Ceetrus

History

2024: Trading Galleries bought all shopping complexes in Russia from Ceetrus

"Trading galleries" were bought from the "daughter" Auchan - from the French company Ceetrus - all shopping complexes in Russia. This became known in mid-April 2024.

As RBC writes with reference to the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRUL), the main owner of the Trading Galleries company through Kama Capital JSC and Kama Capital Management Company is Tagir Shaimardanov, who also owns Outlet Central and Outlet North-West. These structures, according to the publication, were created for the purchase of Hines outlets in Kotelniki near Moscow and on Pulkovskoye Shosse in St. Petersburg. Shaimardanov also directly and through Kama Capital controls the company BC na Voikovskaya.

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In the Russian portfolio of Ceetrus there were more than 150 thousand square meters of retail space. She ran 40 malls and galleries. Among the company's assets are the Aquarel shopping complexes in Pushkin, Volgograd and Togliatti near Moscow, as well as Troika in Moscow.

Irina Ushakova, Senior Director, Head of Investment and Capital Markets at CORE.XP, in a conversation with RIA Real Estate, estimated the value of Ceetrus assets sold in Russia at 12-14 billion rubles. According to Stanislav Bibik, partner of NF Group, the sale of assets may indicate an optimization of asset management by Auchan: the company prefers to develop its main business - retail, rather than real estate management.

Pavel Lyulin, vice president of the Union of Shopping Centers, says that the Russian part of Ceetrus was connected with Auchan through the owner, but operated quite autonomously.

The sale of the portfolio does not mean the immediate departure of Auchan from Russia. However, this is a reason to think that the French retailer can continue to sell assets if it finds a profitable buyer for itself, says Lyulin.[1]

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