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Lenta

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FY2016 Annual Report · Lenta
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Realising  
our potential

ANNUAL REPORT 2016

AT THE BEGINNING OF 2014, WE SET 
THE GOAL OF DOUBLING RETAIL SPACE 
WITHIN THREE YEARS. THIS WAS ONE 
OF OUR MOST IMPORTANT STRATEGIC 
TARGETS ESTABLISHED AT OUR IPO. 

It was an ambitious target but we had the 
confidence and clear understanding of how 
to achieve it. It is important to deliver not 
just rapid growth, but successful growth for 
all our stakeholders. In November 2016, we 
announced this tremendous early achievement 
and are very proud as we continue to be one 
of the most efficient food retailers in Russia.

Realising our potential

EXPANDING OUR SPACE

INCREASING OUR PRESENCE

DELIVERING RESULTS

We have more than doubled our 
selling space in three years.

We have doubled store numbers  
since our IPO.

We have doubled our sales 
growth since our IPO in 2014.

  01

Strategic report 
02  At a glance
04  Where we are
06  Realising our potential
12  Chairman’s statement
14   Chief Executive Officer’s review
16   Business model
18   Market overview
22   Strategy
24   Operating review
36   Financial review
40   Principal risks and uncertainties
48   Corporate social responsibility

Corporate governance
67   Introduction from the Chairman
68   Board of Directors
70   Senior Management team
72    Our corporate governance 

framework

77   Board Committees
90   Relations with shareholders
90   Responsibility statement 

Financial statements 
92    Statement of management’s  

responsibilities for the preparation 
and approval of the consolidated  
financial statements

93   Independent auditor’s report
96    Consolidated statement of 

financial position

97    Consolidated statement of profit 
or loss and other comprehensive 
income

98    Consolidated statement 

of cash flows

99    Consolidated statement of 

changes in equity

100   Notes to the consolidated 
financial statements 

Appendices 
142  List of cities as of  

31 December, 2016 

144 Glossary
145 Further information
146 Cautionary statements

Highlights of the year

Financial highlights

306.4bn 
+21.2%

Revenue 
(RUB)

31.8bn 
+13.1%

Adjusted EBITDA 
(RUB)

67.8bn 
+20.4%

Gross profit 
(RUB)

11.2bn 
+8.9%

Net profit 
(RUB)

Operational highlights
   Total sales were up 21.2%, like-for-like sales were up 3.9% 
and like-for-like ticket rose 4%.

   Total selling space across our store base grew to 
1,146,148 sq.m – an increase of 29.9% year-on-year.

   We opened stores in eight new cities. At the year end Lenta  
had a presence in 77 cities across Russia.

   At the end of the year we had over 10.5 million active loyalty 
cardholders, an increase of 25% on the previous year.

To see the report online go to: 
www.lentainvestor.com/en/
investors/annual-reports

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
02

At a glance

RUSSIA’S FASTEST GROWING 
HYPERMARKET OPERATOR

What we do
Lenta sells high quality, affordable products 
in its hypermarkets and supermarkets. 
We provide great value for money and 
aim to provide the best promotions in the 
market for our customers. 

Our strategy
Our growth strategy is to expand our store 
network rapidly, whilst maintaining strong 
like-for-like sales. High levels of operating 
efficiency generate good returns that 
finance our growth. 

191

Hypermarkets

11.9%

Lenta private 
label proportion 
of total sales

We operate 191 hypermarkets 
across Russia. Located mainly 
in urban areas for convenience, 
they are usually open 24/7. Our 
three main store formats range 
from 3,000 sq.m to 7,000 sq.m, 
enabling us to provide the optimum 
store for each location and provide 
our customers with the products 
they want.

MORE ACHIEVEMENTS OF 2016

11

480,145

44.8

We acquired 11 new stores from food 
retailer Kesko and reopened them all on 
the same day.

At the year end over 1.8 million people 
participated in Lenta’s Social Card 
programme, 480,145 of whom joined  
in 2016.

We delivered over 1.47 million man-hours 
of training, with an average of 44.8 hours  
per person. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  03

Lenta is Russia’s largest hypermarket operator  
by selling space and the fifth largest food retailer  
by total sales. In 2016 we were the country’s 
fastest growing hypermarket operator.

49

Supermarkets

161

Fleet

26,000

Product range

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Our 49 supermarkets are 
located principally in the Moscow, 
St. Petersburg and Central 
regions. Designed for frequent 
visits, these smaller format stores 
stock a wide range of everyday 
essentials – and are located in 
urban areas, typically within a 
20-minute walk for the majority 
of our customers. 

Our flexible, low-cost supply chain 
guarantees maximum on-shelf 
product availability across our 
network of stores. Our substantial 
truck fleet comprises 161 owned 
delivery vehicles and our state-of-
the-art distribution centres 
have the capacity to serve 
over 250 hypermarkets and 
250 supermarkets. 

We offer a wide range of great 
value, high quality products, 
including branded goods and more 
affordable private label variants. 
Our standard hypermarket stocks 
around 26,000 SKUs – and whilst 
our core ranges feature in all our 
stores, many products are sourced 
locally to satisfy regional tastes 
and preferences. 

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95%

17

11,000

95% of fresh food sourced in Russia.

We opened 17 supermarkets, a record 
annual high, bringing the total to 49.

We created around 11,000 new jobs  
in 2016, and a total of 19,000 employees  
were recruited into new roles.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
04

Where we are

ACCELERATING OUR 
EXPANSION

30

55

46

48

54

8

26

41

19

63

11

71

74

23

69

17

64

29

50

6

73

27

52

44

33

9

75

20

53

14

4

67

12

32

31

61

51

1

58

5,777km

59

38

49

35

37

24

2

56

77

15

70

72

3

In 2016 Lenta continued 
to expand its geographic 
footprint.

18

45

66

34

13

10

65

60

22

57

40

42

28

43

At the year end we had a total of 240 
stores, comprising 191 hypermarkets 
and 49 supermarkets. We continued 
to build on our presence in the areas 
where we already operate. We also 
extended our reach, rolling out Lenta 
stores into eight new cities. 

We now have a presence in 77 cities, 
including all 15 Russian cities with 
more than 1 million inhabitants.

NEW CITIES

•  Ekaterinburg
•  Grozny
•  Kazan
•  Kostroma
•  Kursk
•  Novoshakhtinsk

•  Orsk
•  Samara

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 20161st

Largest hypermarket 
operator by selling 
space

240

Stores

77

Cities

25

62

21

47

36

39

76

5

7

  05

KEY

New store openings

Existing stores

1.  Almetyevsk
2.  Armavir
3.  Astrakhan
4.  Balakovo
5.  Barnaul
6.  Belgorod
7.  Biysk
8.  Bryansk
9.  Cheboksary
10.  Chelyabinsk
11.  Cherepovets
12.  Dimitrovgrad
13.  Ekaterinburg
14.  Engels
15.  Grozny
16.  Irkutsk
17.  Ivanovo
18.  Izhevsk
19.  Kaluga
20.  Kazan
21.  Kemerovo
22. Khanty-Mansiysk
23.  Kostroma
24.  Krasnodar
25.  Krasnoyarsk
26. Kursk
27.  Lipetsk
28. Magnitogorsk
29.  Moscow
30. Murmansk
31.  Naberezhnye 

Chelny

32.  Nizhnekamsk
33. Nizhniy Novgorod
34. Nizhniy Tagil
35. Novocherkassk
36. Novokuznetsk
37.  Novorossiysk
38. Novoshakhtinsk
39.  Novosibirsk

40.  Omsk
41.  Orel
42.  Orenburg
43. Orsk
44. Penza
45. Perm
46. Petrozavodsk
47.  Prokopievsk
48. Pskov
49.  Rostov-on-Don
50. Ryazan
51.  Samara
52.  Saransk
53. Saratov
54. Smolensk
55. St. Petersburg
56. Stavropol
57.  Surgut
58. Syktyvkar
59.  Taganrog
60. Tobolsk
61.  Togliatti
62. Tomsk
63. Tula
64. Tver
65. Tyumen
66. Ufa
67.  Ulyanovsk
68. Velikiy Novgorod
69. Vladimir
70.  Volgograd
71.  Vologda
72.  Volzhskiy
73.  Voronezh
74.  Yaroslavl
75.  Yoshkar Ola
76.  Yurga
77.  Zheleznovodsk

DISTRIBUTION CENTRES

16

•  Ekaterinburg
•  Moscow
•  Novosibirsk

•  Rostov-on-Don
•  St. Petersburg
•  Togliatti

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
06

Realising our potential

EXPANDING  
OUR SPACE

1,146,148m2

We have more than doubled 
our selling space over the 
last three years

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  07

Growing faster than ever
Whilst other hypermarket players have slowed down, 
Lenta has continued to grow its presence rapidly. 
In 2016, we opened 77% of the net selling space added 
in the hypermarket segment, up from 35% in 2015. 

We now have approximately 20% of 
all hypermarket selling space in Russia 
Our distinctive compact urban model is focused on 
food and tailored to the Russian market, and we have 
extended our range of hypermarket formats to increase 
our flexibility across different catchment areas.

Rapidly growing our supermarket format
Our supermarkets are a huge success with our 
customers and deliver high sales densities. In 2016 
we opened a record 17 supermarkets, adding nearly 
13,000 sq.m of selling space. We are increasing 
the number of store openings and aim to deliver an 
eightfold increase in supermarket selling space by 2020. 

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
08

Realising our potential

INCREASING  
OUR PRESENCE

240 stores

Doubling store numbers  
since IPO and setting a new 
record in store openings

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  09

We have opened stores in 30 new cities 
since 2014
In 2016 we exceeded our initial targets for new store 
openings and now have a presence in 77 cities across 
Russia. We see the huge potential for expansion through 
organic growth as well as the acquisition of high quality 
assets that are a good strategic fit with our business. 

We now have a presence in all 15 Russian 
cities with over one million inhabitants
We carefully assess new opportunities for strategic 
fit and returns. Whilst our medium-term focus continues 
to be on Moscow, St. Petersburg and Russia’s largest 
cities, we see considerable long-term potential for an 
additional 400 Lenta hypermarkets in new and existing 
target cities over time.

Acquisition of Kesko’s food business
In line with our strategy of fast-paced network 
expansion, we significantly strengthened our market 
presence with the acquisition of 11 hypermarkets 
from Kesko. These high quality, complementary store 
locations extend our reach in a highly competitive region. 
They were integrated, rebranded and reopened as 
Lenta stores in under a week.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
10

Realising our potential

DELIVERING  
RESULTS

RUB 
306.4bn

Double growth of our total 
sales since IPO

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  11

Lenta now has more than ten million 
active Loyalty Card holders
The number of Lenta Loyalty Card holders grew at 
a 30% CAGR over the last three years, with increasing 
card penetration, now at 93% of total sales. Customer 
data obtained from card use provides us with key 
competitive advantages in driving our customer-
centric business.

Customers trading up 
Many of our traditional ‘budget’ customers have 
responded to our strong promotions on premium brands, 
trading up as the price differential has shrunk. We 
pitched our affordable quality Lenta brand at precisely 
this price point, providing a great value alternative and 
capturing the custom of this important group. 

Value for money proposition
In line with our strategy, we maintain a strong focus 
on pricing and our customers have become increasingly 
responsive to the attractive discounts and promotions 
we offer. We know they appreciate our actions because 
we rank either first or second for price perception 
in almost every city where we have a presence.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
12

Chairman’s statement

BUILDING 
VALUE, 
DRIVING 
GROWTH

Lenta continued to flourish in 2016, 
delivering strong sales and maintaining 
the momentum for growth established 
over the previous three years.

John Oliver 
Chairman

Continuing our progress
In the three years since Lenta’s IPO, 
we have accomplished a great deal. 
2016 saw us continue to grow our 
sales, profit and cash flow, while 
continuing to consolidate our existing 
presence in Russian cities – and 
establish ourselves in many new ones. 

Since 2014 we have not only more 
than doubled our selling space ahead 
of schedule, but also the size of the 
Company itself, both in terms of sales 
and the number of stores we operate. 
Set in the context of a difficult 
operating climate, these achievements 
demonstrate the effectiveness of our 
planning, the clarity of our strategy and 
the flexibility of our business model.

Performing in a tough environment
Trading conditions in Russia remained 
difficult for food retailers in 2016. 
I am therefore delighted to report that 
Lenta not only weathered the tough 
conditions, but thrived in them. Our 
robust low price/low cost business 
model was key to this success, as was 
our ability to adapt quickly to changing 
circumstances which enabled us to 
deliver yet another excellent result. 

Our customers are at the heart of 
our business; it’s therefore crucial 
that we listen carefully to them, so we 
can understand exactly what they want 
from Lenta. This is particularly true 
in hard times, as customers’ shopping 
habits and priorities change. The data 
we derive from the use of our Loyalty 
Card continues to be invaluable: it 
informs our decision-making, enables 
us to respond to these changes and 
helps us to anticipate future trends. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  13

Building value, driving growth
Our performance to date is testament 
to the effectiveness of our strategy. 
We have delivered a compelling track 
record of growth, with sales densities 
above those of our federal peers 
and consistently high margins. Our 
adaptable hypermarket model has 
proven successful across a wide 
range of very different catchment 
areas and our supermarket pilot has  
been converted into an important 
strategic growth driver. 

Improvements in sourcing, efficiency 
and capex reductions support high 
returns for now and in the future. 

Corporate social responsibility 
We are a fast growing business 
operating in a highly competitive 
trading environment. Nevertheless, 
all of our decision-making is predicated 
on ‘doing the right thing in the right 
way’. Our customers trust us to provide 
high quality, great value products – 
but they also expect us to behave 
with integrity towards our employees, 
suppliers, local communities and 
the environment. 

Our customers and staff are also our 
neighbours; hence most of our CSR 
activities are focused on areas close 
to where we operate. In these difficult 
economic times, we fully recognise 
our responsibility to provide tangible 
support – and our actions reflect that. 
They include donations of food to those 
in most need, construction of local 
community facilities and the extension 
of our social card programme 
within our growing base of Loyalty 
Card holders, store network and 
cities of presence. 

Securing a sustainable future 
At Lenta, we’re good at what we 
do – and the coming years will 
see us continue to drive growth in 
hypermarkets. We aim to become 
a top three multi-format retailer in 
terms of sales – and the leading 
hypermarket player – in the Russian 
market. Alongside this, the acceleration 
of our supermarket roll-out programme 
will help us become a fully-fledged 
multi-format retailer in the near future. 

Our consistent, proven strategy will 
ensure we continue the momentum for 
growth that has been established over 
the past three years. Our ambitions 
will only be realised however, through 
a combination of prudent financial 
management, strong governance 
and a dedicated workforce. We will 
retain our focus on profitable growth, 
balancing capex and returns in order 
to continue delivering market-leading 
returns. We will also maintain 
our healthy balance sheet and 
conservative approach to leverage.

I would like to thank our employees 
for the dedication, commitment 
and enthusiasm they applied to the 
challenges of 2016. I am grateful to my 
fellow Directors for their wise counsel, 
and to our Senior Management team 
who have steered Lenta so ably through 
such a busy year. Our customers, 
suppliers and shareholders also have 
my sincere thanks for their ongoing 
loyalty and support. 

John Oliver
Chairman

WE HAVE DELIVERED A COMPELLING 
TRACK RECORD OF GROWTH, 
WITH SALES DENSITIES ABOVE 
THOSE OF OUR FEDERAL PEERS AND 
CONSISTENTLY HIGH MARGINS. 

Corporate governance
I strongly believe that the foundations 
of good governance lie in the core 
values and behaviours established by 
the Board. We are extremely fortunate 
to have a talented group of individuals 
on the Lenta Board who are committed 
to promoting the highest standards of 
ethics and business practice, setting 
the ‘tone from the top’. 

We also have what I believe to be the 
most effective management team in the 
industry, with a unique entrepreneurial 
culture. They in turn are supported by 
a strong base of second and third tier 
managers, ready to grow and improve 
the company; we continue to invest in 
this next generation of Lenta’s leaders.

Our Board composition and Senior 
Management team have remained 
unchanged since our IPO and this 
is the most stable leadership team 
in the Russian food retail space.

As Lenta grows in size and complexity, 
it is more important than ever that we 
have the right people, systems and 
culture to ensure we maximise growth 
opportunities, while mitigating the 
risks to which we are exposed. Our 
governance standards are already 
best-in-class – and we continue to 
strive for the highest international 
standards of corporate stewardship.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
14

Chief Executive Officer’s review

A YEAR OF 
MILESTONES 
FOR LENTA

We maintained strong growth in 2016 
and achieved several key milestones, 
demonstrating the ongoing successful 
execution of our strategy. We are now 
Russia’s fastest growing hypermarket 
operator, accounting for approximately 
20% of all hypermarket selling space  
in the country. We also accelerated 
our flourishing supermarket programme 
during the year. 

Jan Dunning 
Chief Executive Officer

Another strong performance
2016 was another challenging year 
for Lenta, yet it was also a remarkably 
successful one. Full year sales rose 
21.2% to RUB 306.4 billion (2015: 
RUB 252.8 billion), including a 3.9% 
increase in like-for-like sales. 

Despite the ongoing economic 
pressures in Russia and weakness 
in the consumer environment, we 
exceeded – earlier than planned – one 
of the most important strategic targets 
established at our IPO: to double our 
total selling space within three years. 
We opened 51 hypermarkets on a net 
basis in 2016, setting a new record 
for Lenta store openings in a single 
year, and resulting in a total of 
191 hypermarkets at the end of the year. 

Our value-for-money supermarket 
format builds on the same DNA as 
our hypermarkets. This complementary 
format is becoming an increasingly 
important part of our business, 
demonstrating high sales density, 
good comparable revenue growth 
and exponential growth potential. With 
17 supermarkets opened during the 
year, there were 49 stores at the year 
end, giving us 46,285 sq.m of selling 
space in this highly popular format – 
and a combined total – including 
hypermarkets – of 1,146,148 sq.m. 

A competitive marketplace
The uncertain macro environment 
ensured that competition among food 
retailers remained intense in 2016. 
The ongoing dual pressures of high 
inflation and squeezed household 
incomes mean that customers have 
become accustomed to spending 
with caution. They continue to restrict 
their shopping trips and keep to a list, 
constantly comparing prices and 
looking for the best value from retailers. 

