Russians buy last goods from H&M and Ikea as stores wind down

People line up to enter an H&M shop and buy items on sale in the Aviapark shopping centre in Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday August 9 2022 (Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP)

Russians are snapping up western fashion and furniture this week as H&M and Ikea sell off the last of their inventory in Russia, moving forward with their exit from the country after it sent troops into Ukraine.

Sweden-based H&M and Netherlands-based Ikea paused sales in Russia after the military operation began and are now looking to unload their stocks of clothing and furnishings as they wind down operations there, saying the future is unpredictable.