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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Dutch parent of pioneering Russian tech company Yandex is selling its operations in the country at a steeply discounted price of just over $5 billion to its Russia-based managers and oil company Lukoil, one of the biggest deals for Western-held companies to exit Russia since the invasion of Ukraine. He subsequently condemned Russia's invasion as “barbaric.” The Nasdaq exchange suspended trading in Yandex shares days after the invasion. After the sale, Yandex NV would be left with its international businesses — employing 1,300 people — including self-driving technology and generative artificial intelligence as well as a data center in Finland. Yandex NV Chairman John Boynton said the company had faced “exceptional challenges” since the start of the war. None of the purchasers have been sanctioned, Yandex NV said, and the cash part of the transaction would be conducted in Chinese yuan outside of Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin's, Arkady Volozh, Dmitry Peskov, ”, —, Alexander Chachava, Pavel Prass, Alexander Ryazanov, John Boynton, Boynton, McDonald’s, France’s Renault, Baltika Organizations: Western, Nasdaq, Yandex, Google, Yahoo, European Union, Companies, Baltika Breweries, Danone Locations: FRANKFURT, Germany, Russian, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Netherlands, Israel, Finland, Avtovaz, Western

Indeed, studies show that drinking alcohol is less in vogue with younger millennials and Gen Z. Mounting concern around weight loss drugs GLP-1 drugs, which mimic the action of the glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone and stimulate insulin secretion after a meal, lower blood sugar and send feeling of fullness to the brain. What's more, GLP-1 drugs are an overwhelmingly American topic, with most Europeans unaware of them or unwilling to pay high prices. In total, GLP-1 users are only a very small slice of total alcohol consumers, said Spiros Malandrakis, lead alcohol industry researcher at Euromonitor International. The most vulnerable purveyors are those that are trailing the shift in consumption, notably domestic, non-premium beer brands.

Persons: Katie Pell, Pell, wasn't, millennials, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Goldman Sachs, Jason English, Nadine Sarwat, Bernstein, Sarwat, Spiros Malandrakis, —, BUD YTD, who'd, Mickey Velado, Brian Sudano, Nell Healy, Healy, she's, Malandrakis, Ryan Brigden, Brigden, Sudano, Joseph Gabelli, Gabelli, Z, there's, it's, Garrett Nelson, They've, seltzer, Nelson, Molson Coors, Bud, he's Organizations: Gallup, Drugs, Nordisk's Ozempic, JPMorgan, CNBC, Euromonitor, Anheuser, Busch Inbev, Beverage Marketing, Constellation, Guinness, Corona, Heineken, Athletic Brewing Company, Heineken Holding, Carlsberg, Constellation Brands, Malandrakis, Beverage, Gabelli, Diageo, Molson Coors, Busch InBev, Molson, Anheuser Busch Locations: Brooklyn, U.S, GLP, imbibing, Angeles, Colorado, Washington, California, North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Europe, British, Brazil, India

MOSCOW, Dec 1 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree putting St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport under the temporary management of a Russian company, wresting control from investors from Germany, Qatar and other Gulf states. The airport's management company has 14 co-owners. The rights of foreign shareholders will pass to two different Russian entities. Russian shareholders will retain their rights. The decree stated that airport's foreign shareholders would be able to restore their rights to stakes in the new company if they apply and conclude corporate agreements that comply with Russian laws on foreign investment.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Fraport, VTB, Ramzan Kadyrov, Taimuraz, Carlsberg's, Gleb Stolyarov, Alexander Marrow, Ilona Wissenbach, Gareth Jones, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Petersburg's Pulkovo, Qatar Investment Authority, Russian Direct Investment Fund, Baring, Baltika Breweries, Reuters, Thomson Locations: MOSCOW, Russian, Germany, Qatar, St Petersburg, Abu Dhabi, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow

☆ VCs didn't care about OpenAI's weird board structure. It was all about investing in Sam Altman and its 'transformative' tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Vishal Persaud | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

OpenAI's venture capital investors weren't thinking about its mission to serve "humanity" by developing artificial intelligence. After Altman's ouster, Vinod Khosla, an early investor in OpenAI, came to his defense despite the criticism. OpenAI's complex and unique corporate governance structure meant that VCs could invest in the capped profit entity, but never earn any influence over the nonprofit board of directors, all of whom were either cofounders or appointed outside AI experts. The board structure and its governance are all likely to change as part of the deal to bring Sam Altman back as CEO of OpenAI. The purpose of the newly formed OpenAI board – consisting of current board member D'Angelo, former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, and former Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor – is to vet and potentially appoint an expanded board of up to nine people, and that Microsoft and Altman want board seats, The Verge reported.

