Leroy Merlin intends to sell all of its stores in Russia

Will the Mulliez family withdraw from Russia? The French Leroy Merlin, a giant in the sale of DIY equipment and one of the main foreign employers in Russia, announced on Friday March 24 that it wanted to sell all of its stores in this country to a local management, more than a year after the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

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Adeo, the parent company of Leroy Merlin, said “his intention to cede control” of the company, established for 18 years in Russia, its second market after France. This operation “must make it possible to preserve the jobs of the 45,000 employees and to sustain the activity of the company”argues in a press release the French group, owned by the Mulliez family.

Several brands owned by the Mulliez family remain very established in Russia, despite the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops. The 113 Leroy Merlin stores in this country represent between 18 and 20% of the company’s total turnover, she told AFP.