Natura Siberica Natura Siberica

Natura Siberica (Natura Siberica) is a Russian brand of organic cosmetics. The company's products meet European quality standards for organic cosmetics, which is confirmed by certificates.

History

2024

Felix Lieb bought a stake in Natura Siberica

In early July 2024, it became known that the chairman of the board of directors of Natura Siberica (brands Organic Shop, "Recipes of Grandmother Agafya," Organic Kitchen, Planeta Organica) Felix Lib became a co-owner of the company, receiving a 1.42% stake in it. This is evidenced by the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRUL).

According to Shopper's, citing an extract from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the remaining 98.58% in Natura Siberica LLC belongs to Region JSC, which is controlled by AFK Sistema. According to a spokesman for Natura Siberica, the stake in the company was transferred to Felix Lieb in June 2023 as part of a motivation program. And he explains the changes of July 5, 2024 "legal reorganization within the group of companies."

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Freepik

Under the leadership of Felix Lib as CEO, the company successfully overcame the crisis, revenue in 2022 amounted to a record 10 billion rubles. During the work of Felix Lib, a large-scale reorganization of all management and production processes was carried out, which made it possible to achieve significant success both in Russia and in the international market, the company added.

The publication recalls that in July 2024, Felix Lib left the post of general director of Natura Siberica, becoming chairman of the board of directors. The new head of Natura Siberica was Sergey Bykovskikh, who previously served as the first deputy general director of the group.

Lieb said that he came to the company even before the moment when AFK Sistema thought about the deal. When he first took office as CEO, Natura Siberica was in a state where "all organs failed and nothing functioned," he noted.^[1]

Appointment of Sergei Bykovsky as CEO

On July 1, 2024, Sergei Bykovskikh took over as CEO of the Russian cosmetics manufacturer Natura Siberica. He succeeded Felix Lieb, who in turn was elected by the board to serve as chairman of the board. Read more here.

2023

AFK Sistema bought 100% Natura Siberica

On May 2, 2023, AFK Sistema announced the purchase of a 100 percent stake in the authorized capital of Organik Rus JSC, which owns the Natura Siberica group of companies. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.

Natura Siberica is a quality asset and recognizable brand with a long history showing strong financial and operational performance. The company has great potential for further business growth due to the expansion of production and the product line, - said the president of AFK Sistema Tagir Sitdekov, whose words are quoted by the press service of the state corporation.

AFK Sistema announced the purchase of a 100 percent stake in Organic Rus JSC

According to Vedomosti, the deal became possible after the completion of corporate and hereditary conflicts in the cosmetic group. They began immediately after the death of the founder of the company, Andrei Trubnikov, in January 2021. The children of the businessman, Dmitry and Ekaterina Trubnikov from their first marriage and Elizabeth from the second, as well as his widow Anastasia, claimed shares in the structures of the group. The latter was in divorce proceedings with him at the time of the businessman's death. At the same time, the heirs challenged the appointments and actions of several temporary managers, and management challenged a number of decisions of Trubnikov's first wife Irina, due to which the production and operation of stores were suspended. AFK Sistema has clearly indicated that it is ready to consider the acquisition of Natura Siberica only after the completion of all disputes, Felix Lieb, CEO of Natura Siberica, told the newspaper.

According to him, Natura Siberica plans to launch an enterprise in the Moscow region, as a result of which production capacity will at least double. Natura Siberica will also present a research and development center for creating high-tech formulations and will release hundreds of new cosmetic products for the Russian and foreign markets.^[2]

Permission of the court not to pay 3.8 billion rubles in damage from the fire, bankruptcy is canceled

On February 9, 2023, it became known that ud allowed Natura Siberica not to pay 3.8 billion rubles in fire damage and saved the company from bankruptcy. We are talking about the squeak of the Dmitrovsky experimental plant of aluminum and combined tape (DOZAKL) and the insurance company Ingosstrakh.

