The woman who lured Chinese shoppers to Moscow’s Tsum, once dowdy department store turned lodestar of Russian luxury
As department store celebrates 110 years in business, its fashion director, Alla Verber, reflects on its transformation from dowdy survivor of Soviet era to go-to place for wealthy Russian and, increasingly, Chinese luxury shoppers
The glamorous, dark-haired Alla Verber is working her way around the room and eventually the dance floor at the 110th anniversary party of Russia’s oldest department store, Tsum. The fashion glitterati have flown in from New York, Milan, Paris and Shanghai to Moscow to celebrate with caviar, vodka, Russian folk music, dancing and of course a spot of shopping.
There’s plenty of cause for celebration. Despite Russia’s shaky economic situation since 2015, at Tsum, which sells beauty, fashion and luxury goods over 70,000 square metres and five floors, turnover has been growing 20 per cent to 30 per cent each season.
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Why? It’s largely down to a clever move two years ago, when they began to adjust their pricing to roughly match European prices. This has attracted Russia’s wealthy as well as a stream of tourist shoppers, largely rich or middle-class Chinese who are looking to spend in more exotic locales.
Situated next to the Bolshoi Theatre and minutes from the Red Square, the huge Gothic building that houses Tsum is also courting customers with its selection of labels.
Whether it’s brands of the moment such as Balenciaga or Saint Laurent, consistent high-fashion performers like Chloé, Valentino and Dolce & Gabbana, or young Russian brands like Vika Gazinskaya, the range on offer is world class. But it was not always so.
Building Tsum from a dull, Soviet-era operation to a billion-dollar company has been largely attributed to the Tsum fashion director and vice-president of the Mercury Group (which owns Tsum), Alla Verber. The de facto queen of Tsum was born in Leningrad in the USSR and lived in Rome and Canada before returning to her native Russia.