Russia has significantly reduced its import of clothing from Turkey in the first nine months of 2024. The country has nearly halved its spending on imported clothes, which amounted to $253 million. The decline in import volumes was particularly pronounced in the purchase of upper garments and knitwear. The volume of imported men's knitted outerwear decreased by 12 times, with a total expenditure of $231,000. Likewise, women's clothing decreased fivefold, with a total expenditure of $147,700. Turkey's knitted products saw an eightfold decrease in import, with an expenditure of $7,600. Small knitted items, such as gloves and mittens, were purchased four times less, with a total expenditure of $4,800. Despite Russia only accounting for 2% of Turkey's clothing exports, it ranks 12th among the largest buyers of these goods.
It was reported that two-thirds of St. Petersburg residents admitted to impulse buying during shopping. Similar purchase volumes were observed in Kazakhstan, Denmark, and Saudi Arabia. The leading countries in clothing imports were Germany (16%), the Netherlands (12.3%), and Spain (11%). Russia's reduction in clothing imports from Turkey comes at a time when the country is actively diversifying its trade partners and seeking to boost its domestic production.
