Daher Group which owns the Lebanese clothing brand Maag has opened its outlet at the former flagship store site of Zara in Moscow. Zara, the Spanish brand vacated the site after closing its operations in Russia.
Zara and many other brands owned by Inditex (the owner of Zara), sold their shop sites to a Russian business after withdrawing from the country. More than a year after the closing of one of the flagship Zara stores in central Moscow a new brand Maag opened its outlet at the same site. It is owned by a Lebanese retail and real estate conglomerate Daher Group. Maag is set to open 60 more stores across Russia in the coming days.
The Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade has earlier said that the stores of the Inditex group, the owner of Zara, Bershka, Pull&Bear, Massimo Dutti, and other retail chains, would open under new names – Maag, Dub, Ecru, and Vilet.
More than 502 fashion retail shops in Russia were closed shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the military operation in Ukraine at the end of February. Online sales were also stopped. Inditex halted its business in Russia in March 2022.
Inditex however, succeeded in selling its Russian business to Daher Group marking the end of its business in Russia. The retailer however said it would consider returning through a franchise collaboration with Daher if market circumstances changed.
Zara’s flagship Moscow store reborn as Maag
