Mickey Mouse coming to Moscow in 2014

(Business New Europe – bne.eu – October 23, 2013) The list of foreign retailers setting out their stall in Russia will get a colourful addition next year, with US entertainment giant Walt Disney planning to open three themed stores in Moscow and St Petersburg in 2014. The merchandising arm of the film and cartoon maker is set to launch toy and garment retail networks, business daily Kommersant reported on October 23.

Walt Disney Company is looking at small-sized shop space on the order of 300-500 square meters located in the burgeoning malls in Russia’s twin capitals, according to the report. Specifically it has been checking out space in the Mega brand hypermarkets in Moscow, which are already home to IKEA as well as several French and German retailers, and the giant Galeria shopping center in St Petersburg.

The company will spend an estimated $2.7m just on the retail space, DNA Realty told the newspaper. Walt Disney has also opened a tender for a local partner to operate two retail chain formats: Disney Play and Disney Style, which sell toys and garments respectively, the paper reports. Overall, the company hopes to open 100 stores with 100-150 square meters of retail space for each branch, to cooperate with suppliers, and to pay royalties for the use of the brand name, the paper reports.

Last year Russia overtook Germany to become the largest toy market in Europe, worth an estimated RUB662bn ($21.3bn) at the end of 2012 and continues to grow in double digits. Despite all the negative press on Russia’s “demographic problem.” birth rates have been recovering on the back of steadily rising incomes.

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