Kiosks and tents: how retail is changing in the Nizhny Novgorod region

      As of the end of 2025, there were over 16,300 retail trade facilities operating in the Nizhny Novgorod region, including stores, pavilions, kiosks, and pharmacies. According to Nizhny Novgorod Statistics, the number of stores and pharmacy organizations in the region has increased over the past five years, while the number of non-stationary points—tents, kiosks, and some pavilions—has decreased.

      By the end of 2025, the retail network in the region included 16,329 stores, 3,066 non-stationary trading facilities, and 1,931 pharmacy organizations. During this period, the number of pharmacies increased by almost 19%, which experts attribute to the expansion of the network format and the growing demand for medicines and health products. Conversely, the number of tents and kiosks decreased by a third, and pavilions by about 15%, reflecting a shift away from small temporary points in favor of larger and more stable trading formats.

      In the same period, the number of stores in the Nizhny Novgorod region grew by 4.4%, but the total area of retail trade facilities decreased by 2.6%, amounting to about 3.1 million square meters by the end of 2025. This indicates a trend towards more compact formats—minimarkets and convenience stores, which are replacing some of the larger spaces. According to regional statistics, universal and specialized non-food stores account for 46.8% of the total number of stores, minimarkets for 28.4%, and universal and specialized food stores for 15.7%.

      The share of supermarkets and hypermarkets in the trade structure remains modest—8.8% and 0.3% respectively; however, the number of supermarkets has noticeably increased over the past five years, rising by almost 50%. In contrast, the number of hypermarkets has decreased by more than half, which aligns with the nationwide trend of moving away from excessively large formats in favor of more flexible urban stores.

      The region continues to show a pronounced concentration of trade in cities and urban-type settlements. By the end of 2025, 89.4% of all pavilions, 85.9% of pharmacy organizations, 81.4% of tents and kiosks, and 81.3% of stores were located in urban areas. Universal and specialized non-food stores dominate in cities, accounting for more than half (52.2%) of all urban stores, while minimarkets bear the main load in rural areas, with their share reaching 60.7%.

      In addition to stationary trade, markets and fairs continue to develop in the Nizhny Novgorod region. By the end of 2025, there were 6 retail markets (3 universal and 3 specialized) operating in the region with 1,734 trading places. Throughout the year, 526 fairs were held, providing 27,247 trading places for entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals; the most popular formats were universal fairs and weekend fairs, which accounted for 29.1% and 37.8% of all events, respectively.