OUR CONSISTENT COMMERCIAL 
STRATEGY WAS DESIGNED TO 
HELP US REALISE OUR FULL 
MARKET POTENTIAL – AND HAS 
STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
S

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  15

The fact that we have delivered on our 
promises – and consistently executed 
our strategy in a challenging macro and 
consumer environment – is testament 
to the talent and commitment of our 
strong and stable management team. 

Looking ahead
We are already working on new 
projects in 2017 and are planning 
ahead for 2018 and beyond. We intend 
to add approximately 200,000 sq.m 
of new selling space in the year  
ahead – and aim to open about  
30 new hypermarkets and about 
50 supermarkets, in new as well 
as existing regions. Delivering rapid 
growth is important, but not at any 
cost. It also has to be successful 
and sustainable – for our customers, 
business partners and shareholders. 
As we look to the future, our confidence 
in Lenta’s business model, our 
strategy and our people remains 
as strong as ever. 

Our aim for 2017 is to continue 
to deliver attractive returns on 
investment and build long-term value 
for our shareholders, maintaining 
our strong financial position and a 
thoughtful balance between growth and 
profitability. We will continue to enhance 
our offer to customers and consolidate 
our position as one of Russia’s most 
efficient multi-format retailers. 

Jan Dunning
Chief Executive Officer

We opened hypermarkets in eight new 
cities during the year, and strengthened 
our presence in Russia’s largest cities, 
bringing the total number of cities of 
presence to 77. With new stores in 
Ekaterinburg, Samara and Kazan, 
we now have a presence in all 
15 Russian cities with more than 
one million inhabitants. 

We strengthened our supermarket 
position, adding 12,774 sq.m of selling 
space during the year, representing 
a 38% growth in this format. To support 
this exceptional growth, we opened 
a new supermarket distribution centre 
in Moscow, with the capacity to serve 
over 150 stores. 

In December, we opened 11 new 
hypermarkets in St. Petersburg, 
acquired through the purchase of 
Kesko’s food retail business in Russia. 
With their complementary locations, 
sizes and designs, these stores are a 
very good fit for Lenta and significantly 
strengthen our network in the region. 

We remain the partner of choice for 
our suppliers, and worked hard during 
the year to maintain our procurement 
excellence. We significantly decreased 
our supply chain costs and are 
well-positioned to sustain our new 
wave of store roll-outs. 

Our consistent commercial strategy 
was designed to help us realise our 
full market potential – and has stood 
the test of time. At the time of our IPO 
in early 2014, we set ourselves the 
target of doubling our retail space in 
three years. Many observers felt that 
this goal was too ambitious, but we 
were always confident we could 
achieve it – because we had a clear 
understanding of exactly how to do so. 

191

Hypermarkets

77

Cities

We engage directly with our extensive 
customer base through our highly 
successful Loyalty Card programme. 
Launched 15 years ago, it has 
continued to grow steadily, passing the 
10 million active cardholders milestone 
in 2016. We use valuable transaction 
data from our Big Data Customer 
Insight Programme to help us track 
the competitive dynamics of our offer 
and understand how our customers 
are shopping – as well as their changing 
tastes and preferences. This information 
enables us to tailor our assortment 
and marketing activities to provide 
the optimum product mix and create 
targeted offers and promotions on 
the products our customers want. 
Sales from promotions in 2016 were 
outstanding – proof that Lenta’s 
business model is perfectly aligned to 
the prevailing consumer environment.

Continuing our growth story
Our performance has been supported 
by several key pillars: our commercial 
proposition and processes, low pricing, 
high execution standards, low cost 
base, effective use of data and our 
flexibility and entrepreneurship. 

The Russian retail market presents 
the most efficient operators with 
huge growth potential, combined 
with attractive returns. Our proven low 
price/low cost business model enables 
us to pursue our strategy for growth. 

With its extensive geographic footprint, 
Lenta is a genuinely federal chain, 
successfully operating different store 
formats to suit different catchment areas.

In line with our strategy, we 
reinforced our hypermarket presence 
across Russia in 2016. Siberia retained 
its position as the largest region, 
with almost 20% of the Company’s 
total hypermarket selling space. 

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
16

Business Model

HOW WE CREATE VALUE

VALUE PROPOSITION FOR CUSTOMERS

PRICE-LED HYPERMARKET MODEL

Our differentiated value proposition
Helping our customers live a better  
life by spending less

Low cost execution 
Standardised store layouts  
Simple to navigate/low cost
 ` 82% ownership of property vs. 18% leased

Formats

Hypermarket
 ` Standard
 ` Compact
 ` Supercompact

Supply chain

Integrated  
supply chain
underpinned  
by a network  
of distribution  
centres

Current capacity
to serve 
250+ hypermarkets
250+ supermarkets

Strong IT

Supermarket

Our fleet
161 owned trucks

Seven owned 
distribution 
centres

Low price 
leadership
 ` Loyalty card
 ` Deep, frequent 
and inspiring 
promotions
 ` Frequent price 
comparisons

Product offering 
for broad family 
needs
 ` Store of choice for 
select authoritative 
ranges

 ` Relevant SKUs
 ` Focus on new 

and local products

Neighbourhood 
shopping
 ` Easily accessible 
one-stop-shop
 ` Value-added 

features

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Foc u s  o
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Simplicity

Pace

Ambience

Focus on n e w  
and local prod u c t s  

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e f
e
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            Valu
                  mo

Underpinned by our corporate social responsibility

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  17

Value remains at the core of Lenta’s customer 
proposition. We maintain a strong price 
perception in line with our commercial strategy. 

LENTA LOYALTY CARD

DRIVING OUR STRATEGY  
FOR GROWTH

CREATING VALUE

Enhances  
like-for-like sales

Insight drives

Driving Lenta forward
We remain focused on driving the 
business forward in pursuit of our 
long-term goals. Our proven strategy 
enables us to confidently manage and 
grow Lenta – even in challenging times.

Selling space
‘000 sq.m

2016

2015

2014

+29.9%

1,146

882

701

 ` Direct marketing promotions
 ` Pricing
 ` Category management
 ` Strong relationships with suppliers

Delivering profitable  
like-for-like growth

Captures  
information

Strengthening our 
existing presence

Captures information about every 
customer at every point of contact.  
This enables us to build highly 
personalised profiles of customer types 
which we define across ten segments – 
allowing us to meet the needs of all 
our customers in a personalised way.

Exploiting white 
space potential

Lenta Loyalty Card

Format evolution

 ` Active cardholders
 ` Price advantage 
for customers

 ` Spend penetration

10.5m
5%
93%

Total sales 
RUB bn

2016

2015

2014

+21.2%

306.4

252.8

194.0

Adjusted EBITDA
RUB bn

2016

2015

2014

+13.1%

31.8

28.1

21.4

Earnings per share*
RUB ‘000

2016

2015

2014

Number of employees**
FTE

2016

2015

2014

+2.7%

0.115

0.112

0.105

+18.9%

45,689

38,414

35,100

*One share represents interest in five GDRs.

**FTE (full-time employee as at the end of the period).

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18

Market overview

An ongoing challenge for retailers and consumers
The operating environment remained challenging in 2016. 
Consumers continued trading down to more affordable 
products in an effort to stretch their already squeezed 
household budgets as far as possible.

The Russian economy has been in recession since the 
beginning of 2015 – and remained under severe pressure 
in 2016. Beset by a variety of domestic and international 
challenges including economic sanctions and lower oil 
prices, GDP declined. However, the rate of decline slowed – 
and there is a sense that Russian consumers are gradually 
adapting to their straitened circumstances.

In real terms, Russian consumer spending declined by 17% 
in the last two years and household incomes are down 11% 
in three years. While food inflation fell to 5%, food retail sales 
growth had slowed to zero by the end of 2016.

Economy in recession since 1Q 2016
Real GDP, quarterly y-o-y %

2%

1%

0%

-1%

-2%

-3%

-4%

-5%

0.8%

1.2%

0.8%

0.1%

-2.7%

-0.6%

-1.1%

-0.5%

-3.8%

-3.9%

-4.4%

1Q

2Q

3Q

4Q

1Q

2Q

3Q

4Q

1Q

2014

2015

3Q

2Q
2016

Source: Rosstat

Real incomes down 11% in 3 years
Household income, quarterly y-o-y % 

AN ATTRACTIVE 
MARKET FOR 
THE LARGEST 
PLAYERS

The Russian retail food market is 
fragmented, especially when viewed  
in an international context. However, 
it remains attractive for the federal players, 
presenting good growth opportunities.

15%

12%

9%

6%

3%

0%

-3%

-6%

-9%

3.7%

-2.8%

12.1%

10.1%

8.3%

9.0%

8.3%

8.9%

6.1%

2.60%

3.4%

3.5%

0.8%

0.8%

-1.9%

-1.9%

0.7%

-3.5%

-4.3% -4.2%

-4.2%

-6.5%

-6.3%

-6.0%

1Q 2Q 3Q
2016

4Q

1Q

2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q

2014

2015

Real income

Nominal income

Source: Rosstat

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016CONSUMERS ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR A RETAIL 
EXPERIENCE THEY CAN TRUST TO GIVE THEM 
GOOD QUALITY AND LOW PRICES. THIS FAVOURS 
THE MOST EFFECTIVE OPERATORS SUCH AS LENTA.

  19

An attractive market for federal chains
The Russian retail food market is fragmented, 
especially when viewed in an international context. 
However, it remains attractive for the federal players, 
presenting good growth opportunities. 

Competition between retailers remained intense in 2016 
amid high levels of discounting and promotional activity. 
However, consumers are also looking for a retail experience 
they can trust to give them good quality and low prices. 
This favours the most effective operators such as Lenta – 
those that can adapt to changing circumstances – 
delivering a superior shopping experience and 
excellent value for money. 

Food inflation down to 5% 
CPI, quarterly y-o-y %

Share of the largest retailers is growing rapidly...
Share of grocery retail sales, %

25%

20%

15%

10%

13.2%

10.5%

9.4%

7.3%

7.6% 7.7%

5%

6.4%

22.4%

22.3%

18.0%

16.2%

15.7%

15.8%

15.8%

14.5%

46%

43%

40%

37%

36%

34%

34%

36%

38%

38%

37%

37%

9.6%

6.9%

8.4%

7.4% 6.8%

5.8%

5.7% 6.3%

5.1%

20%

21%

22%

25%

27%

29%

0

1Q

2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q

2014

2015

1Q 2Q 3Q
2016

CPI food
Source: IHS, Rosstat

CPI

4Q

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016E

Top-7

Other modern retail

Traditional

Source: Company information, Infoline, Euromonitor

Food retail sales growth has slowed to zero
Food retail sales, quarterly y-o-y % 

...but remains fragmented in an international context
Share of grocery retail sales in 2016E, %

15%

12%

9%

6%

3%

0%

-3%

-6%

-9%

12%

12.3%

13.2%

11.4%

9.3%

7.1%

10.2%

10.0%

1.5%

21%

28%

30%

33%

43%

44%

5.2%

3.7%

1.7% 2.8%

0.9%

79%

72%

70%

67%

57%

56%

-0.3%

0.1%

-1.1%

-4.7%

-5.1%

-6.9%

-9.5%

-9.1%

-10.1%

-5.6%

-5.7%

1Q

2Q 3Q 4Q 1Q 2Q 3Q 4Q

2015

1Q 2Q 3Q
2016

4Q

Czech 
Republic

France

Hungary

UK

Poland

South 
Africa

2014
Real food retail sales growth

Source: Rosstat

Nominal food retail sales growth

Top-7

Other retail
Source: Company information, Infoline, Euromonitor

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20

Market overview continued

Due in part to the challenging economic situation, traditional 
retail formats continue to lose share. Most smaller modern 
retailers have either slowed or stopped expansion, with many 
beginning to close or sell stores. There is virtually no current 
active development of shopping malls. ‘Federal’ chains – 
those with a presence in most regions – now account for 
almost all net space additions. Trends during the year 
indicated how the hierarchy of the top seven food retailers 
will be shaped. The top two players’ growth is increasingly 
swift, whereas others are experiencing slower growth.

Selling space growth is driven by federal chains
Share of selling space additions, %

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

60%

40%

62%

38%

71%

29%

2013

2014

2015

Share of additions from Top-7 retailers
Small & mid-sized retail chains additions
Source: Company information, Infoline, Euromonitor

91%

9%

2016

ALTHOUGH UBIQUITOUS IN MOST OTHER 
RETAIL MARKETS, SUPERMARKETS ARE STILL 
AN UNDERDEVELOPED BUSINESS IN RUSSIA.  
WE BELIEVE THIS REPRESENTS A GROWTH 
OPPORTUNITY FOR LENTA.

Deepening our hypermarket presence,  
growing our supermarket offer
The Russian market does not have the same penetration 
of modern retail formats as the rest of Europe – or much 
of the rest of the world. Despite the ongoing challenges of 
the macroeconomic and consumer environments however, 
we believe the sector has real promise. 

The hypermarket has proved itself to be an attractive format 
for consumers, but consumers need a compelling reason 
to travel a little further to visit and spend their money in a 
hypermarket, rather than a smaller local store. Lenta delivers 
this by providing an attractive combination of assortment 
breadth, quality and value for money. Lenta’s consistent 
commercial strategy is tactically adapted to the volatile 
market – and this is reflected in our success at winning 
new customers and retaining their loyalty. 

Although ubiquitous in most other retail markets, 
supermarkets are still an underdeveloped business in 
Russia. We believe this represents a growth opportunity 
as the needs of many Russian customers – such as choice, 
quality, price and service – are evolving to align more 
closely with full service/value supermarkets, just as they 
have in more developed markets. 

Supermarket share is higher in other markets
Share of total selling space, %

55%

32%

35%

43%

25%

24%

41%

29%

16%

19%

39%

42%

6%
44%

51%

Russia

UK

Germany

France

USA

Supermarkets

Hypermarkets

Discount/convenience

Source: Company information, Infoline, Euromonitor

There are some large players, but the supermarket segment 
is even more fragmented than the market as a whole.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  21

Convenience/discounters – Top 5 share 75%
Total selling space: 11.0m sq.m
Selling space growth in 2016: +13%

Hypermarkets – Top 5 share 67%
Total selling space: 5.8m sq.m
Selling space growth in 2016: +6%

01

01
Lenta – 19.1%

02
Auchan1 – 15.4%

TOTAL
5.8m sq.m

02

03
Magnit – 11.9%

04
Metro Group – 11.2%

06

05

04

03

05
O’KEY – 9.4%

06
Other – 33.1%

06

05

04

03

01

TOTAL
11.0m sq.m

01
Magnit – 31.3%

02
Pyaterochka – 30.1%

03
Dixy – 7.0%

04
Svetofor – 3.3%

05
Krasnoye & 
Beloye – 2.8%

06
Other – 25.5%

02

Source: Company information, Infoline as of 31 December 2016 
(based on Top-190 retailers study)

Source: Company information, Infoline as of 31 December 2016 
(based on Top-190 retailers study)

We see multiple opportunities for Lenta to capitalise on its 
expertise in hypermarkets and flourish in the supermarket 
format. It will inevitably take time for the economy to fully 
recover from the current challenging circumstances. In the 
meantime however, the difficult economic circumstances are 
leading to an acceleration in the shift of consumer spending 
and market share to larger and more efficient operators.

Supermarkets – Top 5 share 36%2
Total selling space: 3.2m sq.m
Selling space growth in 2016: +3%

01

TOTAL
3.2m sq.m

01
Perekrestok – 17.1%

02
Magnit Family – 6.6%

03
Atak – 5.5%

04
Billa – 3.0%

05
Victoria3 
supermarkets – 2.9%

06
Other – 64.8%

02

03

04

05

06

Source: Company information, Infoline as of 31 December 2016 
(based on Top-190 retailers study)

1 Auchan, Auchan City and Nasha Raduga as per Infoline report.

2 Excluding SPAR presence in Russia.

3  Including eight supermarkets (11,000 sq.m of selling space) in Kaliningrad  

in the premises acquired from Sedmoy Kontinent in December 2016.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
22

Strategy

BUILDING VALUE, 
DRIVING GROWTH

OUR STRATEGY
FOR SUSTAINABLE 
GROWTH

Strategic priorities

Overview

Progress in 2016

Looking ahead

Delivering profitable 
like-for-like growth

Strengthening our 
existing presence

Exploiting white 
space potential

Format evolution

Ongoing investment in our low price/

low cost business model keeps us 

competitive and drives sales in our 

In the prevailing difficult consumer 

environment, we continued to provide 

Lenta’s customers with more of the 

In the year ahead, we aim to open 

approximately 30 new hypermarkets 

and around 50 new supermarkets. 

existing stores. With growing numbers 

products they wanted at affordable prices. 

These will be in both existing and new 

of loyal customers, we maintain our price 

We carefully tailored our ranges and 

leadership through a combination of 

factors including innovative promotions, 

focused category management and 

promotions to help them make the most 

of their budgets – and our actions were 

rewarded with an increase in like-for-like 

in-depth analysis of customer behaviour via 

sales of 3.9% and average like-for-like 

our Big Data Customer Insight Programme.

ticket growth of 4%. 

regions for Lenta, adding a total of 

around 200,000 sq.m of selling space. 

Longer term, our aim is to become a top 

three multi-format food retailer and the 

biggest hypermarket player in Russia. 

We will accomplish this through retaining 

a focus on profitable growth, and carefully 

balancing capex and returns – with the 

aim of continuing to deliver market-leading 

performance whilst maintaining a healthy 

balance sheet. 

We aim to double selling space by 2020. 

We will use our detailed customer data 

and format flexibility to select the best 

locations for our stores and see potential 

for more than 400 hypermarkets in Russia 

to be located within a 10–15 minute drive of 

most customers. Likewise there are good 

opportunities for supermarkets to gain a 

substantially bigger share of the market, 

as customers become more demanding – 

and our value for money supermarket is 

well placed to capture this growth. 

Throughout our ongoing expansion, 

we will retain our focus on improvements 

in sourcing and efficiency as well as 

capex reduction.

