obviously smaller for now.

Yulia also lacks the “imagination” and “creativity” that characterizes Zara, although she could not hide her joy at the appearance of jeans. “What pleases me the most are the prices. I hope that the other stores will also take it into account, because with the departure of Zara, the prices have increased a lot,” he said.

Denís noted a small increase in prices in line with the devaluation of the national currency, the ruble, against the dollar and the euro. “The collection is much less diverse, but it is important that an alternative has finally appeared,” he said.

Dozens of stores across Russia

He commerce opened its doors in a popular Moscow shopping district full of pedestrian streets (Kuznetsky Bridge) which is located not far from the Bolshoi Theater. There are four floors, two dedicated to womenswear, one for men and one for children, spread over almost 3,000 square meters in a classic building typical of 19th century Imperial Russia.

In the advertising campaign for the launch of its chain, Daher used the Russian model Masha Keidj, and also ia influential persons local woman, Alesia Káfelnikov, daughter of the famous tennis player Yevgeny Káfelnikov.

Two more stores are opening their doors this Thursday in the Aviapark and Vegas shopping centers, according to the Union of Shopping Centers. The company announced the rapid opening of more than 60 stores in capital cities – on Thursday in St. Petersburg – and shopping centers in the country.

Except for Maag, a group based in the United Arab Emirates will also launch the brands Ecru, Dub and Vilet.