Moscow, 15 June, 2026 — X5 has opened the 7000th store as part of its Okolo franchise network. The milestone retail point began operations in Omsk at 6 Ivan Alekseev Street. The store offering includes over 4,500 everyday essentials.
“Over the past month, the Okolo franchise has grown by a thousand stores. The main growth drivers for the chain were the launch of proprietary logistics in seven new regions – from the Urals to the Russian Far East, as well as attractive wholesale prices and payment deferral options for franchisees. Despite challenging macroeconomic conditions, small businesses are demonstrating resilience and flexibility – entrepreneurs are finding new tools to improve economic performance and increasingly joining the Okolo franchise, which is becoming a real ‘lifeline’ for many. We have developed an effective and straightforward model that gives independent entrepreneurs new opportunities to operate a successful business. X5 offers a value-driven partnership and is ready to invest its resources and expertise in the development of franchisees.” – said Igor Pletnev, managing director at Okolo.
The Okolo franchise is primarily designed for experienced entrepreneurs who already run a retail business. X5 and its franchisees interact through the OKOLO.Market B2B platform, a classifieds-style marketplace where franchisees can order products both from X5 and from a wide selection of independent sellers in one place. Today, the platform features over 35,000 SKUs from 542 suppliers across 72 regions of Russia.
Stores under the Okolo brand work in 55 regions nationwide. By the end of 2026, the franchise’s geographic footprint is planned to expand to 60 regions.
The Okolo franchise ranked first in retail store revenue for 2025 among franchise chains in Russia, according to the INFOLine analytics agency, and became the leader in the number of outlets among networks developing direct franchises based on the first four months of 2026. From January to April, the Okolo chain grew by 1,739 stores, bringing their total number to 5,991 as of 30 April 2026. As a result, the Okolo franchise has become the absolute leader in this segment.