MOSCOW, May 23. /TASS/. Uniqlo, one of the largest Japanese apparel producers and retailers, can offer its Russian business for sale, the Izvestiya newspaper reported on Tuesday, citing Russian deputy minister of industry Viktor Evtukhov.

"The Japanese retailer will be able to offer in a similar way [like McDonald's did it] lease agreements, popular points of sale with the good buyers traffic and equipment," the official said on the sidelines of the Sino-Russian business forum in Shanghai. The company has not yet submitted an application to the Russian governmental commission for the transaction.

In March 2022, Fast Retailing Co., the operator of the Uniqlo stores chain, announced suspension of operations in Russia.