Worldwide clothing retailer Berhska is set to return to Russia this spring under the Ecru brand, according to a report from state-owned news agency TASS citing Olga Antonona, head of retail real estate at consulting firm CMWP.
According to the Telegram channel Mash, other brands in the Inditex group will also undergo a rebranding: Pull & Bear will become DUB and Zara will become Maag.
Earlier, the Inditex group, which left Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, was bought by the Lebanese-owned company Daher Group.
Sales in Russia stopped as early as 5 March 2022 amid the war in Ukraine. However, the company noted that “if, in the future, Inditex considers that new circumstances allow the group's brands to return to the Russian market, Inditex and Daher Group could potentially collaborate on a franchise agreement.”
According to a report by Bloomberg, the Daher group is based in the UAE and is linked to Lebanese retail company Azadea, which has had a partnership with Zara in the Middle East since 1998 and works with other major global brands.
Earlier, Forbes Russia cited sources as saying that Zara, Bershka, Pull & Bear and Stradivarius will begin operating in Russia again under new names.