Fires at Wildberries and Ozon warehouses disrupt Black Friday in Russia

In Russia, marketplace sellers are reducing their participation in November sales due to the consequences of summer fires at Wildberries and Ozon warehouses. Some entrepreneurs lost goods and did not receive compensation, and logistics companies are recording a reduction in shipments ahead of the sales season.

This is reported by Russian media.

According to Data Insight, at least 2.1 million square meters of space have been affected by 45 recorded incidents at Wildberries and Ozon warehouses since the end of June 2026. Losses to sellers on both marketplaces are estimated at hundreds of billions of rubles.

The fires have affected the preparation of entrepreneurs for November sales. According to Serhiy Semko, a leading analyst at Data Insight, this year’s sales may be weaker than usual. Some sellers have suspended purchases to assess further work opportunities.

The decline in activity is also evidenced by data from logistics companies. According to Oleksiy Shpikelman, CEO of the transport and logistics company Byte Transit, in July-August 2026 the number of issued transport invoices decreased by 12% compared to the same period last year. In August, the volume of transportation decreased by 7% by weight and by 4% by volume.

NC Logistic also does not expect the traditional New Year’s excitement. Deputy General Director of the company Artem Vaskanyan suggests that in the last months before the New Year, transportation volumes may decrease by 8-10% year-on-year.

At the same time, marketplaces and shopping centers are declaring their readiness for the discount season. The press service of RWB, which manages Wildberries, assured that the selection of goods will not be reduced. Yandex Market also reported interest in sales from sellers and buyers. Ozon representatives declined to comment.

However, sellers are much more cautious about the prospects. Boris Kats, the owner of the Leonardo chain of stores, said that due to a shortage of goods, there will be no large-scale sales. Ksenia Ryasova, the owner of the Finn Flare chain, also reported that stocks of products that were usually sold at discounts have burned down, so the company will sell mainly new collections.

According to Vasyl Bumagin, a member of the board of the Union of Marketplace Sellers, some entrepreneurs still have not received compensation for destroyed goods. Additional difficulties have been caused by delays in payments for sales already made, which has caused some sellers to lose the opportunity to purchase new products.

Clothing manufacturers have also been affected. Alsou Sharafetdinova, the owner of Posh Style, said that due to a lack of working capital and no compensation, the company is producing 5-6 times less products than a year ago. She estimated the company’s losses from the fires at approximately 60 million rubles.

Some entrepreneurs are refusing discounts due to limited supplies. Plant seed seller Igor Shanchenko, who lost more than 400 million rubles in warehouse goods, said he did not receive compensation and was forced to attract additional investment to restore sales.

At the same time, demand for certain goods may increase at the end of the year due to expected changes in taxation. According to analysts, the introduction of a technology fee on certain electronics from December 1 may encourage buyers to purchase equipment earlier. From 2027, it is also planned to introduce a 22% VAT on cross-border online purchases and a customs duty of 100 rubles per parcel.

Despite marketplace advertising campaigns, the effects of fires, shortages of inventory, and entrepreneurs’ lack of funds are calling into question the usual large-scale sales in Russia this November.

Recall that Russian marketplaces have sharply increased commissions and logistics costs for sellers . On key platforms, total costs already exceed 40% of the cost of goods, which leads to higher prices for buyers.

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