Overview
- President Vladimir Putin issued a decree on Monday that placed Metro AG’s Russia unit and all its assets under temporary state administration and transferred operational control to the Russian firm UK Torg RUS.
- Metro AG says it no longer has operational control though it remains the formal owner on paper, and Metro Russia and UK Torg RUS have said stores will continue to operate and customer obligations will be met for now.
- Russian media and Metro confirm UK Torg RUS was formed in early September and is linked to Johannes Tholey, the current head of Metro Russia, who has been named to run the business under the decree.
- The takeover affects 91 stores and roughly 9,000–10,000 employees and represents about 8.7–9 percent of Metro’s group revenue, worth roughly €2.1–2.6 billion in the first nine months of 2026.
- The move follows recent Russian transfers of Nestlé, Auchan, Aptar, FM Logistic and others to state-approved managers and legal experts and EU officials warn that such 'temporary' measures can become uncompensated, de facto expropriations.