Return of Prodigal Companies: sanctions, options and a lot of money

Hyundai, Renault, Samsung and Toyota are looking for way back to Russia. Billion fines, options, parallel imports – who will pay for the return?

If someone decided to write a novel about how the companies that left Russia suddenly got back, he would have encountered one problem: the plot would come out too implausible. Because what is happening now is not just a business. This is the theater of absurdity, where sanctions, options and billions of fines play the roles of the main villains.

Take, for example, South Korea. Seoul recently announced a partial abolition of sanctions regarding the supply of medical equipment to Russia. Officially-due to complaints of exporting companies. Unofficially – because these companies are tired of losing money. But this is just the beginning. The South Korean concern Hyundai, which also owns the brands of Genesis and Kia, has already thought about returning to the Russian market. And as always, everything rests on time: by the end of December, an option of reverse ransom expires. If they don’t have time, goodbye, Russia. But, apparently, they are ready to pay a lot of money for this.

Renault, for exampleI have already encountered the need for such payments. AvtoVAZ said that to return his share, the French auto giant will have to compensate for more than 112 billion rubles invested in production over the past three years. The amount, of course, is impressive, but, as they say, “who does not risk, he does not drink champagne.” And, apparently, Renault is ready to take a chance.

And what about the rest? Coca-Cola, Danone, manufacturers of equipment, clothing brands, McDonald's and IT giants like Apple and Google-all of them, apparently, are also not averse to returning. True in the State Duma, it is believed that Google first should pay for all fines, which, according to the latest estimates, approached two decillions of rubles. This, if that, is the number with thirty zeros. But, as my grandfather said, even such amounts are just a matter of time and desire to agree.

But the most funny case is Samsung. The company that has officially left Russia over the past two months has increased marketing activity by 30%. In one of the commercials, even star lawyer Mark Eidelstein even starred. At the same time, Samsung products are still entering Russia, but exclusively through parallel imports. Irony? Undoubtedly. But, as practice shows, even such complex schemes can be realized if there is a lot of money.

And now the most interesting. Toyota, the same company that proudly declared its departure from Russia, suddenly decided to arrange a secret VIP scope for former dealers. Yes, the very ones that she abandoned to the mercy of fate. According to Mash, the Japanese paid dozens of ex-dealers of flights by a business class in Dubai, settled them in the hotels of “all inclusive, even conscience” and forced to sign the papers about non-disclosure. Apparently, so that no one would know that Toyota, it turns out, did not so want to leave.

At the meeting, which took place from February 9 to 12, the company's management apologized for its “forced” departure and the fight against parallel imports. Like, “we did not want, but we had to.” But now they promised that as soon as the “situation is getting better”, Toyota will be the first to return to the Russian market. The next meeting, by the way, has already been scheduled for March 2025. Apparently the Japanese decided that two years was just the time for which everyone would forget, as they left, and believe that they returned “at the call of the heart.”

But let's be honest: All this is not about love for Russia, but about money. Toyota, like other companies, realized that the market here is still alive, which means that you can earn it. And if for this you need to arrange repentance in Dubai – why not? The main thing is that everything is quiet and without unnecessary questions.

What does all this mean? So this is that business, like life, always leaves a place for unexpected turns. Sanctions, options, fines – all these are only temporary obstacles. If there is a market, then there will be one who wants to earn it. And apparently, many companies have already begun to understand this.

So, if you thought that the departure of large players from Russia is the end of history, then you were mistaken. This is just the beginning of a new act. And how it will end, time will tell. But one thing can be said for sure: there will be no winners in this game. Losers – too.

The author’s opinion: mOh grandfather loved to repeat: “Everything can be decided for money. What cannot be decided for money can be decided for a lot of money. And the fact that you cannot decide for a lot of money can be decided for a very, very big money. ” Life, as always, proved him right. Especially when it comes to business, sanctions and the return of companies to the market, which they seemed to leave forever.

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