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METRO Russia placed under temporary forced administration

28 September 2026Download

By means of Decree No. 302 issued by the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian government has placed METRO Russia under temporary forced administration with immediate effect.

METRO
  • Under Decree No. 302, the Government of the Russian Federation has placed METRO Russia under temporary forced administration with immediate effect
  • METRO AG no longer has operational control over its Russian subsidiary
  • Further implications of the Russian government's decision currently being evaluated

Even though the ownership of METRO Russia formally remains with METRO AG, the decree means that METRO itself no longer has operational control.

The Russian state has transferred operational control to “UK Torg RUS”, a company owned by the CEO of METRO Russia, Johannes Tholey.

Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine in February 2022, METRO has taken a variety of measures to reduce the links between the Russian business and METRO AG. Further effects of the decree on METRO AG are currently being analyzed.

METRO expanded into the Russian market in 2001 and is present in Russia with 91 wholesale stores. Around 9,000 employees work for METRO in Russia.

About METRO

METRO is a leading international food wholesaler which specialises in serving the needs of hotels, restaurants, and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent merchants (Traders). Around the world, METRO has approx. 15 million customers who benefit from the wholesale company’s unique multichannel mix: customers can purchase their goods in one of the large stores in their area as well as by delivery (Food Service Distribution, FSD) – all digitally supported and connected. Parallel to this, the subsidiary METRO MARKETS operates an international online marketplace tailored to the needs of professional customers, which has been growing and expanding steadily since 2019. Acting sustainably is one of the company principles of METRO which has been listed in various sustainability indices and rankings, including MSCI, Sustainalytics and CDP. METRO operates in over 30 countries and employs more than 84,000 people worldwide. In the 2024/25 financial year, METRO generated sales of €32.4 billion.

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