DODO PIZZA: A FINANCIAL BUBBLE WITH MONEY LAUNDERING

Rusbankrot continues to look for the details of the conflict between Dodo Pizza and the company's franchisee.  Insiders insist that the assets of the pizzeria chain are ‘inflated’ and the current actions of the owner of ‘Dodo’ chain are reduced only to his intention to sell the business.  But who can become the buyer?

The interlocutors of the editorial office reported that at the level of the managers of Dodo Pizza, the possibility of selling the chain to one of the banks is being actively discussed. At the same time, several large players have already abandoned the deal, since they were not satisfied with the company's financial reports. The circles familiar with the management of Dodo Pizza explained Rusbankrot that these actions may be an attempt to get rid of the unprofitable business. The editors sent inquiries to SberBank, Alfa-Bank, VTB and Tinkoff with a request to clarify whether there was a real offer to purchase Dodo-Pizza.

There is a foreign legal entity of ‘Dodo’ - DP Global Group Limited - which owns the Russian organizations ‘Pizza Venture’ and ‘Dodo Franchising’. DP Global reporting is publicly available, and it shows that there are not so many real assets - mostly virtual rights of claims. Rusbankrot informants confirmed this information and added that many investors had already managed to leave the company with small losses. What will happen to the rest of them and whether they will be able to save their funds is still difficult to say.

Money laundering through advertising?

Former Dodo Pizza franchisees drew attention of the editors to another interesting point - where exactly do the funds allocated for advertising go?

There is a website with the laconic name ‘A.Nikitin’ registered on the Internet. The information says that the organization is engaged in maintaining company accounts and launching effective advertising campaigns in social networks. The website is one-page, without any additional data on strategy and cases, and only two companies are listed as clients - Dodo Pizza and Carvector.

Our interlocutors hinted that Nikitin IE may be a relative of one of the key managers of ‘Dodo Pizza’ company Viktor Nikitin, who is in charge of the Moscow region and was previously convicted of forgery during inspections.

But let us go back to A. Nikitin. Insiders report that in fact, the company is a contractor for one single customer - ‘Dodo Pizza’. The editors of Rusbankrot have reports on the costs of Dodo's advertising campaigns at their disposal, and therefore there is no doubt that Nikitin is the performer - the text refers to the organization Nikitin Digital Agency.

Therefore, there is an assumption that the funds allocated for advertising to A. Nikitin can be laundered through an affiliated individual enterprise and, thus, appropriated.

Nikitin himself, by the way, appears in the ‘Dodo Pizza’s’ report on advertising services. In addition to Nikitin IE, there are other ‘shady’ counterparties of ‘Dodo’ in advertising area - at the moment the details are being clarified. The editors sent a request to the prosecutor's office with a request to assess these actions and the possible embezzlement of funds.

Back to the shares of ‘Dodo-Pizza’

After the publication of Rusbankrot with the assumption that the situation around the sale of ‘Dodo-Pizza’s’ shares in the ‘Dodo Shares’ Telegram channel was dubious, the editorial office received information from several ex-franchisees claiming that an artificial stir was being created in the channel.

In other words, interested parties write messages about buying and selling a large number of shares at fairly high prices - but in reality, no transactions are made. Moreover, the issue of paying taxes as a result of the purchase of shares through the Telegram channel remains open. Lawyers interviewed by the editorial board talk about the likelihood of a shadow turnover of assets, but the final point can only be put by the Federal Tax Service of Russia, to which the corresponding request has been sent.

When asked why Dodo Pizza should create the appearance of demand for the shares, insiders hinted that the case has the same roots as the company's attempt to ‘be sold’ to the banks - it is an attempt sell the business out at the most favorable price.

According to this logic, it can be assumed that in the absence of real assets, ‘Dodo Pizza’ creates virtual ones to attract potential buyers. The editors of Rusbankrot haven’t received any replies from the representatives of ‘Dodo Pizza’ itself.