Russian supermarkets with the colors of the national flag and a cartoon of the Russian bear are taking China by storm.
Photographer: Na Bian/BloombergPutin Gets a Soft Power Win From China’s Russian Grocery Craze
Stores selling Russian products have spread across China, and now Moscow is seizing on the interest with a plan for a major expansion of its own.
Two middle-aged men on a beer run are making a beeline for a bottle of Baltika No. 7, a light lager that’s long been among the most popular brews in Russia.
This isn’t Moscow, or Vladivostok. The setting is a store called Russia Quality Select in downtown Beijing, and it’s a scene playing out across the nation. Hundreds of Russian supermarkets have swept China in the past year, proving such a sensation that even President Vladimir Putin’s government is planning a rival with 300 stations.