November 27-28 for the first time on the Online Retail Russia 2014 forum! A detailed case study of the merger of three online stores E96, Sotmarket, Utinet.ru!
Event endedIn person! Dmitry Dosko , CEO of the merged company, Vsevolod Strakh , Founder of Sotmarket, Boris Lepinskikh , Director of E96, and Mikhail Ukolov , Founder of Yutinet.ru, will discuss the merger process, the synergies in detail, the future of marketing, logistics, and operations, how the competitiveness of the new company , valued at 2 billion rubles, has increased, and how it plans to overtake OZON.ru in revenue.
As a reminder, news of the merger first surfaced in 2013. Since then, the market has closely followed the progress of the unique deal, periodically expressing skepticism about its positive outcome, fueled by the lengthy consolidation process. And finally, on July 11, 2014, the merger was completed. However, what seemed like a unique story just a year ago appears to be becoming a global trend. Every second CEO of the 500 stores we surveyed predicts M&A as a general trend in the near future. "...Right now, a global redistribution and market takeover is underway...", "....There will be 5-6 major players left in the market, others will be acquired or sold..." "...everyone else will have to live by the rules of the 'monsters,' but what will these rules be?" - our interviewees, owners of large and medium-sized businesses, comment. So what will the business landscape look like in the near future?
All details and details can be found at the Online Retail Russia 2014 forum, November 27 and 28, in Skolkovo.
Participate:
Ksenia Kamenskaya, Head of PR and External Relations, BBCG
Kamenskaya@b2bcg.ru, +7(495) 785-22-06
www.b2bcg.ru
Add to bookmarks:
Four leading design vectors in footwear for the autumn-winter 2026/27 season
For each season, the Future Snoops trend bureau (formerly Fashion Snoops) creates a forecast reflecting design trends for various fashion products. For footwear, the forecast takes into account innovations in materials, new products from specialized exhibitions, runway shows, and, of course, category specifics, and is created with overall cross-market forecasts for the season in mind. The trends described in this article will impact the women's and men's footwear markets in the fall-winter 2026/27 season and will help you update your classic assortment and emphasize new products in your communications that reflect global fashion trends.
How can a retail shoe store make money with the transition to VAT?
So, changes to tax legislation have become a reality today. The VAT rate has increased from 20% to 22%. Effective 2026, the government has lowered the income limit for operating under the simplified tax system (STS) and patents. As a reminder, the income limit for the STS excluding VAT has been reduced from 60 million to 20 million rubles. Many footwear businesses that previously operated under the simplified tax system will transition to the new system this year, becoming VAT payers. Owners are faced with the question of how and where to cover additional costs. SR expert Evgeny Danchev, who specializes in increasing shoe retail sales, examines this challenging situation and offers recommendations on how to avoid losing profits. Given declining customer traffic in retail stores, rising taxes, and overall costs, the most effective way for a retail company to increase margins is to increase the trade markup, the expert believes.
Collaborations as a growth tool for small footwear brands
Today, fashion brands have few accessible promotional tools left: aside from direct advertising, the costs of which have increased exponentially, the most feasible options are collaborations with influencers and influencer marketing. SR retail management, marketing, and PR expert Ekaterina Zheleznyakova suggests focusing this article on collaborations that are entirely feasible for small local brands and retailers, especially within their hometown or region.
What's really going on with retail managers?
The fashion labor market has its own unique characteristics. Industry experience has always been valued, and it continues to be a strength for candidates today. Over the past few years, companies have been actively seeking people from major brands for senior positions. However, in practice, managers with such backgrounds haven't always lived up to expectations. Employers' expectations for job seekers have changed. Career expert Natalia Bolmazova, with experience in recruitment and HR, discusses what's expected of candidates for leadership positions at fashion companies, what requirements are placed on managers, and what's expected of them. 
Shoes Style and its Discoveries. An Interview with Anton Bazylev, Prize Winner of the International Shoe Design Competition
The international shoe design competition Shoes Style, held in Moscow this year, showcased many interesting footwear and accessory collections. Shoes Report recently published a story about the winners—third-year students from Kosygin Russian State University, Margarita Skvaznikova and Egor Lysov, who presented their "Retrospective" shoe collection at Shoes Style.
KV+ will present versatile sneakers for both sports and urban wear at Euro Shoes.
The Swiss brand KV+ is not so well known to the general Russian audience, but it is well known in the world of skiing, because it was there that KV+ took its first steps and actively developed. The Swiss brand has earned the trust of the professional sports audience over the past 35 years. At the same time, the Russian sports market of ski equipment has always been a priority for the Swiss.
