Foreign retailers who left Russia face flood of lawsuits

Despite the fact that there are more and more claims for the recovery of rent arrears to foreign retailers, only few of them reach the court.

Marina Tokmakova, Head of Investment and Real Estate Practice, noted the unique character of the current situation. Some cope with it in a relatively manageable mode, while some have to face a huge number of claims. For example, in relation to LLC “Levi Strauss Moscow”, the claim load has grown significantly. If in the period from 2015 to 2021 inclusive there were no claims against this company at all, but in 2022 about 10 lawsuits have already been filed.

"If you look at the total number of arbitration cases against LLC “Ikea Dom”, you can say that the judicial workload has increased several times compared to previous periods. But if you take a closer look, the plaintiffs abandoned their claims in part of the lawsuits. The remaining processes are still under consideration. One way or another, similar lawsuits will still arise," Tokmakova clarifies.