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Meet Tatyana Bakalchuk, the richest woman in Russia today with a net worth of US$1.4 billion, thanks to her online retail business. Here are four things you need to know about the 44-year-old entrepreneur, proudly of Korean heritage.
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She was educated in Russia

Bakalchuk graduated specialising in English and German from Moscow State Regional Social and Humanitarian Institute. That’s how she went on to become an English teacher. But she was hardly able to make ends meet. That’s when she came up with the interesting idea of an online retail business to turn things around for the sake of her family.
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Her e-commerce start-up

In 2004, while taking a rest at home on maternity leave, she established the online retailer Wildberries with just US$700 left in her savings account.
At the time, she was only 28, but this didn’t deter Bakalchuk from taking risks. It was just a matter of time before her husband, Vladislav, became part of her company. In the early days of the business, she mostly traded and resold Quelle products from the German retailer Otto Group. Since then, her online business has come a long way, boasting 15,000 brands today.

It sells everything one needs. According to Forbes, her online business sold over US$1.9 billion worth of clothing in 2018. While her retail online business enjoys a strong foothold in Russia, it’s no less popular in the former Soviet Union colonies such as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.




















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A post shared by WILDBERRIES OFFICIAL (@wildberriesru) on Mar 1, 2020 at 5:00am PST



While everybody was reeling under the stress of recession in 2008, this period proved to be absolutely a blessed one for Bakalchuk. Adidas was severely hit by this global financial crisis leaving it with unsold clothes and trainers worth more than a million euros. She emerged as a saviour for Adidas and decided to purchase the whole supply on credit and sold these unsold goods over the next two years.
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Spreading its wings in Europe 




















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A post shared by WILDBERRIES OFFICIAL (@wildberriesru) on Mar 20, 2020 at 6:01am PDT



This way, Wildberries grew to become the largest online retailer in Russia, and it is now ranked as the third most visited e-commerce site in the world, behind only H&M and Macy's, according research by SEMrush marketing analytics firm.




















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A post shared by WILDBERRIES OFFICIAL (@wildberriesru) on Mar 14, 2020 at 10:00am PDT



Extraordinary accolades

Forbes Names Wildberries Owner Tatyana Bakalchuk Russia’s Richest Woman https://t.co/MSs0cYKHfR pic.twitter.com/HgittsoaSg
— The Pakistan Post (@TPPNewsOfficial) February 20, 2020

Bakalchuk has been widely recognised for her extraordinary achievements. In 2018, she won the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award and the RBC Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Then in 2019, she was named by Forbes on its list of 15 business personalities who changed the perception of Russia globally.
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How Wildberries founder Tatyana Bakalchuk became the richest woman in Russia

Tatyana Bakalchuk, the richest woman in Russia, is the founder of the country’s largest online retailer, Wildberries. Photo: YouTube

Screenshot of Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer . Photo: Wildberries

Tatyana Bakalchuk, the richest woman in Russia. Photo: @MoscowTimes/Twitter

Tatyana Bakalchuk. Photo: @Forbes/Twitter

Screenshot of Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer. Photo: Wildberries

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The e-commerce entrepreneur – who is proudly of Korean heritage – built a US$1.4 billion fortune from the online start-up she launched as an English teacher on maternity leave with just US$700 in the bank


E-commerce entrepreneur Tatyana Bakalchuk – who is proudly of Korean heritage – built a US$1.4 billion fortune from the online start-up she launched with just US$700
