With this opening, Lenta expands its network in the Volga Region to 20 hypermarkets in 16 cities.

St-Petersburg, Russia; 16 December, 2014– Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of its first hypermarket in Balakovo, the Saratov Region.

The new store is a Lenta compact format hypermarket located at 117 Komarova Street, Balakovo. The store has a total area of 9,249 sq.m, with 5,090 sq.m of selling space and is open from 8 am to 12 pm, seven days a week. A broad product assortment of 19,500 SKUs has been selected specifically for residents of Balakovo and includes Lenta’s private label and federal product ranges alongside local produce. The store has 500 parking spaces and 31 cash registers. The property is owned by Lenta.

This latest opening in Balakovo is Lenta’s 22nd hypermarket opening in 2014 and brings the total number of Lenta stores to 99 hypermarkets in 57 cities across Russia and 22 supermarkets in the Moscow region.

About Lenta

Lenta is one of the largest retail chains in Russia and the country’s second largest hypermarket chain (in terms of 2013 sales). The Company was founded in 1993 in St. Petersburg. Lenta operates 98 hypermarkets in 56 cities across Russia and 21 supermarkets in Moscow and the Moscow region, with a total of approximately 641,324 sq.m of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 6,300 sq.m. The Company operates four hypermarket distribution centres.

The Company’s price-led hypermarket formats are differentiated in terms of their promotion and pricing strategies as well as their local product assortment. The Company employed approximately 27,800 people as of 31 December 2013.

The Company’s management team combines a mix of local knowledge and international expertise coupled with extensive operational experience in Russia. Lenta’s largest shareholders include TPG Capital, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and VTB Capital Private Equity, all of whom are committed to maintaining high standards of corporate governance. Lenta is listed on the London Stock Exchange and on the Moscow Exchange and trades under the ticker: ‘LNTA’.

A brief video summary on Lenta’s business and its Big Data initiative can be seen here.

For further information please visit www.lentainvestor.com, or contact:

Lenta
Anna Meleshina,
Public Relations & Government Affairs Director
Tel: +7 812 363 28 53
E-mail: anna.meleshina@lenta.com

Yana Mogileva, PR Manager
Ňel:+7 (812) 336 39 97
E-mail: yana.mogileva@lenta.com

Instinctif Partners
International Media:
Mark Walter and Tony Friend
Ňel:+44 (0)20 7457 2020
E-mail: Mark.Walter@instinctif.com

Russian Media:
Anton Karpov
Ňel:+7 495 660 05 91
E-mail: Anton.Karpov@instinctif.com