The fire occurred in 2020 at the plant where Natura Siberica rented the premises. DOZAKL sued LLC First Decision (a legal entity of the Natura Siberica brand) in the amount of 4.5 billion rubles in May 2020. In this amount, the plaintiff estimated the losses from the fire. Two employees of Natura Siberica, who carried out welding work, were accused of the fire. Later, the amount of claims was reduced, and Ingosstrakh joined the lawsuit itself, the Vedomosti newspaper writes.

In January 2023, the crown conflict ended: three children of the founder of the cosmetic company Andrei Trubnikov received shares in the structures of Natura Siberica

At first, Natura Siberica lost the courts in both the first and second instances, but the cassation concluded that the culprit of the fire had not been identified. At the same time, the cause of the fire was not proven, so the case was sent for a new consideration. This turned the tide in favor of Natura Siberica, the lawsuit of DOZAKL and Ingosstrakh could lead to the bankruptcy of the company.

The Tenth Arbitration Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the first instance, which did not satisfy the requirement to recover about 3.8 billion rubles from the Natura Siberica structure. As market participants told Vedomosti, the lawsuit of DOZAKL and Ingosstrakh was the last obstacle to the acquisition of the company by the Sistema holding. Prior to that, the corporate and crown conflict ended in the cosmetic group. As part of the latter, the heirs almost immediately lost their shares to the AG Corporation group of companies, which, according to lawyers interviewed by the publication, is an intermediary in the transaction with AFK Sistema^[3]

Three children of the founder of Natura Siberica received 20% of the company

In January 2023, it became known about the end of the hereditary conflict in Natura Siberica. Three children of the founder of the cosmetic company Andrei Trubnikov - Dmitry and Ekaterina from their first marriage, as well as Elizabeth from the second - received 20% in each of the three legal entities of the group - Natura Siberica, Delicious Agafya Products and Siberian Helicopter, Vedomosti writes with reference to SPARK-Interfax data.

For the remaining six legal entities of Natura Siberica, applications have been submitted to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities to amend the constituent documents, extracts will be ready in mid-January. We are talking about transferring shares in these firms to the children of Trubnikov, says a source close to Natura Siberica.

The children of the founder of Natura Siberica received shares in its structures

The interlocutor of the newspaper clarified that the transfer of shares became possible after the court declared the businessman's marriage with his third wife Anastasia invalid. According to the publication, legally all litigation between the heirs should be completed by the end of January 2023. The official representative of the cosmetics company refused to comment on the information until the end of the inheritance process.

After the death of Andrei Trubnikov in January 2021, a dispute over inheritance unfolded between members of his family. He was claimed by three children Trubnikov and the third wife Anastasia, who was in divorce proceedings with a businessman at the time of his death.

In addition, Trubnikova stated that the entrepreneur's assets should take into account her two children from a previous marriage. According to her, they were dependent on him. However, the court refused to allocate them shares in the inheritance and declared the marriage with Trubnikov invalid.

However, the dispute between the heirs of the founder of Natura Siberica was not the only problem. After Trubnikov's death, a corporate conflict began, including due to dissatisfaction of shareholders with new managers. Decisions on management were made by Irina Trubnikova - including because of them, the production and operation of stores were suspended. These contradictions have been settled, but departments are still considering claims of owners against former managers.^[4]

2022

Access to Qatar, Singapore and Israel markets

Russian cosmetics manufacturer Natura Siberica enters the markets of Qatar, Singapore, Israel and Palestine. The company announced this at the end of November 2022.

By this time, Natura Siberica products are sold abroad through distributors and retail chains - both specialized cosmetic and multicategory. The Russian brand is represented in retail networks in eight countries of the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, UAE, etc.), as well as in Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, a brand representative told Vedomosti.

Natura Siberica enters Qatar, Singapore and Israel markets

The distributor, engaged in the withdrawal of cosmetics Natura Siberica to foreign countries, told the newspaper that in Qatar the manufacturer's goods will be presented in hypermarkets Lulu and Carrefour and in two pharmacy chains. In Palestine, the company plans to work with pharmacy chains, in Israel - with Yeinot Bitan supermarkets, in Singapore - with Watsons pharmacy chain, Finest price grocery stores and Guardian beauty retailer.