Consolidating our presence in areas 

We continued to strengthen our position 

where we already have stores is a priority  

in all the key Russian regions in 2016, 

for us. Our sizeable land bank and active 

project pipeline provide us with numerous 

opportunities to reinforce Lenta’s position 

in these cities. We benefit from high levels 

of brand awareness and established 

infrastructure – as well as existing 

relationships with local suppliers, 

increasing our penetration – and market 

share – in those areas where we already 

have stores, thanks to our loyal and 

growing customer base. During the  

year, 80% of our new selling space 

was opened in areas where we already 

operate, including 11 new stores in the 

contractors and the community at large.

St. Petersburg area acquired from Kesko.

Despite Russia’s ongoing economic 

challenges, we continue to see 

The expansion of our retail operations 

across Russia continued apace in 2016. 

considerable potential for Lenta to expand 

We opened hypermarkets in 27 cities, 

and flourish in this large and fragmented 

eight of which were brand new locations 

market. To date, there is still relatively little 

for Lenta, and now have a presence in 

penetration of modern retail formats – 

77 cities, including all 15 cities with a 

particularly hypermarkets – in many towns 

population of over 1 million people. 

and cities. We therefore regard expansion 

We comfortably beat our target of doubling 

into new cities as a key strategic 

opportunity for our business.

selling space in the three years to 

December 2016.

Our various hypermarket formats are 

carefully designed to address specific 

local needs in different urban locations. 

Likewise, with our complementary 

supermarket formats, we able plan and 

build precisely the right store for every 

available site and its expected customer 

traffic, which means they are highly 

We now have three additional variants of 

our Compact hypermarket format, which 

has delivered increased flexibility. During 

the year, we created a dedicated team to 

focus exclusively on developing our highly 

successful supermarket format – and 

also continued to refresh and update store 

layouts and displays to maintain their 

cost-effective. The standardised designs 

appeal and highlight key product 

also enable rapid roll-out. 

categories.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  23

In a difficult trading environment, we continued 
to execute our proven strategy; strengthening 
our existing presence, attracting new customers 
in new locations and growing the business.

Strategic priorities

Overview

Progress in 2016

Looking ahead

Delivering profitable 

like-for-like growth

Strengthening our 

existing presence

Exploiting white 

space potential

Format evolution

In the year ahead, we aim to open 
approximately 30 new hypermarkets 
and around 50 new supermarkets. 
These will be in both existing and new 
regions for Lenta, adding a total of 
around 200,000 sq.m of selling space. 

Longer term, our aim is to become a top 
three multi-format food retailer and the 
biggest hypermarket player in Russia. 
We will accomplish this through retaining 
a focus on profitable growth, and carefully 
balancing capex and returns – with the 
aim of continuing to deliver market-leading 
performance whilst maintaining a healthy 
balance sheet. 

We aim to double selling space by 2020. 
We will use our detailed customer data 
and format flexibility to select the best 
locations for our stores and see potential 
for more than 400 hypermarkets in Russia 
to be located within a 10–15 minute drive of 
most customers. Likewise there are good 
opportunities for supermarkets to gain a 
substantially bigger share of the market, 
as customers become more demanding – 
and our value for money supermarket is 
well placed to capture this growth. 

Throughout our ongoing expansion, 
we will retain our focus on improvements 
in sourcing and efficiency as well as 
capex reduction.

Ongoing investment in our low price/
low cost business model keeps us 
competitive and drives sales in our 
existing stores. With growing numbers 
of loyal customers, we maintain our price 
leadership through a combination of 
factors including innovative promotions, 
focused category management and 
in-depth analysis of customer behaviour via 
our Big Data Customer Insight Programme.

In the prevailing difficult consumer 
environment, we continued to provide 
Lenta’s customers with more of the 
products they wanted at affordable prices. 
We carefully tailored our ranges and 
promotions to help them make the most 
of their budgets – and our actions were 
rewarded with an increase in like-for-like 
sales of 3.9% and average like-for-like 
ticket growth of 4%. 

Consolidating our presence in areas 
where we already have stores is a priority  
for us. Our sizeable land bank and active 
project pipeline provide us with numerous 
opportunities to reinforce Lenta’s position 
in these cities. We benefit from high levels 
of brand awareness and established 
infrastructure – as well as existing 
relationships with local suppliers, 
contractors and the community at large.

We continued to strengthen our position 
in all the key Russian regions in 2016, 
increasing our penetration – and market 
share – in those areas where we already 
have stores, thanks to our loyal and 
growing customer base. During the  
year, 80% of our new selling space 
was opened in areas where we already 
operate, including 11 new stores in the 
St. Petersburg area acquired from Kesko.

Despite Russia’s ongoing economic 
challenges, we continue to see 
considerable potential for Lenta to expand 
and flourish in this large and fragmented 
market. To date, there is still relatively little 
penetration of modern retail formats – 
particularly hypermarkets – in many towns 
and cities. We therefore regard expansion 
into new cities as a key strategic 
opportunity for our business.

The expansion of our retail operations 
across Russia continued apace in 2016. 
We opened hypermarkets in 27 cities, 
eight of which were brand new locations 
for Lenta, and now have a presence in 
77 cities, including all 15 cities with a 
population of over 1 million people. 
We comfortably beat our target of doubling 
selling space in the three years to 
December 2016.

Our various hypermarket formats are 
carefully designed to address specific 
local needs in different urban locations. 
Likewise, with our complementary 
supermarket formats, we able plan and 
build precisely the right store for every 
available site and its expected customer 
traffic, which means they are highly 
cost-effective. The standardised designs 
also enable rapid roll-out. 

We now have three additional variants of 
our Compact hypermarket format, which 
has delivered increased flexibility. During 
the year, we created a dedicated team to 
focus exclusively on developing our highly 
successful supermarket format – and 
also continued to refresh and update store 
layouts and displays to maintain their 
appeal and highlight key product 
categories.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
24

Operating review

LEADING 
THE WAY

The Russian retail market presents the 
most efficient operators with significant 
potential for future growth, combined 
with attractive returns. Lenta continued 
to grow rapidly in 2016 and delivered 
impressive results.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

  Total sales for the year were up 21.2%  
to RUB 306.4 billion (2015: RUB 252.8 billion).

   Like-for-like sales grew 3.9%. 

 Total selling space growth of +29.9% in 2016. 

Total sales for the year were up 
21.2% to RUB 306.4 billion (2015: 
RUB 252.8 billion). Like-for-like 
sales grew 3.9% and the average 
like-for-like ticket grew by 4.0%, 
while traffic showed a 0.1% decline.

Difficult trading conditions in 2016 
presented considerable challenges 
for retailers and customers alike. 
Nevertheless, Lenta’s operations 
proved resilient. We continued to adjust 
to the vagaries of the retail environment 
and customers appreciated the efforts 
we made to help them stretch their 
budgets. Once again we demonstrated 
that our business model is robust 
and flexible enough to enable us 
not just to withstand the toughest of 
circumstances, but to thrive in them. 
We continued to attract business away 
from our competitors – and the number 
of unique customers exceeded sales 
growth in both new and like-for-like 
stores in all regions. 

The execution of our growth strategy 
continued apace, and we opened new 
stores in eight new cities. At the year 
end we had a presence in 77 cities 
across Russia. We added a total of 
263,765 sq.m of new selling space on 
a net basis, which has given us a total 
of 1,146,148 sq.m – an increase of 
29.9% year-on-year. This meant that 
we comfortably beat our own 2014 
prediction of doubling selling space 
within three years to the end of 2016. 

We take a disciplined approach to the 
planning of new stores. Every potential 
new location goes through a rigorous 
selection and evaluation process, 
which includes sophisticated analysis 
of the catchment area using our 
proprietary models to determine 
projected returns on investment. 

ONCE AGAIN WE DEMONSTRATED 
THAT OUR BUSINESS MODEL  
IS ROBUST AND FLEXIBLE  
ENOUGH TO ENABLE US NOT  
JUST TO WITHSTAND THE  
TOUGHEST OF CIRCUMSTANCES,  
BUT TO THRIVE IN THEM.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  25

We own most of our stores, but the 
choice of whether to own or rent 
depends on the specific circumstances 
in each city and location. Ownership 
has the key advantage of allowing 
us to build stores to our own designs, 
which are optimised for efficiency and 
precisely adapted in size and layout to 
the catchment area served. Ownership 
also protects us from rental cost 
inflation as well as the potential loss 
of store leases. Importantly, building 
our own stores allows us to expand 
more rapidly in attractive, high-return 
catchment areas where land is 
available, but where there are no 
suitable stores to rent. Ownership is, 
however, more capital intensive. 
Availability of attractive rental 
opportunities for hypermarkets is more 
limited than for supermarkets, so we 
typically own the vast majority of our 
hypermarkets, while renting a high 
proportion of supermarkets. 

With the ability to develop and 
manage both large and small stores, 
we continue to evaluate new ways of 
serving our customers; however and 
whenever they choose to shop with us. 

Consolidating our presence  
in existing locations
Growing our market share in areas 
where we already have a presence 
is a key component of our strategy. 
We use customer data and analytics 
to carefully choose optimal locations 
and our variety of proven formats 
means we can deliver the most 
appropriate size and type of store 
for a particular neighbourhood. This 
ability to adapt to different catchments 
enables us to achieve high store 
densities in our chosen cities.

STRATEGIC ACQUISITION  
EXPANDS OUR NETWORK

In December we opened 11 new stores 
acquired from food retailer Kesko, 
which previously operated under the 
K-Ruoka brand. The high quality Kesko 
stores were an excellent strategic fit for 
Lenta, being compatible with our own 
formats, in complementary locations 
to our existing stores – and with an 
efficient and motivated workforce. 

The newly acquired stores were 
seamlessly integrated, rebranded 
and reopened at modest cost – and 
within just six days – highlighting the 
successful collaborative efforts of 
employees within both businesses.  
Eleven new Lenta hypermarkets 
opened on the same day across the 
St. Petersburg area, improving our 
reach in a highly competitive region. 

Hypermarkets
Most of our hypermarkets are open 
24 hours a day, seven days a week. 
They are typically located in – or very 
close to – residential areas with good 
transport links. Lenta operates three 
hypermarket formats: ‘Standard’ 
(typically 7,000 sq.m of selling space), 
‘Compact’ (typically 5,000 sq.m of 
selling space) and ‘Supercompact’ 
(typically 3,000 sq.m of selling space). 
Our Compact format now comprises 
three additional variants, which has 
increased our flexibility and allows us 
to deliver attractive investment returns 
in an even wider range of catchment 
areas. Regardless of size, all of our 
hypermarkets offer an extensive range 
of groceries and general merchandise, 
with loyal customers generally visiting 
once or twice a week. 

In 2016 we accelerated this growth, 
with almost 80% of new selling space 
opened in cities where we already 
operate. Any pressure on traffic in 
existing stores is more than offset by 
the long-term benefits of being located 
precisely where our customers want 
us – with a stronger market position. 

Increasing Lenta’s store penetration 
in existing cities1
# of cities

82

33

49

39

6
33

14
2
12

2013

2016

Potential

Cities with 2–4 stores
Cities with ≥ 5 stores

1 From 1 May 2015, all stores located in Moscow city 
  and the Moscow Region are shown as ‘Moscow’. 
  All stores located in the Leningrad Region and 
  St. Petersburg are shown as 'St. Petersburg’.

Source: Company information

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
26

Operating review continued

In 2016, we opened 51 hypermarkets 
on a net basis, giving us a total of 
191 hypermarkets at the year end. 
These new stores exceeded our initial 
organic target of at least 40 openings, 
and our revised guidance of at least 
50 openings by the year end. This figure 
includes 11 stores in St. Petersburg, 
which were acquired as part of the 
purchase of Kesko Food Retail’s 
business in Russia – the largest 
acquisition in our history. The Kesko 
stores were integrated and reopened 
under the Lenta banner in just six days.

Our new store openings added 
250,991 sq.m of hypermarket selling 
space on a net basis, representing 
an increase of 29.6% in this format 
over the year. 

51

hypermarkets opened 
on a net basis

We opened hypermarkets in 27 cities 
in 2016. Eight of these – including 
Ekaterinburg, Samara and Kazan – 
were new locations for Lenta. A notable 
addition to our portfolio was our first 
hypermarket in Grozny. We now have 
a hypermarket presence in 77 cities. 
We are now present in all fifteen 
Russian cities with a population of 
over one million people; over the 
last three years we have increased 
our hypermarket selling space in 
these cities by approximately 140%. 
This includes increases of over 50% 
in St. Petersburg and almost 70% 
in Moscow. 

Even in these straitened times, we 
see considerable growth potential for 
our hypermarket store format – and 
expansion opportunities continue to 
present themselves. Our hypermarket 
pipeline remains healthy and we will 
maintain the momentum of new store 
development into 2017 and beyond by 
carefully prioritising opportunities for 
strategic fit and returns. In the medium 
term, our primary focus remains on 
Moscow, St. Petersburg and the largest 
cities, combined with our ongoing 
programme of roll-outs to existing 
and new smaller cities. 

NEW SUPERMARKETS FOR BUSY 
NEIGHBOURHOOD CENTRES

We are accelerating growth of our 
successful supermarket format. 
As part of this strategy, we signed 
lease contracts with Edisonenergo 
LLC (part of the ADG Group) in 
January 2017 for 36 supermarkets. 
Located in newly developed 
neighbourhood shopping and 
entertainment centres, the stores 
are being built on the sites of former 
Moscow cinemas at the hearts of 
high-traffic residential areas.

The neighbourhood centres will 
provide a wide range of consumer 
outlets, entertainment and essential 
services, including educational, 
social and cultural facilities, which 
will attract frequent visits from local 
people. Lenta is leasing around 
47,000 sq.m of total space for the 
supermarkets, the first of which 
will open towards the end of 2018. 

Supermarkets 
A strategic extension of our 
hypermarket format, supermarkets 
have become a well-established – 
and increasingly important – format 
for Lenta. Designed specifically for 
frequent visits for everyday purchases, 
they are located within walking 
distance of residential areas in the 
Moscow, St. Petersburg and Central 
regions. This community-based format 
enables us to penetrate local retail 
markets where locating a hypermarket 
would not be feasible. In 2016 we 
doubled the number of supermarket 
store openings.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016The average selling space of Lenta’s 
supermarkets is approximately 900 
sq.m. These stores generate high sales 
per square metre and in 2016 delivered 
good like-for-like growth of 5.5% and 
an increase in like-for-like customer 
traffic of 1.9%. The average like-for-like 
ticket increased by 3.5%.

Our first pilot supermarket opened 
in Moscow in 2013. During 2016 we 
opened 17 supermarkets, a record 
annual high, bringing the total to 49. 
These new stores exceeded our 
original guidance of opening at least 
double the number of supermarkets 
opened in 2015. We added 12,774 sq.m 
of supermarket selling space, 
which represents a 38.1% growth  
in the format.

In January 2017, we signed lease 
contracts with Edisonenergo LLC, 
part of real estate developers ADG 
Group, which is building a network 
of neighbourhood shopping and 
entertainment centres across Moscow. 
The agreements cover 36 locations for 
future Lenta supermarkets in the region 
and represent some 47,000 sq.m of 
total space (approx. 30,300 sq.m 
of selling space). The first of these 
new stores is scheduled to open at 
the end of 2018.

In December 2016 we also signed an 
agreement to acquire eight properties 
in Novosibirsk for conversion to 
supermarkets. 

Our supermarket format has proven 
itself to be highly attractive to 
consumers. In addition, over time, 
the scale advantages of Lenta and 
other federal chains will lead many 
local grocery retailers to exit the 
market. We therefore anticipate 
significant opportunities for growth in 
the supermarket sector, both organic 
and potentially through acquisitions, 
where they fit with our business model 
and location criteria. In line with our 
strategy, we plan to accelerate the 
development of this format – we 
opened our first supermarket in Siberia 
in February 2017. 

With a dedicated team focused 
exclusively on developing 
supermarkets, we have a strong 
pipeline of store projects. We aim 
to deliver an eightfold increase in 
supermarket selling space by 2020 
and are extending the network of 
stores around our existing distribution 
centres from 2017. We have the 
potential to reach over 100 supermarkets 
in Moscow alone over the next 
three years. 

  27

EVEN IN THESE STRAITENED TIMES, 
WE SEE CONSIDERABLE GROWTH 
POTENTIAL FOR THIS STORE 
FORMAT – AND EXPANSION 
OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE TO 
PRESENT THEMSELVES.

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17

supermarkets opened 
during 2016, a record 
annual high 

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
28

Operating review continued

Lenta Loyalty Card
Lenta operates a long-established 
and highly successful loyalty card 
programme, with 93% of all purchases 
in our stores made using the card. 
In addition to offering discounts on 
customer purchases, it provides us 
with valuable real-time information 
on customer behaviour. Cardholders 
obtain a 5% minimum discount every 
time they use their card and benefit 
from exclusive access to special 
promotions, with extra discounts of 
up to 50%. Additional reductions are 
also offered on goods for customers 
in most need of social support, with 
a further 3–8% discount. 

In 2016 we passed a notable milestone, 
reaching 10.5 million active cardholders 
during the year. This represents an 
impressive increase of 25% year-on-
year. Our credentials are consistently 
verified through in-depth customer 
research and Lenta’s loyalty scheme 
is regarded by Russian shoppers as 
the best of its kind in the market. 

We accumulate transaction data on 
all card-related purchases. Analysis 
of this information enables us to track 
product performance across our 
stores, understand our customers’ 
changing tastes and habits and provide 
them with attractive, individually 
tailored offers. These include ‘Thank 
You’ mailshots, which are designed – 
and proven – to increase customer 
loyalty, traffic and basket size. 

We send offers to all contactable 
customers frequently. These incorporate 
a range of incentives: from single 
product discounts and category offers 
to money off a customer’s entire shop. 
We piloted a range of new card-related 
initiatives during the year including 
customer birthday offers, campaigns 
aimed at recapturing lost customers 
and region-specific promotions. 

The coming year will see us introduce 
additional loyalty card-based activities 
including improved rewards for 
new customers and housewarming 
congratulations. 

10.5m

Active cardholders

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Big Data Customer Insight 
Programme
We started collecting data on customer 
transactions in 2008 and launched 
our Big Data Customer Insight initiative 
four years later. The programme 
has delivered significant competitive 
advantage for Lenta, helping us 
maintain our position as one of the 
most rapidly growing food retailers 
in the Russian market. We use 
customer data across all the key 
levers at Lenta, to drive sales and 
performance, including pricing, 
promotions, assortment and 
personalisation initiatives. 

