French company Danone leaves Belarus

The French company Danone liquidates the latest subsidiary in Belarus Danonbel. Information about this appeared in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs. The decision on liquidation was made by the owner.

Danone came to the Belarusian market in 2008. The company in Belarus had three legal entities: Danon Shklov, Danon Pruzhany and Danonbel. The first two are production sites. Third is a wholesale company registered in Minsk.

The company's problems began in 2022. At first, Danone lost one of the subsidiaries - Danon Pruzhany: the company was attached to the Pruzhansky dairy plant. Danone has not commented on the liquidation of the business. Later, the plant was included in the agro -industrial holding of the Presidential Affairs Management. Almost half of the share of the second asset, Danon Shklov, was sold to a private businessman.

In early March 2022, in connection with the war in Ukraine, Danone announced the suspension of investment projects in Russia. In October 2022, Danone announced plans to abandon business in Russia. The control over the production of dairy and plant products was planned to be transferred to the new owner.

However, in 2023, Danon Russia was transferred to the temporary department of the Federal Property Management Agency. Since July 18, 2023, Danon Russia Director General of the Chechen Government Yakub Skriev, who is the nephews of the head of the republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, was appointed.

In March of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree canceling this program. This is associated with possible Danone plans to sell a business in Russia.