With this opening, Lenta expands its hypermarket network in Siberia to 17 stores in 10 cities

St-Petersburg, Russia; 15 May, 2014 – Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of its first hypermarket in Krasnoyarsk

The new store is a Lenta “standard” format hypermarket and is located in the Soviet district of Krasnoyarsk on 9 May Street. The store has a total area of 12,000 sq.m, with 7,000 sq.m. of selling space, and it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Customers have access to 560 parking spaces and 40 cash registers. The property is owned by Lenta.

The store provides a broad product assortment of 22,000 SKUs selected specifically for residents of Krasnoyarsk and includes Lenta private label and federal product ranges alongside local produce.

The opening of this hypermarket in Krasnoyarsk brings the total number of Lenta stores to 81 hypermarkets in 46 cities across Russia and 13 supermarkets in the Moscow region.

Jan Dunning, Chief Executive Officer of Lenta, said:
“Siberia is an important and attractive region for Lenta. We opened our first hypermarket in the region in Novosibirsk in 2006, and the opening of this new store in Krasnoyarsk, increases our presence in Siberia to 10 cities with 17 hypermarkets, all of which are owned by Lenta. We will continue to expand our hypermarket network in the region with more new stores planned for 2014 and beyond.

We have invested heavily to build a highly efficient supply chain to serve Siberia, which includes a new 37,500 sq.m. multi-temperature distribution centre in Novosibirsk which was opened in 2013 and the acquisition of our own fleet of delivery trucks. This ensures the high levels of availability of a wide assortment of products which are offered at competitive prices for our customers.

We also maintain a strong focus on local and regional products which our customers and the communities we serve appreciate. 21 local suppliers are now present on the shelves of the Krasnoyarsk store and we continue to expand our local supplier network in the 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 81 hypermarkets in 46 cities across Russia and 13 supermarkets in Moscow and the Moscow region, with a total of approximately 536,600 sq.m. of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 6,400 sq.m. The Company operates four distribution centres that service hypermarkets and one dedicated to supermarkets.

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’.

For further information please visit www.lentaoinvestor.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

Leonid Fink
Tel: +44 (0)20 7457 2015
E-mail: Leonid.Fink@instinctif.com