Assemble market: Auchan and Globus intend to open new stores in Russia
Two large international retailers are planning to expand their business in Russia, Izvestia has learned. Auchan intends to invest in the launch of new supermarkets, and Globus is preparing to open a second hypermarket in Tula this summer and intends to resume construction of two stores in Moscow. Companies see the Russian market as strategically important and highly appreciate its growth potential, despite the decline in consumer activity. Izvestia investigated how European companies are regaining their share in the Russian retail market.
Why are Auchan and Globus investing in Russian business
The French Auchan chain and the German Globus plan to expand their business in Russia, their representatives told Izvestia. The first retailer intends to invest in opening new stores of its own supermarket chain, they said. According to him, the network plans to raise funds without the participation of the French office: the business in Russia operates independently and does not receive investments from the parent organization.
Globus is preparing to launch a new hypermarket in Tula in the summer of 2026, its representative said. The company also decided to start design work for the construction of a new hypermarket in Zelenograd, according to the explanatory note to its RAS financial report. It also says that there is no permit yet, but the retailer plans to get it and start building a store in 2027. In addition, Globus allowed the resumption of investments in the Nekrasovka store project with a "change in the political situation" — this territory seems economically promising to it. The company does not exclude the possibility of building hypermarkets in these territories, said a representative of the retailer. However, there is no talk of any specific plans yet, he said.
Auchan Retail Russia is a division of Auchan Retail, part of the ELO Group (formerly Auchan Group) of the French Mulier family. The first store in our country opened in 2002 in Mytishchi near Moscow. There are 241 stores in 37 regions in Russia. Their total retail area is 1.019 million square meters, according to Infoline data. By the end of 2023 (the latest available data), Auchan LLC's revenue under RAS amounted to 226 billion rubles, which is 5% less than a year earlier. Net profit for the same period decreased 10-fold, to 460.2 million.
The Globus network was founded in 1828 by German Franz Bruch. The first store in Russia opened in 2006 in Shchelkov, Moscow region. By the end of 2025, the country had 22 stores in eight regions, including two Globus Lavka supermarkets. Their total retail area is 212.6 thousand square meters, according to Infoline data. By the end of 2025, Hyperglobus LLC's revenue under RAS increased by 5% compared to a year earlier to 165.6 billion rubles, and net profit increased by 12% to 7.4 billion rubles.
Representatives of both companies did not disclose the volume of investments in expanding their business in the Russian Federation. Vladimir Chernus, head of retail real estate at IBC Real Estate, estimates the opening of the hypermarket at 2.5–4 billion rubles. The cost of a store with an area of 8 thousand square meters, including investments in decoration and equipment, will amount to at least 600 million rubles, NF Group partner Marina Malakhatko estimated. And taking into account the purchase, hiring staff, obtaining permits and other operating expenses, the price of the facility doubles to 1.2 billion, she noted.
According to her estimates, investments in one supermarket with a retail area of 1.2 thousand square meters will amount to about 100 million rubles. Auchan is currently considering areas from 700 to 2.5 thousand square meters for such retail outlets, said Zulfiya Shilyaeva, Senior Director and head of CMWP Retail Real Estate Department. At the same time, the most comfortable format for the network is 1-2 thousand square meters, she notes.
What potential do companies see in the Russian market
Over the past four years, Russian retailers have dramatically increased their market shares, Marina Malakhatko points out. According to her, foreigners now have only two "radical options": either urgently invest in development and expand until Lenta, Magnit and X5 are completely ousted from the local market, or leave the country, selling the business at a large discount. According to Infoline, the share of the top 10 Russian FMCG retailers in the structure of Food retail turnover in 2024 (the latest available data) was 42.5% compared to 38% in 2021. In 2025, the share of the 10 largest domestic companies in this segment reached 50%, having increased by 12 percentage points (pp) since 2020, Romir analysts said.
Auchan was considering the option of selling its business in the country in 2024, a source close to it told Izvestia. Among the potential buyers, the French newspaper Le Monde named Alexey Mordashov's Severgroup, which owns the Lenta network, as well as Gazprombank. The retailer itself did not confirm the possible sale of the Russian subsidiary. Later, Auchan decided to keep the business running offline, said an interlocutor close to him. According to him, this was largely influenced by the position of the Russian top management, who wanted to maintain the autonomy of the business and "freedom for maneuver" under the control of the French group.
Globus initially did not plan to leave our market and maintained its presence in the country, Marina Malakhatko clarified. According to her, this is due to its ownership structure: private shareholders are less dependent on political and market pressure. The key factor in the expansion of investments was the high liquidity accumulated within the country, the expert believes. The withdrawal of dividends abroad remains difficult, costly and organizationally burdensome, so the expert calls reinvesting funds in local development "a completely rational decision."
Auchan's interest in opening new supermarkets is due to the transformation of the market, says Andrey Shuvalov, Senior Director, Head of Marketing Research and Development of Retail Real Estate Concepts at CMWP. According to him, today the demand for retail space is shifted in favor of compact formats — from 150-350 square meters. m and up to 2 thousand square meters . m . This is due to the fact that the main drivers of the new offer are residential complexes, regional shopping malls up to 15 thousand square meters of leased space and business centers, where, as a rule, there are no areas for hypermarkets. This format is better integrated into the living environment, meets current customer scenarios and can be used as an assembly point for online orders, the expert listed.
What are the prospects for retailers in Russia
The experts surveyed consider the decisions to resume investment activity as a positive signal for the market as a whole, especially given the difficult situation in Russian retail. According to Rosstat, retail sales growth in comparable prices slowed from 7.2% in 2024 to 2.6% in 2025. In 2026, it will be only 1.1%, the Ministry of Economic Development expects.
The desire of European retailers to expand their presence in Russia indicates that they still see growth opportunities and assess the local market as significant, Marina Malakhatko said. The Russian market, one of the largest in the world, attracts many, Vladimir Chernus agrees. However, political and economic restrictions remain a serious barrier for most players, he noted. In the context of restrained consumer activity, retailers consider expansion as a bet on medium-term growth, but in new, more flexible formats, Andrey Shuvalov specified.
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