Retailers, traditionally selling Apple electronics in Russia, began to “optimize” the work of stores, closing outlets not only in Moscow and St. Petersburg, but also in other major cities of the country. According to some reports, such actions are explained both by low demand for the corresponding gadgets and their shortage.

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According to Kommersant , in the re: Store retail chain, which is part of the Inventive Retail Group (IRG), eight outlets selling Apple electronics in Moscow are temporarily closed, four more in St. and other cities (a total of 87 stores in the chain). According to the publication, IRG suspended the work of stores for three months to rebuild logistics, and only locations where it was not possible to agree on rental holidays or discounts with landlords are finally closed. According to unconfirmed reports, the company will try to organize a parallel import of electronics.

The iPort chain, which at one time made a bet on Apple electronics, also began to close stores. Four outlets in St. Petersburg reportedly closed, for a total of 28 stores in Russia.

According to Kommersant’s industry sources, the reasons for the closure of stores were a decrease in demand for Apple products with a parallel increase in the shortage of relevant goods – in any case, it is impossible to trade in the same volumes. Earlier it was reported that only in April the smartphone market decreased by 30% compared to the same month last year, and Apple products did not even enter the top three. Despite the suspension of activities in the country, Samsung still occupied the first place in Russia, Xiaomi got the second, and Realme, owned by the Chinese BBK, rose to the third.

Apple announced restrictions under anti-Russian sanctions on March 1 – the company’s official online store stopped working in Russia, and restrictions on the App Store software online marketplace made Apple smartphones half useless. Against this background, the re:Store network also ceased operations in the country, but a couple of days after assessing the current situation, it resumed operations.

Since the beginning of this month, Russia has officially allowed the import of goods without the consent of the vendor. In particular, the unhindered import of Apple products into the country is also allowed. According to reports, in mid-May, industry associations were empowered to issue permits.