Our Big Data Customer Insight 
Programme enables us to track 
shopping trends; for example, whether 
customers are shopping in our stores 
more or less frequently, and whether 
they are buying significantly more or 
less on each visit. Data derived from 
Lenta loyalty card transactions has 
also prompted a new approach to 
the way in which we understand 
customer behaviour. 

WE STARTED COLLECTING DATA 
ON CUSTOMER TRANSACTIONS 
IN 2008 AND LAUNCHED OUR 
BIG DATA CUSTOMER INSIGHT 
INITIATIVE FOUR YEARS LATER.

Detailed analysis has enabled us to 
identify ten key customer lifestyle 
profiles, depending on how much they 
spend, how often they shop and the 
items they buy. We can therefore cater 
directly to the specific needs and 
preferences of each group, providing 
them with personalised discounts 
and relevant offers that enhance their 
experience with us, generate additional 
sales and boost loyalty. We also use 
these profiles to help us refine and plan 
our product ranges, merchandising and 
advertising activities. 

Our sophisticated analytical capabilities 
support our commercial model and 
additional enhancements will further 
cement our leading position in this field. 
In the coming year we will continue 
developing our use of customer 
transaction data, both internally and 
with external partners. This includes 
a range of activities, including work 
to evaluate the effectiveness of various 
promotional channels including 
billboards, facades and catalogues.

Product range 
Our standard format hypermarket 
carries around 26,000 SKUs. This 
provides an attractive range of choices 
for customers, while being significantly 
fewer than some of our competitors. 
We are therefore able to reap 
considerable efficiency benefits, 
both in store and across our supply 
chain. A carefully edited range of 
products displayed in well-planned 
space also enables time-pressed 
customers to quickly find the products 
on their list, which improves their 
overall shopping experience.

  29

All of our stores carry an extensive 
range of high quality products that 
offer great value for money. However, 
we also customise our category 
assortment to varying degrees in 
different regions, since local tastes and 
preferences across Russia inevitably 
vary widely. This geographic flexibility 
is a key differentiator for Lenta.

In 2016, fresh food accounted for 
39.8% of combined supermarket 
and hypermarket sales. Dry groceries 
comprised 48.1%. Our non-food 
category, which includes clothing, 
homeware and seasonal goods 
accounted for 12.1% of sales. 

Total food sales (fresh and dry 
combined) grew by 21.5%. Non-food 
sales rose 18.8%. Non-food products 
comprised 12.5% of total hypermarket 
sales, compared with 3.0% of total 
supermarket sales. 

+21.5%

Total food sales growth 
(fresh and dry  
combined)

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
30

Operating review continued

Private label ranges 
In a highly competitive market, 
we provide great value to our 
customers through our extensive 
private label range of everyday 
essentials. Recognising the pressures 
on household budgets, we made our 
quality products even more affordable 
through the introduction of smaller 
pack sizes. 

Our two leading private label FMCG 
variants are ‘365 days’ and ‘Lenta’. 
‘365 days’ comprises 722 SKUs 
of the most affordable products in 
their categories. Our ‘Lenta’ range 
comprises 583 SKUs of mid-range 
products, which offer excellent quality 
at competitive prices. 

Centralised production continues to 
play a key role in our drive for cost 
efficiency. It also enables us to source 
ingredients and raw materials directly, 
maintain the highest standards of 
quality and keep our shelves filled with 
the freshest products. Bakery products, 
salads and ready meals are among the 
popular categories of own-produced 
fresh foods. Sales amounted to 
RUB 39 billion, some around 13% 
of our total sales and an increase 
of 18% on the previous year. 

We developed and implemented new 
‘bake-off’ technologies in 13 ‘mother’ 
stores, which in turn supply 30 ‘daughter’ 
stores. This arrangement enables 
rapid replenishment of shelves and 
consistent quality – as well as savings 
in cost, space and equipment at the 
daughter stores. We also commenced 
centralised meat production in Omsk, 
Siberia, with a mother store producing 
80 SKUs, which are vacuum packed 
in a gas-modified atmosphere for four 
other stores in the city. 

Volumes of peeled vegetables 
produced centrally increased from 
five to 153 tonnes per month and 
the number of stores receiving these 
products increased from six to 40, 
with the assortment expanding from 
six to 17 SKUs. We commenced 
production of Korean salads and 
pickled cabbage in 2016 and are 
expanding our centralised production 
capabilities to include peeled potato, 
carrot, beet and mixed packs. 

This approach enables us to adapt 
successfully to a wider range of 
different catchment areas, maintaining 
a balanced range of reasonably priced 
products without compromising the 
quality of our service. The year ahead 
will see us introduce our ‘bake-off’ 
technology at nine mother stores 
serving 17 daughter premises. 

During the year we introduced a system 
of regular quality self-assessment, 
which was implemented in every store. 
This was underpinned by an enhanced 
internal quality audit programme, 
with every store now reviewed on 
a quarterly basis. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  31

All of our promotional activities are 
carefully planned and continually 
refined using customer feedback 
and sales figures. We also consider 
local buying patterns and regional 
preferences when devising promotions, 
so that we maximise brand awareness, 
attract new customers and build loyalty. 
In 2016, 38.5% of sales were 
accounted for by promotions.

We continued our targeted promotional 
activity and launched several new 
initiatives during the year, incorporating 
our Big Data Customer Insight 
capabilities further into our ‘Big Media’ 
and ‘Crazy Day’ promotions. We are 
now able to understand the best 
promotions for sales, unit uplift, 
customer penetration and returning 
or new customers. In 2016, we 
sent customers birthday greetings 
accompanied by a special offer and 
focused our efforts on encouraging 
‘lost’ or ‘reducing spend’ customers 
to return to Lenta. Both these initiatives 
resulted in double-digit sales increases. 

Price leadership and promotions
The consumer environment remained 
intensely competitive. We closely 
monitor other retailers’ local and 
national pricing – often twice a week, 
sometimes daily – to ensure we 
maintain our price leadership. Our core 
proposition is to provide great value for 
money – and our customers appreciate 
the benefits of our low price/low cost 
business model. Our continued 
buoyant profit performance derives 
from the simple – yet highly effective – 
mix of high footfall, high sales density 
and a low cost base. Close collaboration 
with our suppliers means we can keep 
costs down and pass on savings to 
our customers. 

We are particularly focused on 
enhancing our private label offerings. 
In November we announced the 
launch of a range of private label 
food products for children, including 
breakfast cereals, jellybeans and 
cookies. Co-branded with The Walt 
Disney Company CIS, the product 
packaging features several of Disney’s 
best-known cartoon characters. 
Lenta is the first Russian food retailer 
to launch such a partnership.

We continued the development of 
our non-food own brands: ‘Home Club’ 
household goods, ‘Lentel’ home 
appliances, ‘Giardin’ gardening goods 
and ‘Friend Made’ clothing and 
accessories – as well as newer brands 
‘Bigga’ toys and ‘Actico’ sports goods. 
The share of private label vs. branded 
goods sales was stable in 2016 due 
to high levels of promotional activity 
in premium brands.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DISNEY: 
ANOTHER FIRST FOR LENTA

In November, Lenta and The Walt 
Disney Company CIS announced a 
new private label range of co-branded 
food products for children. This makes 
us the first company in the Russian 
food market to launch such a venture – 
and represents an exciting new 
stage in the development of Lenta’s 
private labels. 

The new range initially comprises 
six products, which comply with 
our own high quality standards and 
Disney’s stringent quality and safety 
requirements. Manufacturing facilities 
were audited for compliance with 
international labour conventions and 
all suppliers for the new range have 
been certified to ISO 22000 food 
safety management standards.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
32

Operating review continued

Distribution
Lenta’s rapid growth is underpinned 
by a sophisticated, flexible and highly 
efficient supply chain. Our extensive 
geographic spread across Russia 
means we must overcome a complex 
set of logistical hurdles in order to keep 
our stores stocked at optimum levels 
with the right products at the right time. 
Our stores are therefore supplied 
through a combination of deliveries 
from our own distribution centres and 
direct deliveries from our suppliers.

Our distribution centres incorporate 
state-of-the-art technologies and 
are designed for maximum efficiency. 
They have the capacity to serve a 
total of over 250 hypermarkets and 
250 supermarkets. During the 
year we continued to invest in our 
distribution network, with the opening 
of a RUB 2 billion dedicated supermarket 
distribution centre in Moscow – our 
seventh. This 31,600 sq.m facility 
has the capacity to serve over 
150 supermarkets in the Moscow 
and Central regions; providing us 
with a new catalyst for growth in this 
store format. 

In 2016 the centralisation ratio was 
50.1% for Lenta’s hypermarkets vs. 
45.2% in 2015, and 64.5% for our 
supermarkets vs. 67.9% in 2015. 
The average distance transported 
per pallet of goods was 579 km 
compared with 635 km per pallet 
in 2015, a decrease of 9%.

Our substantial truck fleet means we 
maintain tight control of this crucial link 
in our supply chain. During the year, 
our owned trucks delivered 53.6% of all 
deliveries to our stores compared with 
39.3% in 2015. At the end of 2016 our 
fleet comprised 161 owned delivery 
trucks, an increase of 45%. 

53.6%

Deliveries made 
by our own trucks 

Purchasing and supplier 
partnerships
Strong relationships with suppliers 
are a vital component in our growth 
ambitions. Throughout the year we 
continued to work closely with our 
key suppliers, as well as a diverse 
and growing range of regional and 
local producers. The fact that we are 
growing so rapidly makes us very 
attractive to potential suppliers, since 
they too stand to benefit from our 
success. Many of our suppliers offer 
favourable purchasing terms and 
conditions, the benefits of which 
we can pass on to our customers. 

In 2016 we established a dedicated 
Procurement Unit. This specialist 
team has several functions including 
sourcing suppliers on a global scale, 
establishing a unified commercial 
tendering system and balancing 
price, quality and supply chain 
considerations effectively. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Every Lenta supplier is required to 
match our own high standards of 
safety and quality. They must also 
comply with all relevant legislation, 
such as packaging regulations and 
the provision of consumer information. 
In 2016 we focused on improving the 
quality of supplied fruit and vegetables, 
as well as directly imported goods. 
While we have high expectations of 
our suppliers, they in turn value us as a 
fair and reliable partner – in November, 
Lenta was recognised as the number 
one partner for suppliers among 
Russia’s largest food retailers in a 
survey by leading market research 
company Advantage. 

The total number of suppliers 
increased by 12.9% to 3,178 in 2016, 
as we continued our rapid expansion. 
Over 95% of all products purchased 
in Lenta stores were sourced in Russia, 
including 19.5% from suppliers located 
close to the destination store. Some 
46% of all the fresh food sold in our 
stores in 2016 was provided by 
local producers. 

We actively seek new partnerships. 
Suppliers can approach us directly, 
but we also seek out producers who 
will help us extend and enhance our 
ranges of niche products that appeal to 
specific local tastes. We take deliveries 
from many producers at the nearest 
distribution centre to their facilities, 
then use our logistics network to 
distribute nationally, saving costs and 
cutting lead times involved in getting 
products to our stores. 

In 2016, we started to set up long-term 
agreements with growers. Through 
sourcing fruit and vegetables directly in 
this way, we significantly improved our 
margins in this competitive category – 
and will focus on expanding this activity 
in the year ahead.

  33

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Going direct/going local
% share of sales

32%

3%
65%

24%

3%
4%
68%

6%
6%
16%

72%

2013

2016

Target

Direct import
Producers
Long-term direct agreements with growers

Distributor

Source: Company information

Overall number of suppliers:
  Direct import
  Sourced in Russia
% of all supply
  Direct import
  Sourced in Russia

2016
3,178
248
2,930

2015
2,816
233
2,583

2016 vs. 2015
12.86%
6.44%
13.43%

4.24%
95.76%

3.38%
96.62%

0.86pp
-0.86pp

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
34

Operating review continued

OUR 2016 PARTNERSHIP FORUM, 
WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY KEY 
SUPPLIERS AND PRODUCERS FROM 
ALL OVER RUSSIA, ENABLED 
PARTICIPANTS TO DISCUSS 
OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER 
COOPERATION AND GROWTH.

We currently buy a wide range of 
products from 24 countries. Direct 
import volumes of fruit and vegetables 
increased by 250% to more than 
62,000 tonnes in 2016, with the 
average direct import share reaching 
more than 20%. Customers 
appreciated the significantly higher 
quality of these products and volumes 
continue to grow. 

During the year, our dry food direct 
import business processes were 
defined and aligned within the 
Company and new projects in five 
categories were launched and well 
received by customers. The year 
ahead will see us further explore joint 
business plans with our largest 
partners, sharing customer insights 
to launch innovations and grow sales. 
Our 2016 Partnership Forum, which 
was attended by key suppliers and 
producers from all over Russia, 
enabled participants to discuss 
opportunities for further cooperation 
and growth. 

In December we signed an agreement 
of intent with Eurotorg, a leading 
Belarus retailer to explore the potential 
for joint procurement opportunities 
for both food and non-food categories. 
Although such partnerships exist 
elsewhere, this is a pioneering venture 
in the CIS markets. We also entered 
a partnership with Agrokor, one of 
Europe’s largest retailers and Serbia’s 
largest food producer, which is helping 
us bring fresh produce, food and 
non-food items to our customers  
at the best possible prices. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  35

IT 
All of Lenta’s operations – from inventory 
management and supply chain to 
HR and finance – are supported by 
best-in-class business applications. 
Given our growth ambitions, scalability 
and reliability are at the heart of our IT 
strategy. Amongst others, we use SAP, 
Oracle and JDA solutions to support 
our business activities.

During the year we completed 
implementation of the SAP Mobile 
Platform (SMP) service for Lenta’s 
entire chain – a solution that has 
helped to increase the effectiveness 
of our in-store staff by reducing the 
time required for routine operations. 
We also rolled-out new point of sale 
software in our stores, which has 
delivered numerous benefits including 
improved reliability and functionality 
for our customers and back-office with 
lower maintenance costs. The new 
system also speeds the time-to-market 
for implementation of new features as 
the business grows. In December we 
signed a new long-term contract with 
SAP, which gives us full access to the 
latest SAP solutions and technologies.

We launched a new data centre in 
Moscow, which guarantees the 
operation of business-critical systems 
in the event of another data centre’s 
failure. We also rolled-out JDA’s 
Demand and Fulfillment solutions for 
our entire regular assortment, allowing 
us to improve stock fulfillment accuracy 
and further centralise orders to suppliers. 

Merchandising 
To ensure we provide our customers 
with the best possible shopping 
experience, we plan our store layouts 
with great care. They all follow a similar 
floor layout, with logical arrangements 
of product categories, which makes 
them easy for customers to navigate. 
Our stores are specifically designed to 
showcase our fresh food ranges. Our 
attractive fruit and vegetable displays 
take centre stage and we ensure that 
our strongest promotions and offers 
are placed in prominent positions in 
store, including near the entrance. 

IN 2016 WE CONTINUED  
TO REFRESH AND UPDATE THE 
LAYOUTS OF OUR EXISTING STORE 
FORMATS IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN 
THEIR APPEAL.

In 2016 we continued to refresh and 
update the layouts of our existing store 
formats in order to maintain their 
appeal. Better planning enabled us 
to highlight key product areas such as 
children’s goods, seasonal offerings 
and fresh food and promotions more 
effectively. We also successfully piloted 
self-service cash desks and are 
implementing these across our 
store estate. 

We made significant improvements 
to our store displays during the year, 
increasing the prominence and 
accessibility of our private label 
365 range and improving the layout of 
some categories including cosmetics, 
canned foods and shoes. 

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
36

Financial review

ANOTHER 
STRONG 
PERFORMANCE

Increases in sales, selling space and 
productivity helped to deliver a substantial 
increase in profits. 

Jago Lemmens 
Chief Financial Officer

Dear Shareholders
Despite the challenging economic 
conditions, Lenta delivered another 
strong overall financial performance 
in 2016. Combining rapid growth with 
continuing high productivity enabled 
the company to deliver a substantial 
increase in profits while maintaining 
a conservative balance sheet. 

Total sales grew 21%. Adjusted 
EBITDA rose 13% to RUB 31.8 billion, 
and net income increased by 9% 
to RUB 11.2 billion, while net debt 
increased to 2.8x EBITDA.

Gross profit
RUB bn

2016

2015

2014

Net profit
RUB bn

2016

2015

2014

+20.4%

67.8

56.3

43.7

+8.9%

11.2

10.3

9.1

COMBINING RAPID GROWTH WITH 
CONTINUING HIGH PRODUCTIVITY 
ENABLED THE COMPANY TO 
DELIVER A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE 
IN PROFITS WHILE MAINTAINING 
A CONSERVATIVE BALANCE SHEET.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  37

306.4bn

RUB total sales

67.8bn

RUB gross profit

23.7bn

RUB operating profit

Sales
Our sales in 2016 were RUB 306.4 
billion, a rise of 21.2% compared with 
growth in 2015 of 30.3%. Our growth 
was supported by another substantial 
increase in selling space, which grew 
by 29.9% compared with 25.8% in 
2015. LFL sales grew 3.9%, as the 
average LFL ticket increased by 4.0%, 
while LFL traffic fell by 0.1%. 

Selling space
‘000 sq.m

2016

2015

2014

+29.9%

1,146.1

882.4

701.2

Y-on-Y growth
Total sales
LFL sales
LFL traffic
LFL ticket

1H 2016
21.9%
5.2%
2.1%
3.0%

2H 2016
20.6%
2.9%
-2.0%
5.0%

2016
21.2%
3.9%
-0.1%
4.0%

2015
30.3%
9.1%
3.9%
5.0%

Gross margin
We achieved notable improvements 
in supplier conditions, supply chain 
efficiency and Lenta’s own production 
performance. However, these gains 
were offset by the price investments 
we made to shield our customers from 
some of the impact of inflation. As a 
result our gross margin decreased 
slightly by 0.2pp to 22.1%.

The increased density of our distribution 
network enabled a reduction in 
the average distance for goods 
transportation by 9% to 579km/pallet 
in 2016, compared to 635km/pallet 
in 2015. Combined with a higher 
centralisation ratio of 50.8%, this led 
to a reduction in supply chain costs as 
a percentage of sales to 1.2% in 2016 
from 1.3% in 2015. In-store production 
margins improved 42bps thanks to the 
implementation of our ‘mother/daughter’ 
centralisation concept.

