10 stores in Russia and many more to come

One and a half year after the opening of the newest country member in JYSK, Russia has reached 10 physical stores.

As JYSK opened the first store in Russia in June 2020, it was a country in lockdown: Face masks were mandatory, and JYSK was very limited in marketing activities.

This unfamiliar situation had almost become familiar, as JYSK on 2 December 2021 opened store number 10 in Russia. In Krasny Kit Mytishi, on the northern outskirts of Moscow, face masks were still required, and a lockdown forced restaurants and bars to close. However, this did not affect the will to celebrate the milestone. The first day was very busy.

“Mytishi was waiting for JYSK to open. There is no such store like JYSK in this small town, the customer flow did not stop until the closing and the whole team gave their best. The customers were all pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere in the store and the offers. We delivered a great customer experience,” says Alexey Tozik, Store Manager in Krasny Kit Mytishi.

20 stores are next target

For Country Manager in JYSK Russia, Igor Raić, the opening of the 10th store tells him that JYSK Russia is going in the right direction, and more new stores will follow. Contracts are signed for almost 10 more stores, and he hopes that JYSK Russia will reach 20 stores before the end of the financial year in August 2022.

“We are still learning about the market, and I cannot say that we have the winning formula yet, but we have some great results that are making us optimistic,” says Igor.

The biggest challenges in process of store openings are availability of store fixtures and getting all new store employees trained to JYSK level of efficiency. The rapid growth requires a lot from the young organisation in JYSK Russia.

“An experienced Store Manager in Russia means one year, while in other countries it is 10 years of experience. It is a big challenge getting up to speed and still increasing the knowledge. We can only continue the growth with a huge number of new hirings and trainings for Store Supporters, District Managers etc. Developing the retail organisation will be the primary focus,” says Igor.

Great progress

20 physical stores before the end of August 2022 will only be possible with a great team effort, but Igor is confident.

“We have a lot of enthusiasm in the team and without the team, the great progress would not have been possible. Both stores, DC, CSC, and office team deserve special praise for all that they are doing. It makes me happy and optimistic moving forward,” says the Country Manager.