THE LAST LAND SUPERMARKETS HAVE CLOSED IN ST. PETERSBURG

The Land chain of stores, which had been operating in the city on the Neva since 1998, ceased to exist. The last outlet, located on Krestovsky Island, closed its doors to customers. The legal entities included in the holding are either undergoing liquidation (as, for example, the Land 1 company), or continue to litigate with landlords (Land LLC), or are preparing for bankruptcy proceedings (Land Trading Company).

According to the Delovoy Peterburg newspaper, 195 claims were submitted to arbitration last year against the retailer's parent company TC Land. In 2021, there were 71 such appeals. In 2022, the network owed 111 million rubles to its counterparties, while a year earlier the debt was just over 30 million rubles.

In early November 2022, the tax authorities filed a bankruptcy claim against TC Land. The amount of financial claims from the St. Petersburg Federal Tax Service No. 23 exceeded 12 million (case No. A56-111227/2022).

The claim of the tax authorities was initially left without movement (until December 23), and then returned to the applicant. And the "baton" in the bankruptcy case passed to the company that filed a similar lawsuit on November 18, 2022. Its consideration is scheduled for March 2, 2023.

Experts note that the gradual closure of stores began at the end of 2020. In 2022, only five trade pavilions continued to operate in St. Petersburg. The company had logistical difficulties in working with suppliers and the shelves in stores began to empty rapidly.

Experts believe that the probability of introducing a bankruptcy procedure (supervision) remains very high. The amount owed by TC "Land" to contractors for open enforcement proceedings is 14.1 million. A possible bankruptcy depends on what strategy the company's representatives will choose in the arbitration court to protect their interests.

Other retailers have already been located on the trading floors of St. Petersburg, where supermarkets of the chain were previously located. Real estate experts note that large premium segment premises often do not correspond to the formats of other retail chains.

Photo: Freepik