Selling, general and administrative 
expenses (SG&A)
SG&A increased to 15.2% of sales, 
0.9pp higher than 2015, while adjusted 
SG&A, which excludes rent paid on 
land, equipment and premises leases, 
depreciation and one-off non-operating 
costs increased 0.5pp to 11.4% in 2016.

Ongoing productivity gains were 
substantial. Operational improvements 
in stores led to higher labour 
productivity, despite the growing 
number of stores in the ramp-up phase, 
and resulted in flat personnel costs as 
a percentage of sales (5.7% in 2015). 

Despite continuous operational 
improvements, other costs included 
in adjusted SG&A (which include 
marketing, utilities and other 
housing costs, but exclude rent and 
depreciation) increased by 0.5pp to 
5.7% of sales in 2016. This was due to 
a combination of increased marketing 
costs employed to drive customer 
loyalty and additional traffic, rising 
tariffs for utilities, and increases in 
housing costs driven by the growing 
number of stores – as well as 
expenditure to support Lenta’s rapid 
organic expansion and the acquisition 
of 11 hypermarkets from Kesko. 

Rent expenses as a % of sales 
remained almost flat at 1.1%, due to 
a higher share of new owned selling 
space. Depreciation increased by 
0.3pp to 2.5% of sales as a result 
of Lenta’s rapid expansion.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
38

Financial review continued

EBITDA
Adjusted EBITDA (which is reported 
EBITDA adjusted for non-recurring 
one-off items such as changes in 
accounting estimates and one-off 
non-operating costs and income) 
reached RUB 31.8 billion in 2016 
(+13.1% compared to 2015) with an 
Adjusted EBITDA margin of 10.4%.

RUB (millions)
Adjusted EBITDA
One-off expenses and income1
Reported EBITDA2

2016
31,759
369
31,390

2015
28,080
61
28,018

% Change 
2016–2015
13.1%
–
12.0%

1  One-off expenses and income in 2016 were professional fees associated with M&A activity. In 2015 these were 

professional services fees primarily incurred in connection with optimisation of the Group corporate legal structure, 
development of employee incentive plans and cost and income related to Lenta’s public offerings carried out in March 
and October 2015.

2  Reported EBITDA (as set out in note 6 of the IFRS financial statements) includes all operating income and expenses 

excluding interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation as well as certain other expenses.

Net income
Net profit rose 8.9% to RUB 11.2 billion 
from RUB 10.3 billion in 2015. This 
was driven by growth in EBITDA, partly 
offset by increased depreciation and 
income tax. The net profit margin fell 
to 3.7% (2015: 4.1%). While this figure 
was supported by almost flat interest 
expenses, it was affected by a higher 
effective rate of tax, mainly due to 
one-off effects. 

Capital expenditure
Our capital expenditure rose to 
RUB 54.3 billion, an increase of 73.0% 
on 2015 (RUB 31.4 billion). This was 
principally due to rapid ongoing organic 
expansion: additional investments in  
land purchases and hypermarket 
construction – combined with a higher 
share of owned selling space and the 
RUB 11.4 billion acquisition of Kesko’s 
food retail business in Russia. Lenta’s 
capital expenditure in 2016 was funded 
by operating cash flow and debt. 

Interest
Net interest expenses were RUB 9.2 
billion, a slight decrease compared to 
2015 (RUB 9.3 billion). This was due 
mainly to lower interest rates offsetting 
a substantial increase in total 
borrowings to fund store openings, 
supply chain development and the 
Kesko acquisition. 

We managed to reduce the cost of our 
debt throughout the year, from 12.5% 
in the first three months to 11.2% in 
the fourth quarter. This was due mainly 
to the combined effects of continuing 
reductions in MosPrime rates and 
improvements in the terms and 
conditions of our long-term loan 
facilities. Our weighted average cost 
of debt in 2016 decreased to 11.9% 
(180bps lower than 2015).

Tax
The effective tax rate rose from 20.1% 
in 2015 to 23.0% in 2016. The main 
driver of this change was a one-off 
permanent difference related to the 
Kesko acquisition and an intra-Group 
loan that generated a taxable gain in 
2016 versus deductible losses the 
previous year. 

Cash flow
Net cash generated from operating 
activities, before net interest and 
income taxes paid, of RUB 27.9 billion 
rose 7.7% compared to 2015 
(RUB 25.9 billion). This was driven 
primarily by growth in EBITDA, partly 
offset by an increase in working capital. 
Trade payables grew slower than 
inventory and trade receivables as 
a result of the new trade law. Another 
effect was a marked increase in taxes 
receivable from RUB 1.3 billion on 
31 December 2015 to RUB 3.9 billion 
on 31 December 2016. This was driven 
by VAT receivable on the high capex 
in 2016.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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Summary cash flow

RUB (millions)
Profit before income tax
Cash from operating activities 
before movements in working capital
Movements in working capital
Cash from operating activities
Net interest 
Income tax
Net cash generated from 
operating activities
Net cash used in investing activities
Net cash generated from 
financing activities
Net increase/(decrease) in 
cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents 
at the end of the period

Full year ended 
31 December 
2016
14,553 

Full year ended 
31 December 
2015
12,872 

32,578
(4,668)
27,910 
(7,902)
(289)

19,719 
(54,257)

28,288 
(2,378)
25,911 
(9,090)
(896)

15,924 
(31,370)

Y-o-Y  
growth
13.1%

15.2%
96.3%
7.7%
-13.1%
-67.7%

23.8%
73.0%

25,120 

25,865 

-2.9%

(9,418)

10,420 

–

13,038 

22,456 

-41.9%

Net debt and leverage
As of 31 December 2016, Lenta’s 
net debt stood at RUB 89.2 billion. 
We ended the year with a net debt 
to Adjusted EBITDA leverage of 2.8x 
compared with 1.9x at the end of the 
previous year. Adjusted EBITDA to 
net interest was 3.4x. The increase 
in leverage was attributable to capex 
spending on expansion and the 
acquisition of the Kesko stores in 
December 2016. 

All of the Company’s debt is 
denominated in Russian Roubles, 
most of which is long-term with 
an average maturity of 2.3 years.  
At the year end, total debt was 
RUB 102.2 billion compared to 
RUB 76.1 billion in 2015. The Company 
had a cash balance of RUB 13.0 billion 
as of 31 December 2016.

Lenta has RUB 44.2 billion of undrawn 
short- and long-term facilities. 

While some improvement in the 
trading environment appears likely, 
the economy will remain challenging 
for retailers and their customers in the 
year ahead. However, our effective 
low price/low cost business model 
and healthy financial position means 
we are well positioned to succeed 
in these conditions; we will continue 
to strengthen our presence while 
maintaining rigorous control of our 

Summary balance sheet

RUB (millions)
Property, plant and equipment
Other non-current assets
Inventories
Trade and other receivables
Cash and cash equivalents
Advances paid
Other current assets
Total assets

Equity
Long-term borrowings
Other long-term liabilities
Trade and other payables
Short-term borrowings and short-
term portion of long-term borrowings
Other short-term liabilities
Total liabilities and equity

31 December 
2016
147,812
13,761
27,491
17,036
13,038
2,670
4,362
226,170

31 December 
2015
104,016
11,023
22,782
13,647
22,456
2,265
2,203
178,392

58,369
66,956
7,362
56,172

35,245
2,066
226,170

47,130
65,149
5,254
48,820

10,773
1,265
178,392

Net debt/Adjusted EBITDA

2.8x

1.9x

cost base in order to deliver profitable 
growth. We will remain focused on 
delivering attractive returns on our new 
investments while maintaining a strong 
balance sheet in 2017 and beyond. 

Jago Lemmens
Chief Financial Officer

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
40

Principal risks and uncertainties

Risk management
We define risk as ‘an uncertain future event that could 
affect the Company’s ability to achieve its objectives.’ 
Understanding how different risks potentially influence our 
business is integral to the decision-making process at Lenta. 
We continuously monitor all material risks to our operations, 
taking action as necessary to mitigate and manage them – 
and anticipate new ones. 

Our risk management process applies across all functions 
and comprises four main stages: 

•  identification;

•  assessment;

•  response;

•  monitoring, reporting and escalation.

R i sk appetite

1  Risk identification

4
Risk 
monitoring, 
reporting 
& escalation

Communication 
& consultation

2
Risk 
assessment

3  Risk response

Risk app e t i

t e

Stage 1 – Risk identification
To ensure a comprehensive risk profile, we conduct a ‘top 
down’ strategic risk assessment on a biannual basis. This 
supplements a quarterly functional ‘bottom up’ evaluation, 
which identifies risks at operational levels in the company. 
Risk identification is also embedded into key processes 
including budgeting, business planning, capital expenditure 
and performance management.

Stage 2 – Risk assessment
Risks are assessed to determine their likelihood and 
potential impact. They are assessed on a ‘Current’ and 
‘Target’ basis, which helps to inform management oversight 
and privatisation. Risks are assessed over a three-year time 
horizon using Lenta’s Risk Assessment Criteria, which 
comprise four-point probability and severity scales.

Stage 3 – Risk response
When the Current severity of a risk exceeds acceptable 
levels, action may need to be taken to bring it in line with 
the Target risk position. Risk Owners retain accountability 
for managing the risk, with details of all planned activities 
and delivery milestones set out in risk response plans. 

Stage 4 – Risk monitoring, reporting and escalation
This involves the timely tracking, capture and sharing of 
risk information to enable review and notification of changes 
in risk exposure by management. It supports understanding 
and enables decisions on risk response to be taken, 
including management interventions to avoid a risk 
occurring – or reduce its impact should it occur.

The entire process is supported by a governance structure 
that clearly defines risk-related roles and responsibilities 
at each level of the Company. The Lenta Board has 
overall accountability for ensuring that risks are effectively 
managed across the business. The Audit Committee 
oversees and challenges the effectiveness of our approach. 
The management team provides risk oversight of commercial 
operations and undertakes a biannual ‘top down’ assessment 
for the Audit Committee and Board to review. Functional 
heads across the business are accountable for implementing 
the risk management activity in their respective areas.

A new policy
As we have continued to grow, we have recognised the 
need to establish and embed a more structured approach 
to managing risk within the business. During 2016 we 
launched a new Risk Management Policy, setting out clearly 
the principles and standards to be adhered to throughout 
Lenta and establishing a common approach and minimum 
requirements for risk management activities within the 
Company. The policy creates a common language for 
risk and provides us with multiple benefits, including: 

•  informed decision-making to help deliver consistent 

and improved business performance through avoiding 
unwanted surprises and achievement of opportunities;

•  identification and management of key risks that could 

have a material impact on the business;

•  clear accountability and ownership of risk management;

•  an improved view of key controls, their effectiveness 

and gaps in the control environment;

•  a clear path for the functions to raise significant risks to 

the Senior Management team, Audit Committee and Board;

•  a proactive, risk-aware culture across the business;

•  assurance to the Board and Audit committee that 

processes and behaviours are embedded to ensure 
significant risks are consistently identified, understood 
and effectively managed. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  41

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Board
Accountable for ensuring a sound system 
of internal control and risk management 
is in place

Audit Committee
Oversight and challenge of the principal  
risks, effectiveness of risk management  
and assurance activities

Senior Management team
Oversight of the identification, review and 
ongoing monitoring of Lenta’s principal 
risks. Review and challenge of the risks 
submitted from the Functions

Head of Risk Management
Responsible for the risk management 
framework and coordination of 
management activities

Functions
Functions are accountable for implementing the Risk Management policy in their respective area  
and ensuring timely and robust submissions of significant risks to the Head of Risk Management

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The policy is owned by the Chief Financial Officer and is 
reviewed on an annual basis. Compliance with the policy 
is mandatory for all levels of management within Lenta; 
guidance on how to apply the process and supporting tools 
are provided via a dedicated Risk Management intranet site. 
Risk Management awareness and training is provided to 
all staff commensurate with their roles and responsibilities. 
By the end of the year, 50 employees – most of whom 
report directly to the Senior Management team – had been 
trained to identify risks across the business, and ‘owners’ 
of principal risks had been nominated. 

With our new policy in place, we now have a comprehensive 
and robust framework, enabling us to ensure that risk 
is managed to a consistently high standard across all of  
our operations. 

The risk landscape
Several events and developments occurred in 2016 that 
could have a potentially severe impact on the business.

The ongoing weakness in consumer demand required us 
to remain focused on our commercial proposition to continue 
to attract customers. With the help of our detailed consumer 
insight, we further developed individually targeted offers 
and ensured that our usual promotional activities remained 
relevant for customers. The growing proportion of sales 
accounted for by promotions shows they have become 
more relevant, since the actual number of products on 
promotion remained unchanged. With the help of our 
Big Data Customer Insight Programme we also improved 
our assortment, increasing the share of local products. 
Thanks to our sourcing initiatives, we were largely able to 
mitigate the effects of pricing pressures and the increased 
promotional share.

A new trade law was implemented in July 2016, which 
reduced back margins on food supply to a maximum of 5% 
of purchases – and also reduced the payment terms. Any 
new agreements after 13 July had to comply with the new 
law, with existing agreements compliant by 1 January 2017. 
Lenta ensured that all annual negotiations were concluded 
in time and all agreements with suppliers signed. We had 
also already switched a large part of fresh food supplies to 
a net-net basis (without back margin) from around mid-2015. 
In the second half of 2016, all existing agreements were 
renegotiated for application in 2017; with the objective of 
ensuring that the new terms were at least the same as, or 
better than, those applicable in 2016. This objective was met.

The high number of store openings could potentially 
lead to an erosion of standards and store performance. 
With 52 openings in 2016 following 32 in 2015, a significant 
proportion of our stores is very young. During the year we 
implemented a management-level process involving all 
functions to regularly review underperforming stores and 
evaluate likely reasons for underperformance (commercial, 
operational, marketing, people). The reviewing team then 
defines an action plan to improve the store’s performance, 
which is actively followed up.

A positive development was the continuous decrease in 
interest rates. This reduced interest rate risk related to our 
growth, which requires additional funding above our own 
generated cash flows. 

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
42

Principal risks and uncertainties continued

The risk management process is closely aligned to our 
strategic objectives. We identified 16 principal risks 
that could potentially have a negative impact on our ability 
to deliver on our goals. These are set out below, along 
with their likely impacts and the mitigating actions taken 
in each case. Each risk is graded according to how the 
possible impact would affect the achievement of our 
strategic priorities. 

Our strategic priorities

Delivering profitable like-for-like growth

Strengthening our existing presence

Exploiting white space potential

Format evolution

Risk categories
 ` Strategic
 ` Operational
 ` Financial
 ` Legal and compliance

Risk

Regulation resulting  
in major additional 
compliance costs

Retail regulation  
of price/margin

Major decline  
in economy

No.  
on map

Impact

Strategic priorities that  
would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

Risk 

categories

1

2

3

Government may introduce regulation of stores in areas 
such as disabled access or food production standards  
that result in significant compliance costs and/or 
adjustment of the business model.

Government misunderstanding of the retail sector could 
result in the introduction of further damaging trade laws, 
e.g. controls over price or front margin, which could 
erode sales and margins and/or require changes in 
the business model.

There may be further major decline in Russia’s economy, 
devaluation of the Rouble and inflation, resulting in 
customers cutting back on purchases and reduced sales.

Increased competition

4

Lenta could face markedly increased competition 
as a result of competitor desperation, consolidation, 
or a major competitor benefiting from a new management 
team or additional funding. This could lead to a price war 
and a resulting impact on Lenta’s growth and margins.

In 2016 Lenta began preparing for new legal obligations 

Follow up on legislative initiatives and engage 

Strategic

regarding digitalisation and tracking of quality certificates 

with retail association in ongoing lobbying.

in the supply chain of fresh goods.

Implementation of the new retail law in its initial onerous 

Follow up on legislative initiatives and engage 

Strategic

form went against the advice of suppliers, retailers and 

with retail association in ongoing lobbying.

certain ministries. There is a constant risk of changes in 

the regulation of the Russian retail sector which can affect 

consumers and retailers. The industry has thus become 

even more alert to new initiatives.

>> The Russian economy did not fully recover in 2016. 

Real wages started to show positive trends, but real 

household income continues to show negative trends, 

showing that people are either saving or paying off 

debts – and are confronted with increased utilities 

and other fixed payments; hence low demand 

from customers.

Actively follow up on main economic indicators.

Strategic

Trends during the year indicated how the hierarchy of 

Actively monitor competitors’ behaviour and 

the top seven food retailers will be shaped. The two top 

changes, understand structural changes in 

Strategic

players’ growth is increasingly swift, whereas others 

the market.

lag behind and grow slowly.

Lenta has become the biggest player (by selling space) 

in the hypermarket sector; while new space additions 

by other players plunged, Lenta opened a record amount 

of new space.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Principal risks

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10

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No.  

on map

Impact

Strategic priorities that  

would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

In 2016 Lenta began preparing for new legal obligations 
regarding digitalisation and tracking of quality certificates 
in the supply chain of fresh goods.

Follow up on legislative initiatives and engage 
with retail association in ongoing lobbying.

Minor

Moderate

Major

Severe

Impact

Key:            Current: risk assessed after controls

  43

Risk 
categories

Strategic

Implementation of the new retail law in its initial onerous 
form went against the advice of suppliers, retailers and 
certain ministries. There is a constant risk of changes in 
the regulation of the Russian retail sector which can affect 
consumers and retailers. The industry has thus become 
even more alert to new initiatives.

>> The Russian economy did not fully recover in 2016. 
Real wages started to show positive trends, but real 
household income continues to show negative trends, 
showing that people are either saving or paying off 
debts – and are confronted with increased utilities 
and other fixed payments; hence low demand 
from customers.

Trends during the year indicated how the hierarchy of 
the top seven food retailers will be shaped. The two top 
players’ growth is increasingly swift, whereas others 
lag behind and grow slowly.

Lenta has become the biggest player (by selling space) 
in the hypermarket sector; while new space additions 
by other players plunged, Lenta opened a record amount 
of new space.

Follow up on legislative initiatives and engage 
with retail association in ongoing lobbying.

