TL;DR
Get everyday essentials delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Le Monde, citing a source close to Moscow business circles, reported that German retailer Metro asked Russian authorities to place its Russian assets under temporary management. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree doing so on September 28, appointing a company headed by Metro’s Russian business chief as temporary manager. Metro has not been quoted directly in the supplied reporting, and the terms or rationale for its reported request remain unclear.
German retailer Metro reportedly asked Russian authorities to place its Russian assets under temporary management, Le Monde reported, citing a source close to Moscow business circles. President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on September 28 placing the assets under that arrangement, which gives a Kremlin-appointed manager control over the company’s Russian operations and raises questions about Metro’s ability to direct its business there.
According to Le Monde’s source, Metro’s management thought other foreign businesses—including Auchan, Nestlé, Lemana PRO and logistics firm FM Logistic—had been caught off guard when Putin placed them under external management by decree on September 17. The source said Metro chose to act ahead of a possible similar move. The source’s account of Metro’s intentions has not been independently confirmed in the material available here.
The same source told Le Monde that Metro’s chief executive traveled to meet Putin’s economic adviser about the request. The source characterized the strategy as an attempt to retain more influence over the company’s fate and said a negotiated sale on more favorable terms was one possible outcome. The report does not identify the adviser or give details of any talks or proposed sale.
Putin’s September 28 decree named UK Torg Rus as temporary manager of Metro’s Russian assets. The company was registered on September 8, three weeks before the decree, and its sole owner is Johannes Tholey, who has led Metro Cash & Carry, Metro’s Russian business, since 2023, according to the report. The decree and the appointment are documented developments; the claim that Metro requested the arrangement comes from Le Monde’s unnamed source.
Control of Metro’s Russian Business
Temporary management changes who exercises authority over a foreign company’s local assets, leaving the parent company’s practical control and future options uncertain. Metro’s reported request adds a different dimension to the September decrees: according to the source cited by Le Monde, the company sought to influence how its Russian business would be managed rather than wait for authorities to act.
The arrangement also matters for Metro’s choices in Russia. A negotiated sale could potentially allow the retailer to leave on terms it considers more favorable, but the source told Le Monde that the Kremlin’s expectations in return were unknown. No sale agreement or terms have been reported in the supplied material, so that possibility should not be treated as a settled outcome.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
From September Decrees to Metro
Metro remained in Russia after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. On September 17, Putin issued decrees placing the Russian assets of several foreign companies under external management, according to the report. Le Monde’s source said Metro believed those businesses had not anticipated the move and decided to seek a pre-emptive arrangement.
Eleven days later, on September 28, Putin signed the decree covering Metro’s assets. The temporary manager, UK Torg Rus, had been registered on September 8. That sequence is part of the reported timeline; it does not by itself establish when Metro made its request or what was agreed before the decree.
A separate Reuters report quoted a senior Russian government source as saying that putting major Western companies’ Russian assets under temporary management was intended to make European countries reconsider their measures and sanctions. Asked which companies could be next, the source replied, “Let them be scared.” That statement reflects the official source’s characterization of the policy, not an independently established account of the Kremlin’s motives.
““The German company itself asked the Kremlin to place it under ‘temporary management,’ hoping to retain more control over its fate.””
— Source close to Moscow business circles, quoted by Le Monde
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Request, Terms and Ownership Questions
The supplied reporting does not include a direct statement from Metro confirming that it asked for temporary management or explaining its reasons. The request is attributed to an unnamed source cited by Le Monde. It is also unclear when Metro made the request, what was discussed with Putin’s economic adviser, and whether the decree’s terms reflect any negotiated understanding.
The report does not specify the full scope of UK Torg Rus’s authority, how long the temporary management is expected to last, or whether Metro can still influence operational decisions. No sale, payment, compensation arrangement or exit plan is confirmed in the supplied material. The Kremlin’s response to the reported request and what it might seek in return also remain unknown.
international business management tools
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Watch for Terms and Company Response
The next substantive developments would be a statement from Metro confirming or disputing the reported request, and details of how the September 28 decree will be implemented. Any disclosed terms, negotiations or plan to sell the Russian business could clarify whether temporary management is intended as a bridge to a transaction or will continue without a confirmed exit.
For now, readers should distinguish the established decree and named temporary manager from the account of Metro’s motives, which rests on Le Monde’s unnamed source. The supplied reporting does not give a timetable for further announcements or identify a next formal review of the arrangement.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What did Metro reportedly ask Russian authorities to do?
Le Monde reported that Metro asked the Kremlin to place its Russian assets under temporary management, citing a source close to Moscow business circles. Metro has not directly confirmed the request in the supplied reporting.
When did Putin’s decree take effect?
Putin signed the decree placing Metro’s Russian assets under temporary management on September 28, 2026, according to the report. The material does not state when the arrangement took effect in practice.
Who was appointed temporary manager?
The decree appointed UK Torg Rus. The company was registered on September 8, and its sole owner is Johannes Tholey, who has led Metro Cash & Carry’s Russian business since 2023, according to the report.
Has Metro agreed to sell its Russian business?
No sale is confirmed in the supplied material. A source cited by Le Monde said a sale on more favorable terms was a possible outcome, but gave no details of an agreement or negotiations.
What remains unknown about the arrangement?
The reporting does not establish the decree’s full terms, the extent of Metro’s remaining influence, the Kremlin’s response to the reported request, or whether the company plans to sell or otherwise leave Russia.
Source: rss
Halloween Picks
halloween
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
