April 2 2008, 15:19

French Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Kyiv

Auchan company (France) opened the first hypermarket-discounter Auchan on the territory of the former plant "Ukrcable", "Interfax-Ukraine" informs with the reference to the press service of "Auchan-Ukraine" company. The boutique gallery is also presented in the hypermarket for 109 counters. The company does not release the details of the store parameters and the investments to its construction.

As of today, Auchan chain of hypermarkets is represented in 12 countries of the world, in particular in EU countries, Russia and China. It consists of 413 hypermarkets, 708 supermarkets and the chain of the stores specializing in the construction materials, sports goods, electronics and wear.

We'd like to remind that in March 2007 "Furshet", the second larges retail chain in Ukraine signed an agreement with French Auchan supermarket chain about the establishment of two new companies and the joint development of the chain of the trade-entertainment complexes. One of the companies will be developed under Auchan trademark; Auchan will own 66% of its shares, "Furshet" group will have 19%, and Igor Balenko, the Chief of the Supervisory Board of Closed JSC "Furshet" (Kyiv), will own 15%.

The second company is created for the development of the trade-entertainment complexes in Ukraine; each of them will possess either Auchan store of "Furshet" supermarket. Auchan will own 50% of shares of this company, Mr. Balenko will have 40%, and the third financial partner will own the rest 10%. Also, the agreement stipulates that Auchan will purchase 20% of "Furshet" shares which remain under supervision of Igor Balenko.

We would also like to point out that the investment-developers company ICD Investments (Kyiv) and Auchan Group (France) earlier announced about the intention to construct a large trade-entertainment center of the square of 150-200,000 sq. meters in Kyiv. There is an intention to implement the project in the district of Zdolbunovskaya Street, near which the railway-road bridge across the Dnipro is under construction now.

The project may be implemented in three-four years in order to launch the complex together with the new bridge. Two companies will jointly develop the project. The construction hypermarket Leroy Marlen of Auchan Group should become one of the anchor objects.