Strategic

Actively follow up on main economic indicators.

Strategic

Actively monitor competitors’ behaviour and 
changes, understand structural changes in 
the market.

Strategic

Risk

Regulation resulting  

in major additional 

compliance costs

Retail regulation  

of price/margin

1

2

3

Government may introduce regulation of stores in areas 

such as disabled access or food production standards  

that result in significant compliance costs and/or 

adjustment of the business model.

Government misunderstanding of the retail sector could 

result in the introduction of further damaging trade laws, 

e.g. controls over price or front margin, which could 

erode sales and margins and/or require changes in 

the business model.

Major decline  

in economy

There may be further major decline in Russia’s economy, 

devaluation of the Rouble and inflation, resulting in 

customers cutting back on purchases and reduced sales.

Increased competition

4

Lenta could face markedly increased competition 

as a result of competitor desperation, consolidation, 

or a major competitor benefiting from a new management 

team or additional funding. This could lead to a price war 

and a resulting impact on Lenta’s growth and margins.

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44

Principal risks and uncertainties continued

Risk

No.  
on map

Impact

Strategic priorities that  
would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

Competitive sourcing

5

Lenta may not be able to gain access to produce at 
the ‘lowest price’, due to competitors pursuing vertical 
integration or having ‘better’ relationships with producers.

New store location

6

New store site selection could be compromised due 
to the desire to meet rapid growth targets. This results 
in a fall in average revenue per store and Lenta missing 
forecast revenue targets.

Erosion of standards

7

Continued rapid expansion could lead to inconsistent 
application of the Company’s commercial and operational 
standards, resulting in a substandard product offer 
(assortment, price and quality) or customer service 
that damages Lenta’s profitability and brand.

Supply availability

IT system error 
and data theft

Management  
succession

8

9

10

A ‘suppliers’ market’ may result in Lenta struggling to 
purchase the full range of products required to meet 
customer demand, or suppliers simply not delivering 
the necessary quantities to Lenta, resulting in lost sales 
and customers.

A technical malfunction (e.g. change control), could 
result in an inability to operate a key supply chain system, 
limiting stock availability or producing errors in pricing, 
resulting in loss of revenue and potentially long-term 
customer loyalty. A cyber attack/theft could lead to the 
loss of personal or valuable commercial data, resulting in 
negative media headlines, loss of commercial advantage 
or fines and regulatory investigation.

Lenta may not be able to attract management with the 
necessary skills and experience to support its growth 
plans, due to a lack of suitably experienced individuals in 
the country and a reluctance of international candidates to 
move to Russia. This would result in further management 
stretch and inappropriate execution of the strategy.

Food poisoning

11

A lack of independent supplier onboarding and ongoing 
health and safety audits for high-risk products (e.g. meat, 
dairy, fish) could result in the sale of contaminated  
food, potentially causing customer loss of life, 
negative media coverage, regulatory investigation 
and reputational damage.

Since the import ban was introduced in 2014, there has 

Lenta established a separate sourcing team 

been a scarcity of milk and of certain fruit and vegetables, 

at the end of 2015. This resulted in an increase 

driving retailers to look for new sources. Certain high 

in local sourcing and the start of long-term 

quality products (e.g. dairy and processed meat) remain 

cooperation with local growers. There has also 

unavailable. While local agriculture and farming has 

picked up considerably, this has led to higher prices for 

been an increase in direct imports, as the new 

trade law leads to additional benefits from this 

consumers due to limited competition among suppliers 

route in some instances.

in some markets (such as meat and dairy), where suppliers 

consider their prices in a global context.

The recent crisis resulted in much lower competition 

Lenta has a robust and rigorous investment 

for sites from shopping centre developments. The main 

approval process, combined with a strong post 

competitors in the hypermarket sector all slowed their 

expansion significantly. This has reduced competition 

investment process. The investments over the 

last two years have consequently been steered 

for sites, with more locations being available for Lenta. 

largely towards bigger cities, existing and wealthy 

On the other hand, the slow economic development means 

smaller cities that currently offer better prospects. 

that new store ramp ups may be slower in some cities, 

Lenta is experimenting with low capex and 

particularly smaller cities.

lean management models to ensure increased 

profitability of existing stores, as well as potentially 

opening up smaller cities in a profitable way.

Risk 

categories

Strategic

Strategic

Lenta added record space in 2016 and has grown the 

The Company’s comprehensive management 

Operational

number of employees significantly.

development programme ensures that it has high 

calibre managers for new stores and a consistent, 

Company-wide understanding of our operational 

standards. Lenta also has rigorous in-store quality 

assurance processes and commercial KPIs are 

followed-up on a daily and weekly basis. Operations 

and commercial teams collaborate to ensure that 

prices, offer and service are in line with corporate 

standards and are adapted to local requirements. 

There are also regular senior management 

meetings to ensure the maintenance of Lenta’s 

commercial and operational standards.

>> See Risk 5.

See Risk 5.

Operational

Lenta operates sophisticated business systems that 

The Company has comprehensive procedures 

Operational

automate or support daily decision-making. Disruptions 

in place to ensure continuous IT operations. 

of major systems could have a significant impact on 

the business.

Lenta is a data-rich company; for example it uses 

customer data more and more intensively. Although not 

financially sensitive, information on customer shopping 

habits should not be disclosed to any third party.

A comprehensive external audit of IT controls 

and cyber security was conducted in 2016 and 

its recommendations will be implemented in 2017. 

A deep audit will be conducted every two years.

Lenta became increasingly attractive for employees 

relative to most other companies because of the 

career opportunities it offers in a growing company. 

Lenta enhanced its management training programmes 

Lenta’s high growth and high standards mean 

the Company is a preferred employer in food retail, 

which guarantees a constant inflow of new talent. 

A strong training programme and well-developed 

in 2016, including launching the Lenta Leader programme, 

annual performance appraisal processes enable 

to prepare selected managers for promotion to higher 

Lenta to identify and develop in-house talent. 

Operational

management levels.

A low personnel turnover compared to the market 

shows that it manages this risk well. Lenta has a 

clear succession plan for its senior management.

>> The share of locally produced food is increasing. 

However, safety standards in the food industry are often 

Lenta’s Quality Assurance team works with our 

commercial team to identify suppliers most likely 

Operational

very basic compared to Lenta’s own, with responsibility 

often lying more with the retailer than the supplier. 

The number of stores with own production operations 

and related risks is growing.

to deliver substandard goods. New suppliers 

are audited and Lenta provides free advice to 

suppliers that need to improve their standards. 

A risk-based audit approach is applied to all 

existing suppliers. Self-audit practices are used 

in in-store production to ensure proper follow up 

of standards.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Risk

No.  

on map

Impact

Competitive sourcing

5

Lenta may not be able to gain access to produce at 

the ‘lowest price’, due to competitors pursuing vertical 

integration or having ‘better’ relationships with producers.

New store location

6

New store site selection could be compromised due 

to the desire to meet rapid growth targets. This results 

in a fall in average revenue per store and Lenta missing 

forecast revenue targets.

Erosion of standards

7

Continued rapid expansion could lead to inconsistent 

application of the Company’s commercial and operational 

standards, resulting in a substandard product offer 

(assortment, price and quality) or customer service 

that damages Lenta’s profitability and brand.

Supply availability

IT system error 

and data theft

Management  

succession

8

9

10

A ‘suppliers’ market’ may result in Lenta struggling to 

purchase the full range of products required to meet 

customer demand, or suppliers simply not delivering 

the necessary quantities to Lenta, resulting in lost sales 

and customers.

A technical malfunction (e.g. change control), could 

result in an inability to operate a key supply chain system, 

limiting stock availability or producing errors in pricing, 

resulting in loss of revenue and potentially long-term 

customer loyalty. A cyber attack/theft could lead to the 

loss of personal or valuable commercial data, resulting in 

negative media headlines, loss of commercial advantage 

or fines and regulatory investigation.

Lenta may not be able to attract management with the 

necessary skills and experience to support its growth 

plans, due to a lack of suitably experienced individuals in 

the country and a reluctance of international candidates to 

move to Russia. This would result in further management 

stretch and inappropriate execution of the strategy.

Strategic priorities that  

would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

Since the import ban was introduced in 2014, there has 
been a scarcity of milk and of certain fruit and vegetables, 
driving retailers to look for new sources. Certain high 
quality products (e.g. dairy and processed meat) remain 
unavailable. While local agriculture and farming has 
picked up considerably, this has led to higher prices for 
consumers due to limited competition among suppliers 
in some markets (such as meat and dairy), where suppliers 
consider their prices in a global context.

The recent crisis resulted in much lower competition 
for sites from shopping centre developments. The main 
competitors in the hypermarket sector all slowed their 
expansion significantly. This has reduced competition 
for sites, with more locations being available for Lenta. 
On the other hand, the slow economic development means 
that new store ramp ups may be slower in some cities, 
particularly smaller cities.

Lenta added record space in 2016 and has grown the 
number of employees significantly.

Lenta established a separate sourcing team 
at the end of 2015. This resulted in an increase 
in local sourcing and the start of long-term 
cooperation with local growers. There has also 
been an increase in direct imports, as the new 
trade law leads to additional benefits from this 
route in some instances.

Lenta has a robust and rigorous investment 
approval process, combined with a strong post 
investment process. The investments over the 
last two years have consequently been steered 
largely towards bigger cities, existing and wealthy 
smaller cities that currently offer better prospects. 
Lenta is experimenting with low capex and 
lean management models to ensure increased 
profitability of existing stores, as well as potentially 
opening up smaller cities in a profitable way.

The Company’s comprehensive management 
development programme ensures that it has high 
calibre managers for new stores and a consistent, 
Company-wide understanding of our operational 
standards. Lenta also has rigorous in-store quality 
assurance processes and commercial KPIs are 
followed-up on a daily and weekly basis. Operations 
and commercial teams collaborate to ensure that 
prices, offer and service are in line with corporate 
standards and are adapted to local requirements. 
There are also regular senior management 
meetings to ensure the maintenance of Lenta’s 
commercial and operational standards.

  45

Risk 
categories

Strategic

Strategic

Operational

>> See Risk 5.

See Risk 5.

Operational

Lenta operates sophisticated business systems that 
automate or support daily decision-making. Disruptions 
of major systems could have a significant impact on 
the business.

Lenta is a data-rich company; for example it uses 
customer data more and more intensively. Although not 
financially sensitive, information on customer shopping 
habits should not be disclosed to any third party.

Lenta became increasingly attractive for employees 
relative to most other companies because of the 
career opportunities it offers in a growing company. 
Lenta enhanced its management training programmes 
in 2016, including launching the Lenta Leader programme, 
to prepare selected managers for promotion to higher 
management levels.

Food poisoning

11

A lack of independent supplier onboarding and ongoing 

health and safety audits for high-risk products (e.g. meat, 

dairy, fish) could result in the sale of contaminated  

food, potentially causing customer loss of life, 

negative media coverage, regulatory investigation 

and reputational damage.

>> The share of locally produced food is increasing. 

However, safety standards in the food industry are often 
very basic compared to Lenta’s own, with responsibility 
often lying more with the retailer than the supplier. 
The number of stores with own production operations 
and related risks is growing.

The Company has comprehensive procedures 
in place to ensure continuous IT operations. 
A comprehensive external audit of IT controls 
and cyber security was conducted in 2016 and 
its recommendations will be implemented in 2017. 
A deep audit will be conducted every two years.

Operational

Operational

Operational

Lenta’s high growth and high standards mean 
the Company is a preferred employer in food retail, 
which guarantees a constant inflow of new talent. 
A strong training programme and well-developed 
annual performance appraisal processes enable 
Lenta to identify and develop in-house talent. 
A low personnel turnover compared to the market 
shows that it manages this risk well. Lenta has a 
clear succession plan for its senior management.

Lenta’s Quality Assurance team works with our 
commercial team to identify suppliers most likely 
to deliver substandard goods. New suppliers 
are audited and Lenta provides free advice to 
suppliers that need to improve their standards. 
A risk-based audit approach is applied to all 
existing suppliers. Self-audit practices are used 
in in-store production to ensure proper follow up 
of standards.

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Tax authorities seem to take a tougher stance in court 

on tax structuring and find support in courts for that.

The Company will follow up changes in legislation 

Financial

and court practice and reconsider, when 

necessary, its tax structure.

Since the interest rate rise at the end of 2014, rates 

Lenta ensures that a reasonable part of debt is in 

Financial

have reduced significantly. The current spread between 

fixed rates or covers upward risk with caps. Stress 

interest rates and inflation is resulting in one of the highest 

testing on interest rate risk is conducted quarterly.

effective interest rates in the world, which should reduce 

over time.

Lenta significantly increased limits with most of its banks 

The Company has a diversified portfolio of 

Financial

ahead of its funding requirements.

lenders to reduce dependency on limited sources. 

It ensures it has generous limits approved and 

undrawn debt available. Lenta also conducts 

regular stress tests of projected funding 

requirements and leverage under a variety of 

negative scenarios to ensure that the company 

would have adequate funding and that leverage 

would remain within covenants even with 

very pessimistic assumptions.

>> The high number of new store openings means that 

there is an increased risk of a mishap in the period before 

the opening. More new and relatively inexperienced 

Construction standards are rigorously controlled. 

Comprehensive training and clear procedures 

ensure that all employees have a thorough 

colleagues are involved in the management of our stores 

understanding of EHS processes. The Audit 

Legal and 

compliance

and store processes.

Committee regularly tracks the EHS status of 

all operations. A clear investment programme 

to address non-standard situations is agreed 

and executed. 

Lenta has a clear ethical policy. Third parties with 

whom Lenta cooperates are informed of the policy 

Legal and 

compliance

and are expected to comply with it.

>>

46

Principal risks and uncertainties continued

Risk

Tax

Interest rates

No.  
on map

Impact

Strategic priorities that  
would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

Risk 

categories

12

13

Russia’s taxation system is changing constantly and 
new rules are often ambiguous, leading to uncertainties 
in the tax position.

Lenta’s debt portfolio is partly in variable interest rates, 
potentially leading to a large increase in interest cost 
and potential breach of covenants.

Sourcing of financing

14

Lenta’s growth requires additional funding on top of 
its own-generated cash flow. During disruptions in 
the banking system, or because of a too high leverage, 
Lenta may not be able to get the sourcing needed  
to fulfil its growth plan.

Compliance with 
regulations and internal 
standards regarding 
store operations

Bribery

15

16

Health and safety failings, customer/staff error or 
inadequate design in store construction and store systems 
could cause a disaster (e.g. roof collapse), leading to 
multiple deaths and injuries, negative media headlines 
and fines. Failures could also lead to store closures by 
relevant authorities because of non-compliance with 
safety or environmental regulations.

Russia’s business environment could lead to an employee 
acting unethically (paying or accepting a bribe) resulting in 
a breach of anti-bribery regulations, police investigations 
and negative media headlines.

VIABILITY STATEMENT
Lenta’s long-term goal is to become a top three multi-format 
food retailer in Russia. Lenta also aims to remain the largest 
hypermarket player in Russia, measured by selling space 
and total sales.

Our low price/low cost business model is aimed at 
generating market-leading sales densities, by consistently 
implementing our strategy of everyday low prices (EDLP) 
combined with deep and frequent promotions. Low cost 
is driven by the combination of high sales densities with 
efficient business processes and store designs, which 
optimise store operating and supply chain costs. This is 
supported by our increasing scale, which enables us to 
negotiate improved conditions from suppliers.

As a food retailer, Lenta generates large amounts of cash 
daily – in a relatively predictable way. We prefer to own 
the majority of our hypermarkets, as this allows us to build 
stores in our own format to support our low cost operations 
and supply chain. Building our own stores also gives us 
better control of the delivery of our development pipeline. 
However, this growth is capital intensive, requiring additional 
funding over and above our own cash flow generation. 

We depend on banks and the financial markets to fund 
this gap. Therefore, our strategy is to maintain a strong 
balance sheet to ensure we have access to capital markets 
to fund our growth. As part of managing our viability, we 
ensure our debt has relatively long maturities and limited 
interest rate risk.

The principal risk affecting Lenta is the impact of significant 
changes in consumer spending – either due to economic 
developments or reduced appeal of our commercial offer. 
We have seen that our model is quickly accepted in new 
cities where we choose to operate. However, strong 
economic disturbances will impact our business – along 
with other retailers – and will influence our ability to generate 
the required cash flow. This in turn will affect the level of 
ambition we are able to apply to our expansion programme.

Lenta has a long-term planning horizon. This stretches 
over the current year and four consecutive years, in line 
with our long-term growth targets. Our approach to the 
viability of the business is also influenced by the construction 
cycle of our new stores. We closely monitor the construction 
cycle, since a reduction in capex is the main – and most 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
Risk

Tax

Interest rates

12

13

Russia’s taxation system is changing constantly and 

new rules are often ambiguous, leading to uncertainties 

in the tax position.

Lenta’s debt portfolio is partly in variable interest rates, 

potentially leading to a large increase in interest cost 

and potential breach of covenants.

Sourcing of financing

14

Lenta’s growth requires additional funding on top of 

its own-generated cash flow. During disruptions in 

the banking system, or because of a too high leverage, 

Lenta may not be able to get the sourcing needed  

to fulfil its growth plan.

No.  

on map

Impact

Strategic priorities that  

would be affected

Change in 2016

How we manage it

Tax authorities seem to take a tougher stance in court 
on tax structuring and find support in courts for that.

The Company will follow up changes in legislation 
and court practice and reconsider, when 
necessary, its tax structure.

  47

Risk 
categories

Financial

Since the interest rate rise at the end of 2014, rates 
have reduced significantly. The current spread between 
interest rates and inflation is resulting in one of the highest 
effective interest rates in the world, which should reduce 
over time.

Lenta significantly increased limits with most of its banks 
ahead of its funding requirements.

Compliance with 

15

regulations and internal 

standards regarding 

store operations

Health and safety failings, customer/staff error or 

inadequate design in store construction and store systems 

could cause a disaster (e.g. roof collapse), leading to 

multiple deaths and injuries, negative media headlines 

and fines. Failures could also lead to store closures by 

relevant authorities because of non-compliance with 

safety or environmental regulations.

>> The high number of new store openings means that 
there is an increased risk of a mishap in the period before 
the opening. More new and relatively inexperienced 
colleagues are involved in the management of our stores 
and store processes.

