Lenta might buy Ural discount chain Monetka - paper

MOSCOW. July 27 (Interfax) - Lenta , a major Russian retailer controlled by Alexei Mordashov's Severgroup, is holding negotiations to acquire the Monetka chain of discount stores in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Tyumen and other cities in the Ural Federal District, national daily Kommersant reported on Thursday, citing sources.

If a deal is made, Monetka stores will continue to operate under this brand and the Semya supermarkets in Perm that Lenta acquired in 2021 will also get this name, the paper said.

Monetka, founded in 2001, operates 2,010 discount stores with a combined area of almost 590,000 square meters in Yekaterinburg, Perm, Tyumen and other cities in the Ural Federal District. The company has four distribution centers totalling 24,000 squre meters.

Lenta is Russia's fourth largest retailer by revenue and the country's largest chain of hypermarkets. The company operated 25 hypermarkets, its main format, and 568 smaller retail outlets at the end of March. Lenta acquired the Semya chain in August 2021 for 2.5 billion rubles.