History
2024: Entering the Russian market
On March 7, 2024, it became known that the Chinese brand of children's clothing Balabala entered the Russian market, the assortment of which includes clothes, shoes, underwear and accessories. The brand is owned by Semir Group - a leading Chinese multi-brand clothing company.
According to the Vedomosti newspaper, the first Balabala store in Russia opens in the Gallery shopping center in St. Petersburg. In the future, brand points will appear in the Moscow shopping centers "Metropolis," Afimoll, "Salaris," "Oceania" and "Aviapark." According to experts, Balabala will compete with monobrand networks in the Russian market. The Chinese company offers products for children of various ages - from babies to adolescents.
Vyacheslav Shikulov, partner of the Samsonite, Guess and Boggi brands, whose structure will be developed by Balabala and another Chinese clothing brand - youth Semir, pointed to the prospects of the children's clothing niche in Russia. According to him, the Balabala brand is chosen because it is the largest clothing brand in Asia, and not only in China.
We believe that the niche of children's clothing is now promising, and we want to try to develop Chinese brands on the Russian market, "says Shikulov. |
Marina Malakhatko, Senior Director of CORE.XP, said that in the future the Balabala network in Russia could expand to 100-120 points. The size of each such store can vary from 100 to 120 square meters. Malakhatko estimates the volume of investments in the opening of one salon at 40-60 million rubles. In turn, Semir stores on average cover an area of about 300 square meters. Analysts believe that Balabala will operate in the Russian market in the middle price segment or slightly above average, along with Mothercare and Petit Bateau.[1]