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Nearly half of Russians have successfully found domestic substitutes for foreign products made unavailable due to sanctions, RIA Novosti reported on Wednesday, citing a poll by the NielsenIQ research company.
According to the findings,
over the past year, 47% of Russians "have completely switched to locally produced brands or began to buy products of local production more often." About a third of respondents did not change their preferences and continued to buy the same brands they used to before 2022, and 17% switched to new brands, but also of foreign production.
Respondents offered several reasons for turning to local brands. Over half of them said they did it to support domestic producers, while 20% pointed to an inability to find foreign analogues at a reasonable price. Another 10% stated that they could not find foreign goods that match the quality and characteristics they value, but see them in Russian products.
After the start of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, many major Western brands announced their withdrawal from the Russian market and the suspension of investment and imports. According to economists from Switzerland's University of St. Gallen, more than 1,400 companies have decided to quit Russia over the past year, including electronics manufacturers, retailers, automakers, clothing and food brands, hotels, banks, and restaurant chains. Yet,
despite concerns that the trend would damage the Russian economy, it spurred development in domestic industries.
Comment:
TASS confirms the number in attendance: