Home Shopping in Russia (Source: http://newyorkrealestate.posterous.com/)

Whether you have only just moved to Russia or are planning to come to live, or just in the process of moving houses in Russia, you may be asking yourself where to do your home shopping. So, apart from IKEA, where else can you shop for White Goods or DIY materials in Moscow and St. Petersburg?


Grand Furniture Centre
http://grandfs.ru/
Grand Furniture Centre was opened in early 1990s and survives to this day as the leading home and office furniture retailer. This is a rather upmarket store, especially since they specialise in import. In addition to a huge variety of furniture for office, dining and living room, kitchen and bathroom, as well as kids' rooms, at Grand you may also expect to buy Italian doors, Murano glass, and a long list of home appliances.

IKEA
http://www.ikea.com/ru/ru/
Even in Russia there is an IKEA for an idea. Whichever big city you live, there is likely to be at least one store, and Moscow boasts 3! If you like the idea of DIY, or you prefer European minimalist style, or if you're just an IKEA fan in your native country, then everything is sorted out for you. The stores are usually located away from the city centre, in the outskirts, so going there by public transport is not a good idea. A consolation: a canteen with the famous meatball.

Leroy Merlin
http://www.leroymerlin.ru/
Started as a French family business, Leroy Merlin was eventually bought by Auchan Group, represented in Russia by the eponymous hypermarket. The stores are located in 11 Russian cities. Here people head to buy carpets, flooring, wallpapers, wall paint, curtains, etc. At least one store in Moscow is located in the city centre.

MediaMarkt
http://www.mediamarkt.ru/
One of German retailers who successfully entered the Russian market. Here you buy your White Goods, electricals and electronics, photo-, video- and audio equipment, as well as DVDs, CDs, BluRays, etc. This is HMV expanded by the White Goods department, to use a British analogy.

OBI
http://www.obi.ru/ru/
Another German retailer who is enjoying success in Russia. Their outlet in Varshavskoe Highway in Moscow is a vast territory of just about anything you want to buy for your house. This is B&Q and Homebase meeting together in one place. Paints of all kinds, wallpapers, wood and carton, door and window handles, kitchen and bathroom utensils, lightening, living and dining room accessories and decorations, bedding, curtains, plus a rich choice of home and garden plants – enough to keep you there for the whole day. The stores are scatted across Russia and serve the customers 24/7.

Shatura-Mebel
http://www.shatura.com/
Shatura is actually a furniture factory that also opened a shop in 1990s that continues serving customers to this day. Their speciality is wooden furniture, and stores are open in different cities across Russia and the CIS countries.

Kashirsky Dvor
http://www.kdvor.ru/
This is Russia's own much-loved DIY and hardware shopping centre. A combo of a shopping centre and a market, this will be your ultimate experience of Russian trading traditions. Visit it just for the experience, although many Russians head there for hardware, wooden parts for their city flats and country houses, plants and soil, and everything a convinced DIYer may wish to have.

Eldorado, Technosila, M-Video
http://www.eldorado.ru/, http://www.tehnosila.ru/, http://www.mvideo.ru/
These three longest-standing players of Russian consumer electronics market may end up merging to withstand the onslaught of Western chains and the Internet shopping. All three sell PCs and accessories, White Goods, mutlimedia equipment, and home appliances. The stores run regular discounts and offer in-store credits, subject to eligibility.

In addition to physically visiting these stores to buy your required items, you can also go online and choose your buys there. You can pay online and order a home delivery. The only problem may be that there is no English version of these sites, so you might have to rely on your Russian-speaking friend or partner to place the order.

Happy Home shopping!