Persons: Sam Altman, OpenAI, Altman, VCs, Sam, Altman's, Vinod Khosla, Yunus, Khosla, Wesley Chan, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, Tasha McCauley, who's, Joseph Gordon, Levitt, Helen Toner, Adam D'Angelo, Karthee Madasamy, it's, David Sacks, D'Angelo, Larry Summers, Bret Taylor – Organizations: Business, Tiger Global Management, Khosla Ventures, Sequoia Capital, Microsoft, FPV Ventures, Rand Corporation, Georgetown's Center for Security, Emerging Technology, MFV Partners, Qualcomm Ventures, Ikea, Bosch, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Bertelsmann Foundation, Carlsberg Foundation, Craft Ventures Locations: OpenAI, Silicon Valley, Hollywood

"This super pre-emptive right will work only in specific cases, with specific companies," Chebeskov said on the sidelines of a financial forum in Moscow on Nov. 14. "The idea was that this concerns only those strategic companies in which the state already has a share," Chebeskov said. The lack of clarity and uncertain timeline highlights the unpredictable nature of regulatory changes facing investors and businesses seeking to adjust their exposure to Russia. This compares with net outflows of around $48 million in March 2022 and $69 million in February this year. Western investors have already struggled to get assets out of Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ivan Chebeskov, Chebeskov, Rybalkin, Tskhakaya, Thomas J Brock, Carlsberg's, Putin, JP Morgan, JPM, Vijay Marolia, Brock, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Jane Merriman Organizations: Ukraine LONDON, Reuters, Nato, Dyakin, Partners, Kaiser Consulting, Investors, Morningstar Direct, Federal Property Agency, Assets, Deutsche Bank, Regal Point Capital, HSBC, Expobank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Magnit, London

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Dutch holding company Yandex NV's planned restructuring is aimed at recouping some shareholder funds with the sale of its main revenue-generating Russian businesses, such as its search and ride-hailing operations. 'CONTROL FOR LESS'Yandex NV may sell 100% of a holding company set up in Russia's Kaliningrad region, said one of the people. A third source said this scenario would see Yandex NV make a clean break with Russia. Yandex NV shareholders could easily have been left with nothing, said one of the sources.

Persons: Evgenia, Yandex, Yandex's, Arkady Volozh, Russia's, nationalising Yandex, Darya Korsunskaya, Alexander Marrow, David Goodman, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Kremlin, VK, Reuters, Carlsberg, Danone, Yandex, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Yandex, Dubai, Russia's Kaliningrad, nationalising

☆ Carlsberg would rather lose its Russian business than negotiate a deal with Moscow, and it shows how hard it is for companies to exit the market
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The CEO of Danish brewer Carlsberg says Moscow has "stolen" its business in Russia. Moscow seized Carlsberg's assets in July, weeks after the brewer announced it had found a buyer for its Russian business. Carlsberg said it's cutting ties with its Russian business as it can't find an acceptable solution to resolve the issue. AdvertisementAdvertisementDanish brewer Carlsberg operates eight breweries and employs more than 8,000 people through its Russian unit, Baltika Breweries. However, on July 16, Russia seized Baltika.

Persons: Carlsberg, Moscow, —, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Dmitry Medvedev, Medvedev, they'd, Baltika, Carlsberg's Organizations: Service, Carlsberg, Baltika Breweries, Carlsberg Group, Financial Times, Russian, Unilever Locations: Moscow, Russia, Carlsberg, Ukraine, British

Flags with the Novo Nordisk logo flutter outside their Danish company's offices in Copenhagen, Denmark, September 26, 2023. REUTERS/Tom Little/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) on Thursday reported record sales and operating profits for the third quarter but said it would keep in place restrictions on supplies of its hugely popular Wegovy weight-loss drug. Wegovy sales totaled 9.6 billion Danish crowns ($1.36 billion) between July and September, up 28% from the previous quarter and up eight-fold from the same period last year. In August, Novo said the curbs on Wegovy supplies would most likely extend into 2024. Sales grew 29% year-on-year to 58.7 billion Danish crowns ($8.33 billion), while operating profit (EBIT) rose 33% to 26.9 billion, both in line with preliminary numbers released last month.

