Elvira Kadyrova and Raviliya Kadyrova
There was a time when shopping was largely about finding what you needed.
Today, it is increasingly about deciding which one you want.
That may be one of the simplest ways to describe the transformation of retail life in Turkmenistan over the 35 years since independence.
The shops of the early independence period inherited much of the structure of the Soviet retail system. There were state stores and bazaars, and the range of goods available to consumers was considerably narrower. When a desirable product appeared, the question was often whether one could find it at all.
The modern shopping experience is different.
Walk into a large retail centre in Ashgabat today and the sheer variety is immediately apparent.
Food, clothing, footwear, cosmetics, household goods, children’s products, electronics and personal-care items occupy different parts of the retail landscape. Supermarkets coexist with specialized shops, private stores, markets and shopping and entertainment centres.
And increasingly, shopping itself has become an experience.
The Arkaç Shopping and Entertainment Centre, opened in Ashgabat in 2024, occupies more than 55,000 square metres and combines a supermarket with shops, cinemas, children’s entertainment, a fitness centre, beauty salon, pharmacy, restaurants and cafés.
Another major Ashgabat shopping complex has more than 240 shops spread over more than 65,000 square metres, alongside a supermarket, cafés and food courts, beauty services, bowling, a cinema, an ice-skating rink and children’s attractions. Its shops cover everything from perfumes and household textiles to toys, clothes, footwear, cosmetics, jewellery and mobile phones.
This is a very different idea of retail from the simple shop.
A shopping centre has become a place where people can shop, eat, meet, entertain children and spend leisure time.
That is an important change in the quality of urban life.
But perhaps the most interesting development is taking place behind the shop windows.
The growth of private enterprise has significantly widened the range of products available. At the national exhibitions of the trade sector dozens of enterprises and organizations display their products and services across food, retail and other consumer sectors. The exhibition include domestic producers of confectionery, dairy products, beverages and meat products.
In other words, the modern consumer is increasingly choosing not simply between imported goods, but between different domestic producers as well.
That changes the relationship between producer and consumer.
When there is only one supplier, the consumer adapts to the product.
When there are many suppliers, the producer has to think about the consumer.
Quality matters. Packaging matters. Appearance matters. Reliability matters. Price matters. Brand recognition matters.
And consumer expectations begin to rise.
This is perhaps why apparently insignificant products can tell us so much about social change.
A bottle of shampoo is no longer simply shampoo.
There may be several brands, different formulations, different sizes and different price levels.
The same is true of children’s diapers, detergents, household chemicals and personal-care products. Turkmenistan’s own manufacturers have increasingly entered these areas. For example, locally produced detergents, shampoos, wet wipes, diapers and household chemicals are highlighted among products that had previously been largely imported.
The significance is not that imported goods have disappeared. They clearly have not.
The significance is that the consumer’s world has expanded.
And perhaps this is where the retail transformation becomes a quality-of-life story rather than an economic one.
Choice gives people the ability to adapt consumption to their own preferences.
One family may choose a locally produced product because it is affordable. Another may prefer an imported brand. Someone may want traditional food while another looks for something completely new.
There is no single “correct” choice.
The market increasingly allows people to make their own.
Thirty-five years ago, shopping was often a search for availability.
Today, increasingly, it is a search for preference.
That may be one of the quietest—and most important—changes of all. /// nCa, 14 September 2026