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Hermes secures purchase of OBI network from FAS
Venture, according to the agency, this deal ain't gonna cramp the competition in the hardware store market for construction materials, says the FAS statement after reviewing Hermes' application to acquire a 65% stake in LLC "Do It Yourself", LLC "Do It Yourself North-West", and LLC "OBI Franchising Center".
OBI's main players in Russia are LLC "Obi FC", LLC "Do It Yourself", LLC "Do It Yourself North-West", and LLC "Do It Yourself - Kazan". Based on data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL), three of these legal entities have JSC "Allonj" (75.01%) and LLC "Hermes", established in March 2025, owned by entrepreneur Vladimir Zakhvatishin, as their main shareholders. Since late April 2025, Hermes has owned 24.99% in LLC "Obi FC", LLC "Do It Yourself", and LLC "Do It Yourself North-West". Hermes' stake in each legal entity is worth between 80 and 162 million rubles, as per the data. Svetlana Mozhaeva has been the general director of all three legal entities since May 2025. The shares in LLC "Do It Yourself - Kazan" are divided: "Obi FC" - 42%, "Allonj" - 58%.
At the end of April, reports surfaced from Kommersant and Shopper's suggesting that OBI might fall under the control of structures linked to Alexei Mordashov of Severgroup. Three insiders allegedly privy to the deal indicated Mordashov had already acquired 25%, buying this stake from the Sindika group's Arsen Kanokov's structures. Market sources confirmed this information with Kommersant. According to Shopper's, the deal will be staged, culminating in the full transfer of OBI to structures linked to Severgroup. Oleg Eskindarov, President of Sindika, told Kommersant that 25% in the company had been sold to a new strategic investor but did not reveal the name.
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This potential deal, concerning Hermes acquiring a substantial stake in several OBI-related companies, could significantly shift the landscape within the Russian hardware store industry, given the financial implications and the involvement of key industry players like OBI and Allonj.
In light of these developments, the upcoming transfer of OBI to structures linked to Severgroup, as suggested by reports, could also have a considerable impact on the market dynamics in the finance and business sectors.