ICEBUG at Euro Shoes: Swedish Innovation in Grip Technology
ICEBUG is a Swedish company steeped in innovation and creativity. Our rapid growth is a result of our expertise in grip and technology. Since its inception, ICEBUG has been creating footwear with superior grip and is always striving to improve grip even further.
Rieker and Remonte are regular exhibitors at Euro Shoes: meet your favorite brands at the exhibition from August 25 to 28 at the Central Trade Fair Center.
Riker and Remonte will present their Spring/Summer 2027 collections at the Euro Shoes exhibition (August 25–28, WTC Congress Centre).
New brands at Euro Shoes in August!
At the end of the month, from August 25th to 28th, the international footwear and accessories exhibition Euro Shoes Premiere Collection will take place in Moscow at the WTC Congress Center on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment. We'd like to introduce you to the new exhibitors at Euro Shoes, who will be presenting their collections of footwear, accessories, shoe care products, and leather goods.
10 sneaker models at the Euro Shoes exhibition
Despite fashion experts' predictions of the end of the "sneaker era," the trend toward a more classic, sporty style hasn't led to sneakers disappearing from the wardrobe. Sneakers remain the most sought-after footwear and are featured in the collections of every major footwear brand.
Into the new season with Euro Shoes: news from the August exhibition and participant reviews
The international footwear and accessories exhibition Euro Shoes took place in Moscow from August 25 to 28. Shoe, bag, and accessory brands from Russia, Europe, and Asia presented their Spring/Summer 2027 collections.
What factors influence pricing, and how to work with retail prices for shoes
Footwear retail is one of those segments that is highly dependent on seasonality. Pricing in the footwear business, in turn, depends on a multitude of factors, from production costs to the vagaries of weather and regional factors.SR's expert in product assortment and management, Emina Ponyatova, discusses the key principles of pricing footwear products, as well as the main pressure factors and challenges facing footwear retailers in 2025, and offers recommendations on how to ensure successful and profitable retail.
Euro Shoes — March 4-7, 2026 at the WTC Congress Center
From March 4th to 7th, leading brands from Europe, Asia, and the CIS will gather at the WTC Congress Center in Moscow to present their Fall/Winter 2026 collections, capture current trends, and set the direction for the fashion industry.
Three fashionable colors for accessories and shoes for the fall-winter 2025/26 season
Each season, trend bureau Future Snoops (formerly Fashion Snoops) identifies key colors for different product groups. For shoes, bags, and accessories, the forecast takes into account the specifics of the categories and is based on general cross-market color forecasts for the season. The three colors described in the article below will influence the accessories market in the fall/winter 25/26 season, helping you promote trendy new items and update classic styles. These shades have beautiful and delicious names: "Ice Star," "Honey Glaze," and "Cherry Jam."
Offline vs. Marketplaces: How to Survive and Win in 2026?
In Russia, e-commerce's share has grown from 5% in 2019 to nearly 23% in 2024 and continues to grow, with e-commerce market analysts predicting it will reach over 30% by 2029. Offline retail, meanwhile, can not only survive but also grow by 20-30% annually if it stops offering clothes on hangers and shoes on shelves and starts selling unique experiences. We discuss this topic with Shoes Report regular contributor Elena Vinogradova, an expert in fashion buying and sales and the author of the Fashion Business Blog, a blog for retailers and buyers.
Customer profiling in a shoe store. What is this technique and how can it be used in sales?
Profiling is a scientific method of "reading people," allowing one to create a psychological profile of a person and predict their actions or behavior in certain situations, or even catch them in a lie. Profiling is used in sales because the salesperson needs to understand a person's emotional state and their underlying motivations for purchasing. An expert and practitioner in sales growth in fashion, SR, discusses this method and its practical application in footwear retail.
The main colors of women's shoes for the fall-winter 2026/27 season
Fashion continues to embrace the language of emotion. The upcoming Fall/Winter 2026/27 season promises to be emotional and slightly reflective. Vibrancy gives way to depth, and ostentatious luxury is replaced by enveloping warmth. Five key shades of women's footwear reflect precisely these sentiments: trust in naturalness, attention to texture, and a desire to find beauty in nuances. Let's turn to the professional forecast of seasonal, cutting-edge colors from the international trend bureau Future Snoops. The selection of the Fall/Winter 2026/27 palette from Future Snoops presented in this article is an emotional map of the coming season, speaking of trust and fragile honesty, balance, inner strength, and warmth that requires no occasion. These five shades transform the seasonal footwear styles into a unique color language that can help the brand and its customers express themselves and their emotions.
