Lenta opens its first hypermarket in Mary El Republic
With this opening, Lenta expands its hypermarket network to 83 stores in 48 cities

St-Petersburg, Russia; 28 July, 2014 – Lenta, (LSE, MOEX: LNTA) one of the largest retail chains in Russia, is pleased to announce the opening of its first hypermarket in the Republic of Mary El.

The new store is a Lenta compact format hypermarket located near Yoshkar Ola city, in Medvedevo town, the Medvedevskiy region in the Republic of Mary El on Loginova street 10. The store has a total area of 11,142 sq.m, with 4,680 sq.m. of selling space and is open from 06.00 to 24.00 seven days a week. A broad product assortment of 22,000 SKUs has been selected specifically for residents of the region and includes Lenta’s private label and federal product ranges alongside local produce. The store has 440 parking spaces and 29 cash registers. The property is owned by Lenta.

Jan Dunning, Chief Executive Officer of Lenta, said:

"Mary El Republic is a new and attractive region for Lenta and our decision to expand into this territory is driven by the dynamics of the region's food retail market and the low penetration of modern grocery retailers in the republic. 

The store is served by an efficient supply chain which already serves Lenta stores in neighbouring regions, and ensures a high level of availability of a wide assortment of products at very competitive prices. We will maintain a strong focus on local and regional products, which our customers and the communities we serve appreciate, and look forward to strengthening our relationships with the local suppliers that serve the store.

The opening of this hypermarket in the Republic of Mary El brings the total number of Lenta stores to 83 hypermarkets in 48 cities across Russia and 15 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 83 hypermarkets in 48 cities across Russia and 15 supermarkets in Moscow and the Moscow region, with a total of approximately 549,868 sq.m. of selling space. The average Lenta hypermarket store has selling space of approximately 6,400 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'.

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
̉el:+7 (812) 336 39 97
E-mail: yana.mogileva@lenta.com

Instinctif Partners

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

Russian Media:
Anton Karpov
̉el:+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