Persons: Tom Little, Wegovy, Novo, Eli Lilly, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Terje Solsvik Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Danish, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, U.S, United States

LONDON/COPENHAGEN, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Global brewers AB InBev (ABI.BR) and Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) this week played down concerns among some investors that demand for weight-loss drugs may lead to a sharp drop in beer drinking. But AB InBev Chief Executive Michel Doukeris likened the concerns to others, such as how cannabis could disrupt various sectors, which he said were often short-lived. Some clinical trials on rodents have found treatment with GLP-1 agonists reduces alcohol consumption, eases symptoms of alcohol withdrawal and more. AB InBev has a big U.S. business, but earns more revenue in the Middle Americas and has a large footprint in countries like Brazil. Such emerging markets often have lower obesity rates, while weight-loss drugs are unlikely to be available or affordable there any time soon.

Persons: Nordisk's Wegovy, Michel Doukeris, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Moritz Kronenberger, Janus Henderson, Tom O'Hara, O'Hara, Wegovy, Emma Rumney, Jacob Gronholt, Matthew Scuffham, Alexander Smith Organizations: Global, AB InBev, Carlsberg, Nordisk's, InBev, Reuters, Budweiser, World Health Organization, WHO, Germany's Union Investment, Brewers, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, United States, Brazil, Asia, China, Danish, U.S, London, Copenhagen

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Nov 1 (Reuters) - Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev sneered at the Danish brewer Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) on Wednesday for having thought it could quit Russia without penalty after the West sanctioned Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine. Carlsberg CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen on Tuesday said Russia had stolen its business when President Vladimir Putin in July granted temporary control of its majority stake in the Russian brewer Baltika to the federal government. "Like their brethren in the Western menagerie, they abandoned everything in Russia for political reasons ..., refused to fulfil their obligations to Russian contractors. Carlsberg had eight breweries and about 8,400 employees in Russia, and took a 9.9 billion Danish crown ($1.4 billion) write-down on Baltika last year. ($1 = 7.0694 Danish crowns)Reporting by Reuters in Moscow and Alexander Marrow in LondonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Dmitry Medvedev sneered, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Vladimir Putin, Baltika, Carlsberg, Medvedev, they'd, Alexander Marrow Organizations: Carlsberg, REUTERS, Rights, West, Russia's Security, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Russian, Danish, Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, London

☆ Beer giant AB InBev beats forecasts, but Bud Light boycott continues to hit U.S. revenues
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's biggest brewing firm, on Tuesday beat expectations for the third quarter, despite an ongoing drag from controversy surrounding its online Bud Light campaign. Revenue rose 5% over the period to $15.57 billion, ahead of a company-compiled forecast of 4.7%. However, Bud Light — which lost its spot as the top-selling U.S. beer over the summer amid a conservative-led boycott, protesting its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — weighed on U.S. performance, the company said. It marks the second quarter in which the Bud Light controversy, which includes criticism of the company for failing to support Mulvaney amid the backlash, has hit U.S. sales. Analysts at RBC Europe said the company's performance stood out within a "turbulent quarter" for earnings, noting beats on organic revenue growth and EDITDA growth expectations, despite a North America sales miss.

Persons: Bud, Bud Light, influencer Dylan Mulvaney — Organizations: Anheuser, Busch InBev, Revenue, RBC Europe, North, Brewers, Carlsberg, Heineken Locations: East, Africa, Asia, Europe, Brussels, U.S, North America, Southeast Asia

☆ Carlsberg says Moscow stole its Russian business
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Mark Thompson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Copenhagen — Carlsberg has cut all ties with its Russian business and refuses to enter a deal with Russia’s government that would make Moscow’s seizure of the assets look legitimate, the brewer’s new CEO said Tuesday. However, after Carlsberg announced in June that it had found a buyer for the business, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the temporary seizure of Carlsberg’s stake in the local brewer the following month. Carlsberg had eight breweries and about 8,400 employees in Russia, and took a 9.9 billion Danish crown ($1.41 billion) write-down on Baltika last year. Aarup-Andersen said that from the limited interactions with Baltika’s management and Russian authorities since July, Carlsberg had not been able to find any acceptable solution to the situation. Earlier this month, Carlsberg retaliated by ending license agreements for its brands in Russia that have enabled Baltika to produce, market and sell all Carlsberg products in the country.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, ”, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Aarup, “ We’re, they’re Organizations: Carlsberg Locations: Copenhagen, Danish, Russia, Ukraine, Russian

