They will be sewing uniforms: Kalashnikov has taken over the factories of Russia’s largest clothing manufacturer
22 April 16:11
The Kalashnikov Group, which is developing a garment manufacturing cluster, has acquired the former facilities of Gloria Jeans. Amid a downturn in the garment manufacturing sector, the company began scaling back its operations in Russia and selling off its factories, including facilities in Gukovo and Zverevo. In 2025, these facilities came under the control of new investors. One of them was Bulava, in which 21% is owned by Triada-TKO, a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov Concern. The facilities have now been repurposed for the production of military and specialized clothing, reports "Komersant Ukrainian", citing Russian propaganda media.
In the spring of 2026, Triada-TKO also became a co-owner of 10 entities linked to garment factories in the Moscow, Vladimir, Tula, and Ivanovo regions. In mid-April, Triada-TKO acquired a 50% stake in Eco-Tex, a company established in late 2022 that produces “other clothing and accessories,” including men’s clothing, as well as bags and backpacks sold through the Desport chain—the successor to Decathlon. The group also acquired 21% stakes in Beta Textile, Laskita, and Viteksky in the Moscow region, gained control of the Sobinskaya garment factory in the Vladimir region, and acquired the Hua Long Industrial Company.
According to Mikhail Burmistrov, CEO of INFOLine-Analytics, the strengthening of the ruble and high interest rates have made clothing production economically unprofitable. As a result, companies such as Gloria Jeans began closing or selling factories, while retailers shifted production to countries with cheap labor, primarily Uzbekistan and China. The freed-up assets became cheap, which allowed the Kalashnikov Group to buy them up and reorient them toward a more stable segment—workwear and equipment.