Bribery

16

Russia’s business environment could lead to an employee 

acting unethically (paying or accepting a bribe) resulting in 

a breach of anti-bribery regulations, police investigations 

and negative media headlines.

>>

secure – method of preserving cash flow, should operational 
cash flow be lower than expected. Cancellation of planned 
projects before the commitment has been made has the 
most impact, whereas cancelling store investments already 
under construction leads to capex being spent without any 
prospect that it will generate returns in the near future.

Taking the above factors into account, the Board reviews 
the viability of the business between four and six times 
a year, when the management team proposes capex 
commitments for new store construction. 

The most important factor affecting the Company’s access 
to capital markets to fund growth is a strong balance sheet. 
Hence the focus of the analysis is on the impact on leverage. 
Management models the impact of various risk scenarios on 
sales, EBITDA and generation of operating cash flow, as well 
as the combined impact of various scenarios happening at 
the same time. The resultant leverage is reviewed to ensure 
that in all cases we remain comfortably below our bank 
covenants, giving the Board confidence that the potential 
to reduce investment cash outflows is substantial enough 
to remain viable. 

Lenta ensures that a reasonable part of debt is in 
fixed rates or covers upward risk with caps. Stress 
testing on interest rate risk is conducted quarterly.

Financial

The Company has a diversified portfolio of 
lenders to reduce dependency on limited sources. 
It ensures it has generous limits approved and 
undrawn debt available. Lenta also conducts 
regular stress tests of projected funding 
requirements and leverage under a variety of 
negative scenarios to ensure that the company 
would have adequate funding and that leverage 
would remain within covenants even with 
very pessimistic assumptions.

Construction standards are rigorously controlled. 
Comprehensive training and clear procedures 
ensure that all employees have a thorough 
understanding of EHS processes. The Audit 
Committee regularly tracks the EHS status of 
all operations. A clear investment programme 
to address non-standard situations is agreed 
and executed. 

Financial

Legal and 
compliance

Lenta has a clear ethical policy. Third parties with 
whom Lenta cooperates are informed of the policy 
and are expected to comply with it.

Legal and 
compliance

The Directors have determined that the long-term planning 
horizon over the existing year and four consecutive years is 
an appropriate timeframe for assessment of the long-term 
viability of Lenta. The Directors have assessed the viability 
of Lenta over this period, taking into account the Company’s 
current position and the potential impact of the scenarios 
described above. Based on the results of our testing, the 
Directors have a reasonable expectation that the Company 
will be able to continue in operation and meet its liabilities 
as they fall due during this period.

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48

Corporate social responsibility

THE  
LENTA WAY

Corporate social responsibility is central 
to the way we do business. It plays a part 
in almost every decision we make – from 
choosing locations for our stores to sourcing 
products for our shelves. ‘Doing the right 
thing’ – for our customers, staff, suppliers, 
communities and the environment – is not 
just about behaving ethically, it also helps 
us to secure a long-term sustainable 
future for Lenta.

Lenta maintains close contact with millions of customers 
as well as business representatives, and non-profit and 
governmental organisations on a daily basis. Many years 
of experience in the Russian market help us to not only 
understand the social needs of our customers and partners, 
but also to influence their position on current social issues.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Our approach to corporate social responsibility is therefore 
based around a deep understanding of local community 
needs in all of the regions where Lenta is present. Six pillars 
shape our approach to social responsibility and define our 
work in this field.

In 2016 we established goals within the context of each 
of our six pillars – these goals were primarily focused on 
further investment in the development of our employees, 
cooperation with local communities, partners and suppliers, 
supporting our ‘value for money’ proposition in our 
stores and further project implementation in the field 
of environmental protection.

  49

OUR PILLARS

RECRUITING, TRAINING  
AND RETAINING GREAT STAFF
>  Read more on page 51

PRICING AND CUSTOMER 
SATISFACTION
>  Read more on page 55

LOCAL SOURCING
>  Read more on page 56

CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
>  Read more on page 58

MAKING A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION 
TO LOCAL COMMUNITIES
>  Read more on page 60

PROMOTING  
HEALTH AND SAFETY
>  Read more on page 64

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50

Corporate social responsibility continued

The Lenta Way 
The Lenta Way comprises a set of 
core principles which underpin our 
business and the way we operate. 
Alongside our ethics policy, they 
form the basis of our CSR approach 
and support our ambitions for 
long-term sustainable growth.

Customer satisfaction
We work every day to provide the best 
possible service for our customers, 
by constantly taking into account the 
products they want and the services 
they demand. Customer satisfaction 
is the key to our development and 
improvement.

Providing customers with 
low prices every day
Lenta is the leader in terms of price. 
We have always been the price leader 
and we are committed to providing 
our customers with quality products 
at lower prices than the competition. 
We ensure that our costs are kept 
to a minimum so that we can pass 
savings on to our customers.

Selling goods of only the  
highest quality
Our stores only stock fully licensed 
goods that have been handled under 
the most hygienic conditions.

Our employees
We know that if we want to have 
satisfied customers, we must retain 
employees who are well trained 
and motivated.

Maintaining the highest level  
of respect for everyone
We pride ourselves on respecting the 
opinions of our customers, suppliers 
and employees, encouraging positive 
criticism and friendly relations.

Teamwork in everything we do
Only by everyone working together 
will we be able to satisfy our customers. 
By encouraging an open environment 
based on mutual trust, everyone 
can feel comfortable about asking 
for assistance from another employee 
and they can be confident that their 
voice will be heard.

Innovation and the constant 
generation of new ideas
The key to our long-term survival is 
a continuous flow of innovative ideas. 
Many of these come from our own 
staff. We believe that in order to stay 
ahead of the competition we must 
continuously implement these 
new ideas.

OUR ETHICS POLICY

The Company’s Ethics Committee was 
set up in 2011 and our Ethics Policy 
forms the basis of the standards and 
rules applied to any situation. The 
Policy sets out the obligations of every 
employee to behave ethically and exhibit 
the high standards of behaviour we 
expect. These include:

• no improper payments to  

authorities or business partners;

• upholding the integrity and good name 

of the Company in developing long-term 
relationships with customers, 
communities and suppliers;

• strict prohibition against directly or 
indirectly offering, paying, soliciting 
or accepting bribes or kickbacks 
in any form;

• no conflicts between personal interests 

and those of the Company;

• abiding by Lenta’s corporate rules 

and standards, which impose stricter 
ethical restrictions on employees than 
those provided in current legislation.

Customers, employees and suppliers 
can contact the Ethics Committee, 
either anonymously through the Lenta 
website and Company hotline – or via 
in-store information desks. In 2016, 
475 calls were received via the Company 
Hotline; up slightly on 2015, indicating 
the increased level of trust in this 
method of reporting. Although the 
overall number of complaints rose, 
the average number per store 
decreased markedly. 

The Ethics Committee reviews 
complaints and non-compliance 
on a regular basis. Any instance of 
non-compliance with the Ethics Policy 
may lead to disciplinary action by the 
Company, including dismissal. 

The Committee’s work is reviewed 
on a regular basis, both by the Audit 
Committee and by the Board. Ethics 
Committee reports on the Hotline were 
reviewed at four audit committee 
meetings during 2016. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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RECRUITING, 
TRAINING  
AND RETAINING  
GREAT STAFF

01

Our people are the key to our 
long-term success and teamwork, 
innovation and trust lie at the 
heart of our culture. Recruiting 
and training enthusiastic, 
committed individuals with the 
right skills helps us provide 
great customer service.

Employee length of service
Years

1,287 people  
(3%)

4,860 people
(12%)

10+

3–9

Employee retention
Lenta has an above-average retention 
rate for the food retail sector; our staff 
turnover in 2016 fell by two percentage 
points to 26%, compared with 2015. 
We will continue to invest in our people, 
since it improves employee retention 
and increases productivity and service 
levels. Our programme of internal 
promotions and job rotations – 
combined with individual career plans 
and recognition initiatives – contributes 
to lower staff turnover. We also run 
a variety of employee engagement 
initiatives including in-store 
‘gamification’ projects, sports events, 
New Year celebrations for employees’ 
children and charitable activities – 
all of which contribute to the creation 
of a positive working environment 
and strong team spirit. 

AVERAGE SENIORITY: 2.3YRS

We also have an excellent retention 
record at managerial level, thanks 
to the challenging and innovative 
job content we provide, alongside 
development opportunities, competitive 
pay and a combination of short- and 
long-term reward programmes.

Voluntary turnover of senior staff
2014–16

2

8

Division Heads
5%
(two people 
in three years)

Top 100
3%

(eight people
in three years) 

Senior management
0%

  51

People development
We provide our people with a range 
of training programmes, based on their 
experience and knowledge. These 
cover all employee categories and 
serve our aim to prepare colleagues 
to facilitate Lenta’s growth and advance 
their own careers. 

Management training
For a fast growing company such as 
Lenta, the role of our managers is key. 
Managers guarantee consistency of 
performance standards and create a 
strong organisational culture through 
their leadership style. We constantly 
need to develop new managers to 
support our expansion.

In 2016, our Lenta Leader programme 
underwent a complete overhaul and 
upgrade. We now have a ‘mini-MBA’-
style programme (Lenta Leader 2.0), 
designed in conjunction with the Higher 
School of Economics, one of Russia’s 
leading universities. Customised to fit 
with Lenta’s needs, the material for the 
programme was created with the active 
participation of experienced Lenta 
managers and built around actual 
Lenta business cases and reports. 

WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN 
OUR PEOPLE, SINCE IT IMPROVES 
EMPLOYEE RETENTION AND 
INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY 
AND SERVICE LEVELS.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
52

Corporate social responsibility continued

More than 100 store managers, heads 
of purchasing teams and regional 
operational managers graduated from 
the six-month course. During the 
training, each participant implemented 
a project using new methods to benefit 
his or her business unit. Many of these 
projects will be replicated across the 
business as examples of best practice. 
Lenta Leader 2.0 will continue to be 
an integral element of our management 
development for the future. 

Managers can also participate in 
our Effective Management programme. 
During 2016, some 870 mostly 
store-based colleagues took part. 
This programme aims to develop 
managerial skills and covers aspects 
of management including goal-setting, 
planning, analysis and decision-
making, creating effective teams and 
motivation. Run by in-house trainers, 
the programme benefits from the 
first-hand experience of Lenta 
store directors. 

2016 also saw the roll-out of our 
performance management process 
for store and distribution centre 
employees. Over 3,100 line managers 

were trained by 27 internal experts in 
how to give effective and supportive 
feedback to their staff. 

Three of our experienced managers 
graduated from external pre-MBA 
programmes and four managers are 
currently engaged on the UK Open 
University’s MBA programme. 

Store and specialist staff training 
Our primary training focus is naturally 
on our store employees, who are the 
face of Lenta for our customers. Every 
store runs a comprehensive induction 
programme, which includes orientation 
training explaining Lenta’s values, 
history and structure as well as our 
policies and standards. We also hold 
classroom sessions and on-the-job 
training with dedicated mentors. 
In 2016, more than 15,300 employees 
participated in our orientation 
programme and some 14,000 
people were trained as part of the 
performance management process 
roll-out. 

In 2016, we delivered over 1,470,000 
man-hours of training, with an 
average of 44.8 hours per person. 

This compares with an average 
of 30.6 hours per person in 2015. 
Almost 90% of our training uses 
internal resources, which enables 
us to keep costs down. This year, 
the cost of one learning hour was 
RUB 27 compared with RUB 30 
in 2015. Remote courses have proved 
to be particularly effective – and in 
2016 we increased the amount of 
remote training we provided by 500%. 
E-learning comprised some 6% of 
our total training in 2016.

Recruitment and career development
At Lenta, there are numerous 
opportunities for employees to 
further their careers and fulfil their 
potential. We actively encourage the 
advancement of all of our staff, aiming 
to fill as many vacancies as possible 
from within. Many aspects of our 
recruitment process are centralised, 
including job posting, advertising, 
candidate attraction and phone 
interviews. The final stages of selection 
are however conducted in individual 
stores and distribution centres. We 
created around 11,000 new jobs in 
2016, and a total of 19,000 employees 
were recruited into new roles. 

Developing our people

Effective 
Management

850

Giving Feedback

Lenta Leader 2.0

3,100

102 

PARTICIPANTS

PARTICIPANTS

GRADUATES

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
  53

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Training in hours

Man-hours of training 2015

Average cost of training per hour

2016

2015

1.47m (+63%)

0.9m

Average training hours per employee 

2016

2015

45 (+46%)

30.6

2016

2015

Training

Internal 
training

External 
training

Internal 
e-learning

₷

₷

₷

₷

₷

₷

₷

₷

RUB 27 (–9.5%)
RUB 30
₷

83%

11%
6%

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Remuneration
Lenta seeks to provide a range of 
attractive employment opportunities 
and careers. We offer competitive rates 
of pay, health benefits, uniforms and 
all necessary protective equipment. 
Our HR policy is aimed at rewarding 
high performers with high rewards. 
We measure ‘performance’ not only 
through business results, but also 
against our Company values and 
competencies model. To best evaluate 
the achievements of individuals and 
identify their future potential, we have 
a performance management process, 
which was extended to all employees 
in 2016. Performance evaluation is 
linked to pay, ensuring that the highest 
contributors obtain higher bonuses 
and pay increases where applicable. 

In our stores, we continued to 
develop our compensation and 
benefits package to encourage both 
team results and reward individual 
effort. For example, we reshaped our 
store personnel compensation package 
during the year, reducing the number 
of individual KPIs in the monthly bonus 
base, and focusing more on group 
results such as store sales, productivity 
and profitability. 

In line with a set of established 
principles, financial support is 
available for employees who find 
themselves in difficult circumstances. 
No mass material assistance was 
required in 2016, but help was 
provided where appropriate to 
colleagues on an individual basis. 

During the year, three quarters of 
vacancies were filled by our own 
employees – and the same proportion 
of directors of newly-opened stores 
were also internal candidates. In all, 
some 3,100 individuals were promoted 
into new roles and over 11,000 
employees benefited from horizontal 
moves within the organisation. 

The speed of our recent growth 
necessitates constant attention on 
our hiring processes and protocols 
as well as a keen focus on succession 
planning. The best source of our 
future hypermarket and supermarket 
managers is our pool of 2,500 section 
managers, who now comprise a key 
target constituency for our HR strategy. 
In order to identify those with the 
desire and potential to progress, we 
ran a ‘Grow with Lenta’ Business Case 
Challenge for all section managers 
and their deputies in September 2016. 
Over 800 people originally registered – 
and thanks to the Challenge, we 
have significantly increased our talent 
pool with 120 capable and talented 
individuals identified as ready to take 
the next step on their Lenta career path. 

11,000

new jobs created

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
54

Corporate social responsibility continued

DIVERSITY

At Lenta, we value diversity and 
we offer employment opportunities 
to all able candidates. In matters 
of recruitment or promotion, 
decisions are based purely around 
the professional knowledge and 
competence of the individual 
in question.

In every store, we provide a 
minimum of five job opportunities 
for people with special needs – 
and in each distribution centre 
we offer three of these positions. 
In 2015, 88 vacancies were filled 
by candidates from this group. 
Striving to provide even broader 
opportunities for people with 
special needs, we revised our policy 
to support recruitment and fair pay 
for people working from home. In 
cooperation with the St. Petersburg 
State Employment Fund, Lenta 
is helping to redesign training 
programmes specifically aimed at 
helping those who have difficulty 
securing employment. 

Overall gender split

■   Female 
72%
■   Male 
28%

Middle and senior management

■   Female 
35%
■ Male
65%

Office employees

■   Female 
66%
■ Male
34%

Employee engagement
The links between employee 
engagement, business performance 
and customer satisfaction are strong, 
so we work hard to ensure our people 
remain up to date with Lenta’s progress 
and plans. In 2016 we rolled out our 
‘gamification’ initiative in 26 stores. 
This motivational project rewards 
employees with ‘Lenta points’ for 
demonstrating behaviours that 
support the Company’s ethos. Points 
are exchanged for prizes ranging from 
T-shirts to household appliances and 
TVs. Staff achieving the greatest 
number of points are recognised for 
their contribution, with best practices 
and ideas shared between stores. 

In October 2016, 37 employees 
represented Lenta in the annual 
Trade and Industry ‘Best in Profession’ 
awards held in St. Petersburg. 
Colleagues included 11 food shop 
assistants, four non-food shop 
assistants and 22 cashiers, two 
of whom took first and third places 
in their category. 

In 2016 we held a conference in 
St. Petersburg for the Company’s 
senior management. Delegates 
included directors of stores, and 
regional and divisional directors, as 
well as the management of our central 
office (approximately 500 participants). 
During this event senior management 
reviewed Lenta’s progress over the 
previous year and set goals for the 
next one, while sharing the broader 
strategic outlook.

LOOKING AHEAD

We know that working  
in a supportive and 
collaborative environment 
brings out the very best in 
our employees. In the year 
ahead we will continue to 
develop the ways in which 
we inspire, motivate and 
incentivise our people to 
deliver outstanding service 
to our customers.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
  55

PRICING AND 
CUSTOMER 
SATISFACTION

02

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Our wide range of high quality 
products is competitively priced – 
and ‘value for money’ lies at the 
heart of our pricing proposition. 
We continued investing into end 
prices for our customers despite 
the difficult economic conditions, 
endeavouring to give them best 
value for money.

We know that great service is 
also a key differentiator – and 
plays an important role in customer 
satisfaction – so our in-store employees 
are trained to actively engage with 
customers and deliver the very best 
customer care.

During 2016 we continued to roll 
out promotions that have historically 
proved popular with our customers, 
such as ‘two for one’ offers. In the 
ongoing difficult economic climate 
however, simple direct discounts 
continue to be the most sought after 
option for shoppers on tight budgets. 
We used information sourced from 
use of our Loyalty Card use to identify 
and create better promotions, based 
on sales data and customer metrics. 
These have led to increased sales 
and customer loyalty.

Lenta’s Loyalty Card guarantees a 
discount of 5% on all purchases and 
went from strength to strength in 2016. 
Independent surveys during the year 
showed that the programme continued 
to be highly rated by our customers. 

