Nestle, Auchan, and Leroy Merlin Assets in Russia - placed under special administration

The Russian assets of the Swiss multinational Nestle, the French retail chain Auchan, and the DIY group formerly known as Leroy Merlin (renamed Lemana Pro in Russia in 2024) have been transferred to a single Russian company, according to a decree issued last week by President Vladimir Putin.

Under the decree, shares in these companies' Russian operations are being transferred to "temporary administration" under the Russian firm "L.E.V. Management," Agerpres reports.

The investigative outlet • Novaya Gazeta Europe• reveals that this company-established in late 2025-is led by Andrei Krayushkin, a general in the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"According to financial records, [the company] conducted no commercial activity, at least not by the end of that same year (2025). It has a single employee. Its owners are unknown," reports • Novaya Gazeta Europe• , a Latvia-based publication that is banned in Russia and designated an "undesirable organization."

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of initial Western economic sanctions on Moscow, many multinationals have left Russia, while others have suspended operations there or had their assets seized and transferred to Russian companies.

The presidential decree published last week also specifies the transfer of assets from three Russian subsidiaries belonging to the French logistics company FM Logistic. The text of the presidential decree also mentions the transfer of Auchan shares in Russia held by the French company Sogepar.

Regarding the chain formerly owned by Leroy Merlin, the transfer involves 99.993% of the shares in Russia held by the UAE-based group Scenari Holding LP and 0.007% held by the French company Adeo.

In March 2023, the French group Adeo announced it was relinquishing control of Leroy Merlin in Russia to local management. Subsequently, in late 2023, Scenari Holding acquired the DIY retail chain. In 2024, the chain was rebranded as Lemana Pro. Contacted by the TASS news agency, Lemana Pro's press office stated that it had received no information from the authorities regarding this procedure and requested clarification.

Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin-two brands controlled by the French Mulliez family-each operate dozens of stores in Russia.

On its Russian website, Auchan states that it has over 33,000 employees and 241 stores, including 62 hypermarkets, in Russia. In 2019, Forbes magazine named it the largest foreign company operating in Russia.

Another successful chain within the Mulliez group, the sports retailer Decathlon, ceased operations in Russia as early as March 2022-at the onset of the war-due to supply issues linked to sanctions.

As for Nestle, the decree mentions the transfer of assets belonging to Nestle Deutschland AG and Nestle Products Company. The Russian subsidiary of another food giant, Danone, was seized by the Russian state in 2023 and subsequently sold to a nephew of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.