Some international brands such as Ikea have already suspended their activity in Russia, but Leroy Merlin, Auchan or Decathlon have been more discreet since the start of the Russian invasion, the market being far from negligible for these three brands. controlled by the Mulliez family.
The French brand, which specializes in DIY, is not very popular in general Leroy Merlin declined any request for comment on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Ikea brand, its competitor on certain products, has therefore announced that it will suspend its activities in Russia and Belarus, where the Swedish giant employs nearly 15,000 people in 17 stores and at three production sites.
The presence of Leroy Merlin is even more massive. In Russia, the group claims, on its website, 36,000 employees operating in 107 hypermarkets and 62 cities. In terms of turnover, the country led by Vladimir Putin is also anything but negligible for the group: in 2020, Leroy Merlin declared 4.2 billion euros in revenue from ordinary activities there (the equivalent of his business), its second largest market behind France (6.7 billion euros).
Auchanrequested by Agence France-Presse (AFP), is limited to “call for peace in this area” without further comment. The chain of stores operates 231 stores in Russia, with a turnover of 3.2 billion euros, more than 10% of its total ordinary activity income in 2021, 30.5 billion euros. Present in Russia since 2002, the group employs more than 30,000 people there and defends a local approach, particularly for its suppliers, as in Ukraine, where it employs 5,000 people. It also operates, through its Russian subsidiary, a store in Crimea.
Another sign of the Mulliez galaxy, Decathlon is also present in Russia since 2006 with 60 stores and an e-commerce site in 25 Russian cities. The brand is notably present in the Moscow region, where 22 of its stores are located. The brand, also present in Ukraine, announced at the end of February that it had «Gelé» its activity on the spot, “in the logic of not exhibiting” its approximately 150 employees on site “to a situation that does not fully guarantee their safety”. It operates 4 stores there as well as an online sales site.