MOSCOW, August 06. /ITAR-TASS/. Russian retail networks need a month of two to replace the food products the import of which has been banned in response to Western sanctions, Andrei Karpov, Executive Director of the Association of Retail Traders, said on Wednesday.

“We will need a month or two to fully restructure commodity flows,” he said.

Karpov believes that retail chains will now work with a wider range of suppliers both in Russia and in countries that did not support the sanctions.

This will also allow local suppliers, who used to work within their respective regions, to expand their operations, he added.