Spring/Summer 2026: Five Trends for Athletic Shoes
In a highly competitive environment, especially in the dynamic digital environment, fashion trends are changing rapidly. We're highlighting five trends from international trend bureau Future Snoops that address local market demands.
Where can you find reliable shoe manufacturing in Russia today?
The market is changing, but the key question for buyers and brands remains: where can you find real Russian manufacturing that you can work with directly—without complicated processes, surprises, and wasted time? On February 12, 2026, this question will be answered not with presentations, but with practice: the Izmailovo Hotel, Beta Building, will host the 2nd All-Russian Technology Industry Conference "Footwear Manufacturing in Russia"—a meeting of footwear manufacturers and those who order, sell, and develop their brands.
Tamaris SS26 Collection
In its Spring-Summer 2026 collection, Tamaris combines tradition, innovation, and the latest fashion trends.
Store Manager: Strategic Asset or Redundant Position?
Owners of small shoe stores often juggle multiple roles: negotiating with suppliers, managing inventory, handling marketing, and even personally participating in sales. In such an environment, it's difficult to focus on strategic development and operational management. This is where a store manager comes in – a key employee who oversees daily processes and ensures stable business growth. However, many owners believe they can handle this on their own. SR fashion business management and development expert Maria Gerasimenko explains why a store manager is essential and why you can't do without one if you want to grow and scale your business.
Shoe educational program: what shoe soles are made of
“What is the difference between TEP and EVA? What does tunit promise me? Is PVC glue? What is the sole of these shoes made of? ”- the modern buyer wants to know everything. In order not to smash his face in front of him and be able to explain whether such a sole suits him in soles, carefully read this article. In it, process engineer Igor Okorokov tells what materials the soles of shoes are made of and what makes each of them so good.
How to set prices that will earn
Some businessmen still confuse the concept of margin with the concept of trade margins and set prices for their goods, guided solely by the example of competitors. No wonder they go broke! Analyst at the Academy of Retail Technologies Maxim Gorshkov gives several tips and formulas with which you can set not only ruinous, but also profitable prices.
Sales of shoes and accessories: effective techniques for business rhetoric
Which speech modules are effective in communicating with potential and current customers of shoe stores, and which are not, Anna Bocharova, a business consultant, knows.
We form the salary of sellers: expert advice
“How do you charge your consultants for personal or general sales?” Is one of the most popular questions causing a lot of controversy and gossip on the online forums of retail business owners. Indeed, how to properly form the earnings of sellers? But what about bonuses, where to get a sales plan from, do employees allow them to buy goods at discounted stores? In search of truth, the Shoes Report turned to a dozen shoe retailers, but no company wanted to disclose its motivation system - the process of its development was too complicated and individual. Then we asked four business consultants, and finally became convinced that the topic of seller motivation is very complex, because even our experts could not come to a common opinion.
The whole truth about Bayer. Who is he and how to become one?
Bayer is no longer a new, but still a popular and sought-after profession. It’s fashionable to be a buyer. Buyers are at the origins of the emergence and development of trends. If the designer offers his vision of fashion in the season, then the buyer selects the most interesting commercial ideas. It is on buyers that the policy of sales of stores and what, in the end, the buyer will wear depends on. This profession is surrounded by a magical fleur, often associated with a lack of understanding of what exactly is the work of a buyer.
Technology Selling Issues
There is nothing worse than meeting the buyer with the words “Hello, can I help you with something?”, Because the seller works in the store just to help. Criticizing this well-established pattern of communication with the buyer, Andrei Chirkarev, business coach for effective sales and the founder of the New Economy project, shares the technology of truly selling issues with readers of Shoes Report.
Fur, and not only: types of lining
In the production of winter footwear, various materials are used that are designed to retain heat and meet the requirements of consumers: natural sheepleather, artificial fur, artificial fur from natural wool and others. All types of lining fur have their own advantages and disadvantages. Let's consider the properties of each of them.
The best models of Czech shoes of the past
In Soviet times, for shoes from Czechoslovakia sold under the Cebo brand, customers stood in line for four hours and did not regret it, because Czech shoes were considered to be of high quality, comfortable and fashionable. Shoe designer Juraj Shushka shared a photo archive of his collection with Shoes Report magazine, which contains the most interesting Cebo models from the 1940's to the 1980's.
Retail Arithmetic
Before you begin to solve specific problems, you need to find out how accurately all the leaders of your company understand the basic terminology of retail.
How to fire a worker without tears, scandal and trial
Sooner or later, any manager is faced with the need to part with an employee. Correctly and on time the dismissal procedure will save the company money, and the boss himself - nerves and time. But why sometimes, knowing that a break in relations is inevitable, we postpone the decision for months?
