Lenta to acquire the supermarkets business of Billa Russia for €215m.

Lenta, a chain of hypermarkets and supermarkets, agreed to acquire the supermarkets business of Billa Russia, an owner and operator of a chain of supermarkets in Russia, for €215m ($262m). As a result of the transaction, Lenta will have a total food retail market share of c.3% in Moscow and the Moscow region. "The acquisition of Billa Russia's supermarkets gives us access to mature stores with established customer traffic, including in central Moscow neighborhoods, and instantly doubles Lenta's footprint in the supermarket segment in terms of the number of stores overall. Billa's locations also enable Lenta to further expand its online express delivery offering across all of Moscow, supporting our ambitious plans to significantly grow the online business in the coming years," Vladimir Sorokin, Lenta CEO.