SberIndex.ru names cities that are back to pre-crisis spending

Sberbank’s analytical website SberIndex.ru has named the cities of Russia that are returning their pre-pandemic consumption figures faster than others.

Kemerovo has emerged as the first city where consumption has normalized almost completely, seeing its Consumer Activity Index (CAI) reach the 2019 level only being 0.2 points shy. This in part is backed by spending, which during the lockdown slid the least in Kemerovo Region.

Other cities that hit the Top 5 in terms of recovery are Perm, where CAI is only 4.1 points lower y-o-y, Maykop and Orenburg (-4.7 points), and Omsk (-4.8 points).

Consumer activity in Russia added 9.5 points as compared to April when the metric was slightly over 48 out of 100 points, while in May it reached 57.9 indicating that the country is reverting to its regular consumption as businesses and buyers have adapted to the lockdown measures introduced by the state.

The consumer activity index (CAI) helps understand how customers had to change their habits on the back of the coronavirus pandemic.