L.E.V. Management, the company given temporary control of the Russian assets of Auchan and Leroy Merlin (Lemana PRO), sent letters to the management of both chains demanding that the retail network and its staff be preserved. Its general director, Andrei Krayushkin, required that purchasing, supply and store operations continue "without interruptions" and that obligations to customers, suppliers and employees be met in full.
"The stable operation of LLC Auchan is directly linked to ensuring food security," RBC quoted an excerpt from the letter as saying. Krayushkin also promised to "implement measures to protect Auchan's real estate from attacks," including with the use of drones.
The letter also contains warnings, according to The Bell: the manager demanded that failures to meet obligations to employees, reorganizations and substantial payouts to himself be avoided. Until the new manager is entered in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, he instructed that purchasing, supply, the work of distribution centers, tax payments and wages continue. Major transactions, profit distribution and the sale of trademarks are prohibited.
Personnel decisions, if any are needed, will be "discussed in advance with the current management of LLC Auchan," the letter says. Leroy Merlin received a similar letter. It is not known whether Nestle, whose Russian assets also came under external management, received one.
The press service of Auchan's Russian office confirmed receipt of the letter and said it was ready to ensure working interaction with the temporary manager and to "promptly discuss emerging issues." All of the company's facilities are operating as normal, it added.
L.E.V. Management was registered in October 2024 with charter capital of 15,000 rubles. Krayushkin became its general director on September 10. In 2016, Putin appointed him first deputy head of the Interior Ministry's Main Directorate for Migration Affairs; he held that post at least until 2020. Putin signed a decree transferring 16 companies from four foreign groups - Auchan, Lemana PRO, Nestle and FM Logistic - to temporary management on September 17.
The transferred assets are valued at at least 600 billion rubles. Auchan has 230 stores in 100 cities and about 30,000 employees, with turnover of 127 billion rubles in the first half of 2026. Leroy Merlin, according to Infoline, has 112 stores in 66 cities and 27.2% of the Russian market for construction and repair goods. Nestle has six plants in Russia, about 7,000 employees and annual revenue of about $2.5 billion.
Since the start of the war, the Russian authorities have seized the assets of at least 30 foreign companies, including Danone, Carlsberg, Fortum, Uniper, Ariston, Bosch and AB InBev. The KSE Institute estimated their value before seizure at $74 billion, with foreign business losses in Russia at $170 billion.