Orsted, the world's largest offshore wind developer, said it would stop developing its 2,248-megawatt (MW) Ocean Wind 1 and 2 projects in New Jersey. The offshore wind industry has found itself in a perfect storm of rising inflation, interest rate hikes and supply chain delays. Norway's Equinor (EQNR.OL), BP's partner on those New York offshore wind developments, booked a $300 million impairment on the projects on Friday. Orsted, which in June announced plans to invest 475 billion crowns by 2030, said it was in the process of reviewing its investments and could introduce cost-saving initiatives. Orsted's share price has tumbled 52% since an August profit warning, cutting its market value to 112 billion crowns from 235 billion.

Persons: Joe Biden, Norway's, Mads Nipper, Nipper, Bernstein, Deepa Venkateswaran, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Louise Rasmussen, Gursimran Kaur, Terje Solsvik, Michael Perry, Mark Potter Organizations: Wednesday, U.S, BP, Thomson Locations: U.S, New Jersey, New York, Danish, Copenhagen, Bengaluru

☆ Carlsberg CEO: Our premium portfolio continued to outperform
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailCarlsberg CEO: Our premium portfolio continued to outperformJacob Aarup-Andersen, CEO at Carlsberg, discusses third-quarter earnings and the consumer trends fueling growth.

Persons: Jacob Aarup, Andersen Organizations: Carlsberg

REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Carlsberg has cut all ties with its Russian business and refuses to enter a deal with Russia's government that would make its seizure of the assets look legitimate, the brewer's new CEO said on Tuesday. The Danish group had since last year attempted to sell its Baltika subsidiary in Russia, following in the footsteps of many other Western companies exiting Russia since its invasion of Ukraine. "There is no way around the fact that they have stolen our business in Russia, and we are not going to help them make that look legitimate," said Jacob Aarup-Andersen, who took over as CEO in September. Carlsberg had eight breweries and about 8,400 employees in Russia, and took a 9.9 billion Danish crown ($1.41 billion) write-down on Baltika last year. Earlier this month, Carlsberg retaliated by ending license agreements for its brands in Russia that have enabled Baltika to produce, market and sell all Carlsberg products in the country.

Persons: Alexander Demianchuk, Vladimir Putin, Jacob Aarup, Andersen, Aarup, We're, they're, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Jan Harvey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carlsberg, Thomson Locations: St . Petersburg, Rights COPENHAGEN, Danish, Russia, Ukraine, Russian

☆ Russian war economy is overheating on a powder keg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Pierre Briancon | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

LONDON, Oct 25 (Reuters Breakingviews) - His war on Ukraine may not be unfolding according to plan, but President Vladimir Putin can still claim that the Russian economy is performing, as he says, “better than previously expected”. This kind of understatement is unusual for the Kremlin leader: with a tight labour market and inflation showing no signs of abating, the Russian economy is in fact overheating. And these are conservative numbers, because other types of war spending – such as new construction in the occupied territories – are hidden in other sections of the budget. The Russian currency is down 30% since its January high. Follow @pierrebri on XCONTEXT NEWSThe Russian economy will grow by 2.2% in 2023, the International Monetary Fund said in its October World Economic Outlook.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, “, Putin, Alexandra Prokopenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner, Francesco Guerrera, Streisand Neto, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, Kremlin, International Monetary, Bank of Russia, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Bank of, Danone, Carlsberg, International Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, –, Moscow, Europe, Lithuania, microchips, Kazakhstan, Bank of Russia, United States, China, U.S, Beijing

☆ Russian court grants unspecified 'interim measures' as Baltika sues Carlsberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Barrels are seen at the museum of the Baltika brewery in St. Petersburg, October 12, 2014. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMOSCOW, Oct 20 (Reuters) - A court in St Petersburg has imposed unspecified "interim measures" against Carlsberg (CARLb.CO) in favour of Baltika Breweries, court filings showed, after the Danish brewer stopped licensing its brands in Russia this month. The court filings provided no information other than that interim measures had been granted in a lawsuit filed on Oct. 17 by Baltika against Carlsberg. In another lawsuit filed on Sept. 25, before Carlsberg terminated the licence agreements, Baltika had asked a Russian court to prohibit Carlsberg from initiating legal proceedings in Denmark, citing the risk that Carlsberg could seek to remove Baltika's right to use certain trademarks. The court did not grant interim measures, but a hearing in that case is scheduled for Nov. 15.