Markets in the Asia-Pacific region and the Middle East are extremely promising for the development of Natura Siberica brands. In these countries, we see a high interest in Russian brands and high-quality cosmetics, "said Felix Lieb, CEO of Natura Siberica, quoted in the message.

The growth of the company's turnover in Asian countries for the three quarters of 2022 amounted to 64%, an increase of 155% is planned for 2023. The development program spelled out the growth of turnover over the next 5 years, a large-scale expansion of the assortment with new lines. In particular, in November 2022, sales of the Organic Shop brand started in Saudi Arabia, which is the second brand for the company in terms of profit in international sales.

According to the company, further growth in sales of Natura Siberica products in 2023 is planned in other countries. These are, in particular, the UAE, Lebanon, Vietnam.^[5]

Felix Lieb is the new CEO of Natura Siberica

On January 13, 2022, natural cosmetics manufacturer Natura Siberica announced the appointment of Felix Lib as the new CEO of the group, as well as all its member companies. Prior to that, he worked as executive director of AFK Sistema. Read more here.

2021: The death of the founder of the company Andrei Trubnikov

On January 7, 2021, Andrei Trubnikov died in his home in the Moscow region at the age of 61.

2020

Re-registration of part of stamps to Estonian company

In December 2020, it became known that part of the First Solution and Natura Siberica trademarks changed their "registration" in the fall: according to the Rospatent database, 84 brands were re-registered with the Estonian company of the Trubnikov family OU Good Design. The businessman explained to RBC that this was done primarily to create a company that will manage intellectual property, and since it focuses on Western markets, it will be easier with a European company. "It will be more difficult for some to prevent us from solving the problem of creating a Russian brand," Trubnikov also said.

Since the summer of 2020, the First Decision has been in a legal conflict with En + Recycling LLC, from which it rented the premises where the fire occurred. An interim measure for the claim was the arrest of part of the trademarks.

Arrest of part of Natura Siberica brands and "Recipes of Grandmother Agafya"

On July 22, 2020, it became known that a security arrest on the Natura Siberica and Granny Agafya's Recipes brands was imposed as part of a legal dispute between the trademark owner and En + Recycling, requiring a recovery of 4.5 billion rubles from him.

The company "First Solution" - the owner of the Natura Siberica brand announced the threat of a complete shutdown of production and the closure of the chain of stores, which "will entail the loss of work of thousands of people."

"We consider this situation to be the result of deliberate actions aimed at eliminating a major player and manufacturer of affordable domestic cosmetic products from the market," the statement said.

2014: Entering the International Market

Until 2014, a fifth of the First Solution's revenue came from sales in Ukraine, but after the outbreak of the conflict, Russian-made goods ceased to be in demand there and sales fell by 25-40%.

To return to the Ukrainian market, Trubnikov opened a production line near Tallinn, investing about €5 million in it. Thanks to this, the company's cosmetics began to be sold in Western Europe. In 2015, the products of the "First Solution" and Natura Siberica first hit the shelves of the French department stores Monoprix, in December of the same year the shop window on the Champs Elysees was decorated with Natura Siberica cosmetics, polar bears and mountain ash clusters. Then the brand's cosmetics got on the shelves of the Whole Foods organic chain (the world's largest organic seller) and Harrods, one of London's largest and most expensive department stores.

At the beginning of 2021, 11 stores in Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Hong Kong, Montenegro and Serbia are now operating outside Russia under the Natura Siberica brand.

2013: Building an organic farm and 80 shops

Since 2013, the company has begun the construction of an organic farm on which rare plants of Siberia will be grown.

In 2013, the founder of the company, Andrei Trubnikov, began to buy land for organic farms, which have passed European certification. For 2021, these are 33 hectares in Khakassia, 9.2 hectares in Kamchatka, 7.15 hectares in Sakhalin and 2 hectares in Kunashir, where herbs are grown, from which extracts are then made for cosmetics.

In 2013, the company has more than 80 retail stores both in Russia and in many other countries, such as England, Germany, France, Spain, China. Natura Siberica also opened stores in Copenhagen (Denmark), Tokyo (Japan) and Hong Kong.

Notes