Russian retailer looking to cash in on Olympics

LONDON – Banking on the London Games to spur sales, a Russian retailer is taking its distinctive product from Red Square right to the heart of this year's Olympics.

Bosco, the clothing company that supplies the Olympic uniforms for the Russian, Ukrainian and Spanish national teams, has opened its first store in Britain — only a few steps from the Olympic Stadium in east London.

Founder Mikhail Kusnirovich says "we are in the very beginning, but with the Olympics we are in the pole position."

Bosco has been outfitting the Russian team since 2002. By the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, the red-and-white Russian shirts and jackets with the big flowers were some of the hottest items of the games.