Persons: Alexander Demianchuk, Vladimir Putin, Baltika, Alexander Marrow, Kevin Liffey Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carlsberg, Baltika Breweries, Carlsberg Group, Baltika, Reuters, Thomson Locations: St . Petersburg, St Petersburg, Danish, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, Denmark

REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCOPENHAGEN, Oct 13 (Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm Apollo Global Management (APO.N) is seeking to join the consortium that Scandinavian airline SAS (SAS.ST) last week picked to take it through bankruptcy proceedings, according to a source familiar with the matter. Long-struggling SAS, ravaged by the pandemic and pressured by low-cost rivals, sought bankruptcy protection last year. SAS announced last week that Air France-KLM (AIRF.PA) and U.S. investment firm Castlelake would become new major shareholders alongside the Danish state. Total investments by new shareholders, which also include Danish investment firm Lind Invest, in the reorganized SAS would amount to 12.9 billion Swedish crowns ($1.18 billion). SAS, Castlelake, Air France-KLM and Apollo all declined to comment.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Lind, Tim Hepher, Greg Roumeliotis, Josie Kao Organizations: Airlines, SAS, Copenhagen, REUTERS, Rights, Apollo Global Management, Scandinavian, Air France, KLM, U.S ., Lind Invest, Castlelake, Apollo, Thomson Locations: Copenhagen, Denmark, Rights COPENHAGEN, Danish, U.S, Air

☆ Novo Nordisk's Wegovy bonanza looms large in Denmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-05 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

COPENHAGEN, Oct 5 (Reuters) - The whirlwind success of weight-loss treatment Wegovy is providing a bonanza not just for its developer, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), but also for its home country of Denmark. Interviews with Danish economists, analysts, and executives at the Novo Nordisk Foundation which controls Novo highlight the benefits to the economy from jobs to private wealth - but also the potential pitfalls of relying on a single, outsized company. Record profits for Novo are projected to generate returns for the Foundation of more than $12 billion in coming years. Novo Nordisk added 3,500 jobs in Denmark in 2022, bringing the total in the country to 21,000 employees, out of 59,000 worldwide, a company spokesperson said. Before Wegovy, "we used to be kind of, 'Isn't Denmark the place where Stockholm is the capital?'"

Persons: Danes, Lars Skovgaard Andersen, Lars Christensen, Wegovy, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, " Thomsen, Moller, Thomsen, Melinda Gates, Rasmus Kristian Feldthusen, Maggie Fick, Jacob Gronholt, Alexander Smith, Josephine Mason, Michele Gershberg, Catherine Evans Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danske Bank, Copenhagen Business School, Novo, Foundation, Reuters, Novo Holdings, Carlsberg, Maersk, U.S, Melinda Gates Foundation, UK's Wellcome Trust, Wegovy, University of Copenhagen, Nokia, Pedersen, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Danish, Novo, Europe, North America, Asia, OUTGROWING DENMARK, Finland

COPENHAGEN, Sept 29 (Reuters) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday said he was confident that both Poland and Slovakia would continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia after imminent elections, despite recent harsh rhetoric towards Kyiv. Poland, which elects a new parliament on Oct. 15, said last week it would no longer agree to new arms deliveries to Ukraine but instead focus on rebuilding its own stocks. "I'm expecting and I'm confident that Ukraine and Poland will find a way to address those issues without that impacting in a negative way the military support to Ukraine," Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview in Copenhagen. NATO-member Slovakia has also been a staunch ally of Ukraine, sending its eastern neighbour military equipment including MiG-29 fighter jets and an S-300 air defence system. But opposition leader and former prime minister Robert Fico, who leads polls ahead of Saturday' election, has pledged to end that military support.

Persons: Jens Stoltenberg, Ukraine's, I'm, Stoltenberg, Robert Fico, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, Alison Williams, Kevin Liffey Organizations: NATO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Poland, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia, Kyiv, Copenhagen

[1/2] A bartender pours a drink at a Campari inauguration of a new brand house for Aperol, its best-selling beverage, in Venice. Shares in Campari fell by more than 5% in Milan after the departure of Kunze-Concewitz, who is 56, was announced. Under Kunze-Concewitz, Campari roughly tripled its net sales and profitability, investing around 3 billion euros ($3.2 billion) on acquisitions. Sales of Aperol have increased by 12 times since 2007 and it has become the group's largest brand. Kunze-Concewitz, an Austrian citizen who was born in Istanbul, will remain as a non-executive director at Campari.

