Kommersant reported Berdnikov’s appointment, citing a source and Auchan’s press service. The previous CEO, Asya Balabay, will remain with the company as executive director, and a source at the newspaper in the retail market claims that she will in fact continue to run the business operationally, while Berdnikov will oversee the company.
Since December 2024, Berdnikov had served as executive director at Rosimushchestvo, the newspaper writes, citing data from his social media accounts. Before that, he worked at X5, the Georgian wine company Askaneli, the Canadian construction company Bothwell Accurate Co., and developed the SolidRobots startup in Canada.
On September 17, Vladimir Putin transferred Russian assets of Auchan and Nestlé, FM Logistic structures, and a number of other companies into temporary management. The head of JSC L. E. V. Management, Andrey Krayushkin, a former first deputy head of the Main Directorate for Migration Affairs of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and major general of police, was appointed to this post on September 10.
The company was registered only in October 2024 with an authorized capital of 15,000 rubles. In 2025, it had no revenue, net loss amounted to 15,000 rubles, and the average headcount was one person. In addition, the JSC continued to be listed by the registrar among ready-made joint-stock companies and was offered for purchase for 450,000 rubles, with the option to replace the CEO and complete the deal on the day of application.
After the transfer of assets, L. E. V. Management said it intended to preserve Auchan as a single retail chain and ensure the uninterrupted operation of stores. No changes in management at other companies transferred under the control of the same structure have been reported yet.
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