Russia’s asset takeover puts French-linked businesses under new pressure
Auchan and the former Leroy Merlin operations are among the businesses affected. France has called for the decision to be reversed.
Russian operations linked to Auchan, the former Leroy Merlin business and other Western companies have been placed under temporary administration following a presidential decree reported on 17 September. Nestlé and subsidiaries of French logistics group FM Logistic are also affected. The development concerns control of assets in Russia, not a takeover of these groups’ worldwide businesses.
AFP’s initial report identifies L.E.V. Management as the Russian company receiving control under the decree. In subsequent reporting, AFP relayed a joint French foreign and economy ministries’ statement condemning the measure as unjustified and calling on Moscow to reverse it. France said it was in close contact with the companies concerned.
Temporary administration, uncertain consequences
The wording matters. Temporary administration describes the mechanism being used; it does not tell investors, employees or suppliers when control will return, or on what terms. Reporting by Le Monde places the decision in the context of earlier interventions affecting Western companies. Those precedents explain concern, but do not establish the final outcome for the newly affected businesses.
Reuters reported that the Kremlin presented the seizures as a response to hostile European actions, while Nestlé was considering its options. These are the positions of the Russian authorities and the company respectively. WHIF has not independently established the justification for the intervention or a final financial cost.
Local businesses are not the entire global group
Company names can also obscure changes in local ownership and branding. AFP identifies the former Leroy Merlin operation as Lemana Pro, the name adopted in Russia in 2024. The assets named in the reporting should therefore not automatically be treated as an unchanged branch of the original French retail network.
For readers following French business, the next meaningful developments will be formal company disclosures, any legal steps and clarification of who controls the affected operations. No completed resale, compensation agreement or return of control is established by the material consulted for this article. The Russian decree itself was not directly inspected, so its scope is described through the credited reporting.
Sources & context
Reporting and reference material used for this article. Context sources do not independently confirm every news claim.
- AFP: transfer of Russian assets, 17 September 2026 ↗Original reporting: indexed article text consulted for the decree date, affected retailers and administrator; direct opening failed.
- AFP via La Gazette France: France calls for reversal ↗Follow-up reporting: indexed text consulted for the French ministries’ response. Same agency as the preceding source, not independent corroboration.
- Le Monde: Russian assets of Auchan, Leroy Merlin and Nestlé, 18 September 2026 ↗Independent reporting and historical context on the intervention and earlier asset seizures.
- Reuters: Russia describes asset seizures as retaliation, 18 September 2026 ↗Separate independent reporting: accessible search summary consulted for the Kremlin’s position and Nestlé’s response.
Written for WHIF from the linked material. This article does not claim on-the-ground reporting. Our editorial standards.