Major Russian retailer reports sharp rise in iPhone orders

Apple’s iPhone 17
On Saturday, Russian resellers launched Apple’s new iPhone lineup in stores, with major retailer Restore: noting a significant surge in pre-orders this year. Robust demand for iPhones suggests that consumer interest in popular products remains strong, despite Russia’s broader economic slowdown.
Reuters:
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The country has seen 20-year-high interest rates and a budget deficit of over 4 trillion roubles this year.
The iPhones’ popularity in Russia has endured Apple halting sales in 2022 and suspending services like Apple Pay in the wake of Western sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine. In Russia, the phones also command higher prices than in Western markets.
“This year we have 66% more preorders than last year,” said Lyudmila Semushina, PR director for Inventive Retail Group, which owns tech retailer Restore:.
“There is a huge fan base that will never exchange iPhone for anything else,” Semushina said in the Restore: branch at Afimall City, located in the futuristic Moscow International Business Centre amidst some of Europe’s tallest skyscrapers.
The new Apple products displayed in Restore: on Saturday were for browsing only, with customers able to place pre-orders for delivery in the coming days.
“There is always a small shortage of new iPhones [in the beginning],” Restore:’s Semushina said. She added that the retailer’s supply chain is “quite stable,” but that the additional logistics costs of so-called ‘parallel imports’ have impacted shelf prices.
Apple was the top smartphone brand by sales revenue in Russia in 2024 according to retailer M.Video Eldorado

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MacDailyNews Note: The iPhone 17 with 256GB is listed at 119,990 roubles ($1,437.08) on Restore:’s online store, about 57% more than the U.S. retail price.

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