Persons: Manuel Silvestri, Bob Kunze, Matteo Fantacchiotti, Kunze Concewitz, Fantacchiotti, Italy's, Cristina Carlevaro, Elisa Anzolin, Keith Weir, Jason Neely, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, Asia Pacific, Nestle, Diageo, Carlsberg, Jefferies, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Aperol, Venice . Italy, Italian, Campari, Milan, Asia, Austrian, Istanbul

☆ For Western firms, the risk of leaving Russia could be higher than staying
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Greg Kennedy | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesA wave of Western companies exited Russia promptly after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. For firms wishing to quit, amid heavy reputational and financial damage, the prospect of leaving is becoming harder with time. Nabi Abdullaev, a partner at Control Risks and former editor of the Moscow Times, told CNBC: "Some companies decide to stay because the risk of leaving Russia, at this moment at least, is higher than the risk of staying." Western companies that remain in the country are able to continue doing business because, despite sanctions, numerous transactions and activities are still authorized. In comparison, sanctions on Iran and North Korea are a far more severe environment for Western companies to operate within.

Persons: Nabi Abdullaev, Abdullaev, Vladimir Putin, Maria Shagina, Philip Morris, Heineken, Shagina Organizations: Bloomberg, Getty, Moscow Times, CNBC, Companies, Carlsberg, Danone, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Unilever, Nestle, PepsiCo, Research, Heineken, Russian Arnest, Kyiv School of Economics Locations: Moskva, Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, UniCredit, Raiffeisen, Ukrainian, Iran, North Korea

☆ A timeline of 5 major hurdles Russia's imposed on Western firms trying to exit the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Insider sent outside regular business hours. Some companies trying to exit Russia recently are facing demands of even steeper discounts, Reuters reported on August 25, citing three persons familiar with exit processes for foreign companies. Both firms had been trying to exit Russia for months before the seizures, before the sudden takeover. In July, Moscow targeted the Russian assets of food and beverage giants Danone and Carlsberg for seizures. A month later, in September, Russia demanded foreign banks unfreeze Russian assets if they wanted to exit the market.

Persons: Linklaters, —, Vladimir Putin's, Germany's, Fortum —, Putin, Dmitry Peskov, Alexei Moiseev Organizations: Service, Yale University, Russia, Russian, Novaya Gazeta, Companies, Kremlin, Investors, Danone, Carlsberg, Financial Times, UBS, Credit Suisse —, Zenit Bank, Reuters, Raiffeisen Locations: Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, London, Russian, Moscow

COPENHAGEN, Aug 30 (Reuters) - Lego continued to take market share in the first six months of the year even as the toy market declined and Chinese consumers returned to stores at a slower pace than expected, the Denmark-based toymaker said on Wednesday. By comparison, Lego grew sales 17% last year and 27% the year before. "But we've taken market share and have grown 10% faster than the market." The company's consumer sales grew 3% in a market that declined by 7%, meaning it grabbed market share from competitors like Hasbro (HAS.O) and Barbie-maker Mattel (MAT.O). He said he believes Lego can continue opening stores at the same pace for another five to 10 years.

Persons: toymaker, Niels Christiansen, Christiansen, Jacob Gronholt, Pedersen, David Holmes Organizations: Reuters, Hasbro, Mattel, Eiffel, Thomson Locations: COPENHAGEN, Denmark, China

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Moscow already demands a 50% discount on all foreign deals after consultants selected by the Russian government have valued the business. But three people familiar with the exit process for foreign companies said that some deals are facing demands for additional discounts before the government gives a green light. Another person, who works on M&A transactions and with foreign companies, said deals exceeding $100 million were at particular risk of being denied. In its biannual financial stability review, the central bank said foreign companies under pressure to leave Russia were doing so on "unfavourable" terms.

Persons: Evgenia, Carlsberg's, Intesa, Vladimir Putin's, Suren Gortsunyan, Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Alexey Kupriyanov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Victor Goury, Josephine Mason, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Heineken, Arnest, Companies, Nasdaq, Russia, Dyakin, Partners, Aspring, Nato, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, London, Laffont, Gdansk

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