Gerhard Schröder joins supervisory board of Globus's Russian arm Giperglobus

Mixed · 2Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has joined the supervisory board of Giperglobus LLC, which operates the Globus hypermarket chain in Russia, according to reports on 2 October based on the Russian outlet RBC (RBK). 1 2 Mixed · 2A chain spokesperson told RBC that Schröder will help manage the business and guide its strategic development in Russia; AFP, citing RBK, describes this as "strategic guidance". 1 2 Left · 1Giperglobus owner Thomas Bruch said the appointment would let the company draw on Schröder's many years of experience in Russian political and economic affairs and help maintain an "approach focused on dialogue" and find constructive solutions under current conditions. 1

Centre · 1RBK said it had seen a statement by Schröder, 82, calling for maintaining economic ties with Russia, which he said are especially important in crisis times because they allow sides to hear each other and look for ways forward. 2 Mixed · 2Globus is one of the few Western retailers to have stayed in Russia after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine; Giperglobus owns 22 stores in eight regions, finances itself with its own funds, and shares shareholders and a brand with the German chain, according to RBC, while AFP calls it a chain previously owned by the German Globus group. 1 2 Mixed · 2Meduza reports that in September Putin signed decrees placing the Russian entities of Metro Cash & Carry, Auchan and Lemana PRO (Leroy Merlin) under temporary management; AFP says Russia ordered the seizure of businesses and assets of European companies including Auchan, Nestle and Metro, and that Berlin–Moscow tensions have risen in recent weeks. 1 2

Mixed · 2Schröder, chancellor from 1998 to 2005, has kept his relationship with Putin since the invasion: he met Putin in Moscow in July 2022 and said a rift was impossible, and in May 2026 Putin called him his "preferred" mediator, though Meduza says Europe refused to let Moscow choose its representative; the Kremlin said they met again in June 2026. 1 2 Centre · 1AFP said it contacted Hyperglobus for comment on the appointment but received no answer. 2