The number of brick-and-mortar sex shops in major Russian cities has declined as business shifts online and sanctions drive up supply costs, the Kommersant business daily reported Wednesday, citing an analysis by Yandex Maps.
Russia had 1,990 adult stores in January, a 7.8% decrease from the same month last year.
At least 12 of the country’s 16 cities with populations over 1 million saw notable sex shop closures, including Moscow and St. Petersburg. Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk were exceptions, with an increase in stores, while Krasnoyarsk and Rostov-on-Don saw no change.
Industry analysts cited by Kommersant said online retailers and beauty supply stores are increasingly dominating the adult product market.
Wildberries, Russia’s largest online retailer, reported a 20% rise in adult product sales in 2024. Gold Apple, a beauty chain that was among the first to add sex products to its inventory, saw a 35% increase in sales last year.
Meanwhile, sex shop owners said the weakening ruble has driven up import costs, leading to a 10% price increase over the past two to three years.
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