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Also available in all our stores, 
the Lenta Social Card gives needy 
citizens an extra discount of between 
3% and 8% on basic food and selected 
household items. At the year end there 
were over 1.7 million Lenta Social 
Card holders across Russia, 480,145 
of whom joined the scheme in 2016, 
a 60% increase in the total number 
of Lenta Social Cardholders. In 2016 
we launched our social programme 
in eight new cities where we have 
a presence. 

The total discounts for participants in 
Lenta’s social programme amounted to 
RUB 9.92 billion in 2016, meaning each 
customer saved an average of RUB 
5,500 during the year.

LOOKING AHEAD

We continue to look at 
ways to make the most of 
our customers’ shopping 
budgets, through devising 
appealing promotions 
in popular ranges and 
investing in pricing to 
deliver best value. Our 
uniquely detailed insight 
into customer shopping 
patterns enables us to 
provide more of what they 
want, when they want it – 
and at affordable prices.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
56

Corporate social responsibility continued

LOCAL 
SOURCING

03

STRENGTHENING OUR 
RELATIONSHIPS WITH LOCAL 
SUPPLIERS WAS A KEY FOCUS FOR 
US IN 2016 AND SUCH ALLIANCES 
BRING MUTUAL BENEFITS TO 
LENTA AND PRODUCERS ALIKE.

In 2015, we stocked four dairy farmers’ 
brands in our St. Petersburg stores: 
Molochnaya Ferma, Stolypinskaya 
Ferma, SPBFERMA and Losevo. 
In 2016 we expanded the presence of 
these brands to the majority of stores 
in the city and also added two more: 
Zhivoe Moloko and Kolomenskoe 
Moloko. We also introduced a separate 
zone for farm produce in stores, total 
sales of which grew by almost 200% in 
2016 compared with the previous year. 
We commenced local purchasing of 
an extensive range of fresh fruit and 
vegetables in the North-West Federal 
District, Moscow, Volga, South, Ural 
and Siberia regions.

Sourcing products locally is a 
distinguishing feature of Lenta’s 
strategy – and one that is valued 
by our customers. In 2016 95% 
of our products were sourced 
from Russian suppliers, including 
almost 20% sourced from regional 
suppliers. 46% of our fresh 
food was locally purchased. 

Strengthening our relationships with 
local suppliers was a key focus for us 
in 2016 and such alliances bring mutual 
benefits to Lenta and producers alike. 
Avoiding intermediaries and dealing 
directly with producers enables us to 
negotiate better prices. Our customers 
appreciate the consistent quality and 
freshness of locally grown produce 
and the shorter distances to our 
stores mean lead times and logistics 
costs – such as fuel consumption – 
are reduced. 

We know which farmers grow which 
products for us. Local provenance and 
traceability mean we can demonstrate 
transparency through the supply chain. 
Every product we sell must also meet 
the necessary consumer information 
requirements and comply with 
the relevant safety, quality and 
packaging standards. 

HIGHLIGHTING QUALITY

We continued working to improve 
the quality of goods supplied to 
Lenta stores. During the year 
we supported the St. Petersburg 
Government’s ‘Petersburg Quality 
Mark’ project, a system of voluntary 
certification. Products are labelled 
with a PQM mark when they have 
been tested in the ‘Petersburg 
Expertisa’ quality control laboratory, 
which confirms the description of 
the goods on the package matches 
its content and quality. We marked 
our price labels to draw customers’ 
attention to these products, placed 
PQM signs at store entrances and 
produced an audio advertisement 
to promote the scheme.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016In 2016 Lenta held events with  
potential local suppliers in Cheboksary, 
Balakovo, Kazan, Ekaterinburg and 
Stavropol. We also assembled our key 
suppliers and producers from all over 
Russia in St. Petersburg at the Lenta 
Partnership Forum in April 2016. At the 
Forum over 400 participants discussed 
opportunities for further cooperation 
and growth. 

The number of internal quality audits 
conducted in 2016 rose by 80% 
compared with 2015, with each store 
reviewed on a quarterly basis. During 
the year the system of self-assessment 
was developed and implemented 
in every Lenta store. 

We also conducted regular quality 
audits of our suppliers, with a particular 
focus on improvements in the quality of 
fruit and vegetables, directly imported 
goods and products sourced from local 
suppliers. We conducted more than 
4,800 laboratory tests of suppliers’ 
goods, an increase of 50% on 2015. 
Twenty potential suppliers failed our 
audit and are consequently unable 
to sell their goods through Lenta. 

We operate according to the 
requirements of the HACCP food 
safety system. This internationally 
recognised method is regularly updated 
in line with the growth of our business 
and any changes in State regulations. 

In 2016, we held a series of educational 
meetings in conjunction with the 
European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development with 20 local 
suppliers from the South, Ural and 
Siberian regions. The aim was to 
support small business development, 
improve the quality of their products 
and implement the HACCP system. 

  57

LOOKING AHEAD

We know that our 
customers appreciate the 
growing variety and high 
quality of locally sourced 
products on our shelves. 
This element of our strategy 
is a key differentiator for 
Lenta; it sets us apart from 
the competition and will 
continue to be an area of 
focus in the years ahead as 
we forge new relationships 
with suppliers and provide 
ongoing support to our local 
and regional economies. 

4,800

laboratory tests of 
suppliers’ goods 
conducted

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58

Corporate social responsibility continued

CARING FOR THE 
ENVIRONMENT

04

Over

25,000

fluorescent lamps  
disposed of 

At Lenta, we are committed 
to reducing our impact on the 
environment to a minimum, 
whether caused by our use of 
materials, energy, transportation 
or waste disposal. We aim to 
comply with all relevant legislation 
relating to our operations – and we 
work closely with local authorities 
and communities when planning 
new store sites. We comply 
with the environmental standards 
applicable to us under Russian 
law and regulations. 

In 2016, we initiated around  
100 projects complete with all the 
relevant documentation for waste 
disposal and emissions in line 
with legislation. 

Waste
We produce a variety of waste,  
which is removed for us by third-party 
contractors. During 2016 we reduced 
the amount we produced and 
continued to improve our recycling 
rates. We launched a pilot project in 
St. Petersburg for the centralised 
collection of secondary raw materials 
for recycling (card, polyethylene and 
plastic boxes). The project’s aim is to 
increase recycling rates by improving 
the sorting method and decreasing 
the overall quantity of waste. We plan 
to roll the scheme out across all of 
the Company’s stores.

Waste removal/recycling in 2016

Secondary raw 
material type

The amount 
removed/recycled, 
tonnes

The amount 
removed/recycled, 
tonnes

The amount 
removed/recycled, 
tonnes

Number of 
hypermarkets

Number of 
supermarkets  

Total trading 

space, sq.m 

Total trading 

space, sq.m 

Total trading 

space, sq.m

Kg/sq.m

Kg/sq.m

Cardboard,  
paper boxes

Hypermarket (HM)

Supermarket (SM)

HM+SM

51,002

2,730

53,732

Plastic wrap

3,309

Plastic

677

117

48

3,426

725

 169

48

1,002,274

45,000

1,047,274

HM

SM

HM+SM

HM

50.89

3.3

0.68

HM+SM

51.31

3.27

0.69

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  59

LOOKING AHEAD

Our approach to our 
environmental activities is 
one of ongoing improvement. 
We continue to drive our 
recycling efforts and energy 
efficiency initiatives. In 2017 
we plan to build new sewage 
treatment plants in 15 stores, 
with an estimated investment 
of RUB 90 million. 

Energy
During the year we disposed of 
more than 25,000 fluorescent lamps, 
which contained mercury vapour. 
Demercurisation of the lamps was 
performed by a certified contractor. 
In total, more than 6.25 kg of mercury 
was removed from our premises, to 
be replaced by LED lighting. To date, 
91 of our stores have LED lighting. 
In the coming year we plan to replace 
the fluorescent lighting in a further 
59 stores, requiring an investment 
of RUB 625 million out of a planned 
total of RUB 906 million. 

We continued to extend our use of 
eco-efficient refrigerants such as CO2 
and R134a GWP. We also began to 
introduce energy saving glass sliding 
modules for low temperature fridges, 
which deliver an energy reduction of 
40% due to the reduced frequency 
of defrosts and reduced load on 
compressors. To date, some 44 stores 
have glass modules installed.

ECO-BOXES

At the end of the year we installed 
eco-boxes for the safe collection and 
temporary storage of used batteries 
in 20 hypermarkets in St. Petersburg. 
The initiative was implemented 
in conjunction with the Natural 
Resource Management Committee 
of the Government of St. Petersburg. 
This was the first project under the 
banner of our new ‘Green Lenta’ 
programme, which unifies all 
our ecological initiatives under 
one brand. 

Waste removal/recycling in 2016

tonnes

tonnes

tonnes

Hypermarket (HM)

Supermarket (SM)

HM+SM

51,002

2,730

53,732

Cardboard,  

paper boxes

Plastic wrap

3,309

Plastic

677

117

48

3,426

725

Secondary raw 

material type

The amount 

The amount 

The amount 

Number of 

removed/recycled, 

removed/recycled, 

removed/recycled, 

hypermarkets

Number of 

supermarkets  

Total trading 
space, sq.m 

Total trading 
space, sq.m 

Total trading 
space, sq.m

Kg/sq.m

Kg/sq.m

HM

SM

HM+SM

 169

48

1,002,274

45,000

1,047,274

HM

50.89

3.3

0.68

HM+SM

51.31

3.27

0.69

53,732  
TONNES OF 
CARDBOARD  
= 36,000  
PINE TREES  
SAVED

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
LOOKING AHEAD

At Lenta, being a good 
neighbour is part of who 
we are. The year ahead 
will see us redouble our 
efforts to engage with and 
support those who live 
and work close to our stores. 
Our future plans include 
the federal roll-out of some 
of our successful regional 
charitable and environmental 
projects, extending their 
benefits to many more 
communities. We will 
also develop new 
educational programmes 
for our customers, including 
children and socially 
vulnerable groups.

60

Corporate social responsibility continued

MAKING  
A POSITIVE 
CONTRIBUTION 
TO LOCAL 
COMMUNITIES

05

Lenta traditionally plays an active 
role in the communities where 
our stores are located, in keeping 
with our reputation as a socially 
responsible company. Each 
new hypermarket we open has 
a significant impact on regional 
economics in terms of developing 
local territories, reducing food 
prices, supporting local suppliers, 
generating 250 new jobs and 
growing human capital through 
training and development. Every 
new store means new taxes for 
the region’s budget and 
salaries for its citizens. 

In 2016, a wide range of customer 
groups continued to be a focus for 
Lenta’s community activities and we 
also undertook various locally based 
waste management initiatives. 

The Company acts systematically, 
building long-term relationships with 
regional administrations. We have 
agreements on social and economic 
cooperation with authorities in 
Kemerovo Region, Tomsk Region, 
Volgograd Region, Republic of Karelia, 
Saratov Region and Rostov Region. 
The latter three were initiated in 2016. 
These alliances help Lenta to improve 
the quality of its retail operations and 
strengthen its cooperation with local 
government to provide coordinated 
support to people in need.

Our customers also appreciate our 
proactive, responsible approach. 
In 2016 we won several prestigious 
awards and continued our support 
of socially vulnerable groups, as well 
as the disabled, veterans, orphans 
and those on low incomes.

LENTA WINS

Winner of ‘We choose,  
we are chosen’ in Vologda  
Lenta was acknowledged as the best 
federal retail chain in this competition, 
which was organised by the regional 
administration. Determined by public 
vote, over 70,000 people took part. 

Winner of ‘Best Trade,  
Catering and Public Services 
Enterprises’ in Novosibirsk 
Lenta won the Hypermarket category, 
with criteria including service 
development, technical equipment, 
staff professionalism and provision of 
benefits to socially vulnerable people. 
Lenta has had a presence in Novosibirsk 
for ten years, has links with over 100 local 
suppliers and provides employment for 
over 1,700 people in the city. 

We remain fully committed to 
supporting community and 
environmental initiatives in cities 
where we have a presence, including 
festivals, competitions, charity events 
and educational projects. Some 
of these annual events have now 
become traditional for Lenta and 
local communities. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  61

Festivities and New Year  
Celebration in Tomsk
Since 2015 we have supported the ‘Day 
of Tomsk Citizen’ celebrations through 
the ‘Delicious and Local’ gastronomic 
festival of local produce. 

Since 2015 we have supported the 
official ‘New Year Tomsk’ celebrations 
and the popular ‘Crystal Tomsk’ 
ice sculpture festival. Our long-term 
cooperation with the Tomsk Administration 
was recognised in 2016 as Lenta 
received the ‘Philanthropist of the Year’ 
medal from the City’s Mayor.

LENTA  
EVENTS

Victory Day
Lenta presented baskets of products 
to veterans on Victory Day in numerous 
Russian cities. 

KAZAN CITY RACING

For the third year running, Lenta 
sponsored the prestigious Kazan City 
Racing car show. Some 30,000 visitors 
attended the 2016 event in the city’s 
central square, which featured over 
30 Russian and international racing 
drivers. A highlight of the event was 
a safe driving project: the ‘Safe Wheel 
School’, which teaches safe driving 
skills to young people at a special site. 
This year’s Safe Wheel School was 
attended by over 300 youngsters. 

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62

Corporate social responsibility continued

Baby competition in  
Novosibirsk and Krasnoyarsk
In conjunction with Komsomolskaya 
Pravda newspaper and the city 
administration, Lenta supports an 
annual sports event for small children. 

TULIPS FOR ST. PETERSBURG

For the fourth year running, Lenta 
presented a gift of tulip bulbs to the 
city of St. Petersburg. The Tulip Festival 
is now an established highlight of the 
city’s year. Since its inception in 2013, 
the cultivated area has doubled in size, 
as has the number of bulb varieties. 

130,000

tulips bloomed

In 2016, approximately 130,000 bulbs 
of 95 varieties bloomed in the park. 
Almost all of these were presented by 
Lenta, including 11 rare varieties from 
the 18th and 19th centuries, which can 
usually only be found in plant breeders’ 
collections. In 2016, the Tulip Festival 
was attended by some 100,000 citizens 
and visitors. In the autumn the bulbs 
were replanted ready for the spring 
of 2017. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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Charity New Year project 
in North West Region
Lenta’s ‘Christmas Tree of Wishes’ 
event took place in all 32 Lenta 
hypermarkets in nine cities of the 
North West Region. The trees held 
cards with the gift wishes of over 
1,500 children from over 40 regional 
orphanages. Our customers picked 
a wish from the tree and bought the 
present on the card.

Store tours and masterclasses
We regularly arrange tours and culinary 
masterclasses for children. Accompanied 
by their parents or teachers they tour 
a hypermarket and a production facility, 
where bakery specialists demonstrate 
the basics of pastry preparation. 
In 2016 several of these events took 
place in Vologda for children from 
Kindergarten No 12 Romashka and 
the Harmony Children’s Centre.

CHARITY PROJECT WITH MARS

In conjunction with the Mars 
Company, we arranged the ‘Give 
a Smile to Animals from Shelter’ 
charity event in hypermarkets in 
Moscow and St. Petersburg in 
October. When buying cat or dog 
food, 1% of the purchase price was 
donated to the shelter for homeless 
animals. We also provided special 
boxes for pet food collection, with 
the donated food being sent to 
the ‘Big Hearts’ charity fund for 
distribution to animal shelters.

1%

of the purchase price 
was donated to the 
shelter for homeless 
animals

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
64

Corporate social responsibility continued

PROMOTING 
HEALTH AND 
SAFETY

06

We remain wholeheartedly 
committed to creating and 
maintaining a safe environment 
for our employees and customers. 

As part of our Active Safety 
programme, store managers conduct 
daily and monthly ‘safety walks’ to 
identify any potential risks to staff 
and customers, ensure the staff’s 
hazard awareness and check safety 
equipment. We continued the roll-out 
of the programme across the Company 
in 2016. Employees are encouraged 
to report every incident, no matter 
how small, so that the cause can be 
identified and any recurrence prevented. 

In 2016, risk checks were carried out 
in a total of 128 stores and distribution 
centres, 35 of which were being 
checked for the second time since 
the programme roll-out. Results of the 
checks were included in each store’s 
(or distribution centre’s) annual targets.

128

risk checks carried  
out in stores and  
distribution centres

The injury rate fell by 1% compared 
to 2015, and working time lost due 
to injuries represented 0.05% of total 
hours worked. 

Number of injuries per 
100,000 hrs worked

0.21

0.22

2016
(-1%)

2015 

LOOKING AHEAD

In the year ahead we will:
 ` promote Active Safety 
across the Company; 

 ` develop a ‘Quality Cluster’ 

for our supermarkets, 
comprising updated 
requirements, as well as 
enhanced cooperation 
and lines of communication 
around quality issues; and
 ` introduce a new integrated 

complaints and quality 
management system for 
our private label goods. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
  65

OUR GOALS 
FOR 2017

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Our goals for 2017 
In addition to our ongoing CSR programmes, we are  
focusing closely on a specific set of goals for 2017:

1.  We will continue to invest in 

our value-for-money proposition 
to provide the best offers for 
our customers.

2.  We will expand our social 

programmes aimed at vulnerable 
citizens. Alongside our own 
initiatives, we are open to 
cooperation with suppliers and 
other partners to achieve this.

3.  We will develop partnerships with 
local government to strengthen 
social and economic cooperation.

4.  We will further increase local 
sourcing opportunities for 
suppliers in a range of industries.

5.  We will pursue the development 
of programmes in environmental 
care and social activities.

6.  We are committed to continued 
investment in the training and 
development of our employees to 
ensure that they are best-in-class 
in the retail sector.

7.  We will work with our suppliers to 

ensure their commitment to quality 
and safety aligns with our own.

8.  We will look to actively increase 

employee involvement in working 
towards all of our CSR goals.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
66

CORPORATE 
GOVERNANCE

Introduction from the Chairman

67 
68  Board of Directors
70  Senior Management team
72 
77  Board Committees
90  Relations with shareholders
90  Responsibility statement

 Our corporate governance framework

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Introduction from the Chairman

John Oliver 
Chairman

Dear Shareholders
We are committed to showing that Lenta operates with 
the highest levels of integrity and transparency – and I 
am therefore pleased to present this overview of Lenta’s 
corporate governance framework. As Chairman, one of my 
principal responsibilities is the oversight and promotion of 
good governance. How we conduct ourselves affects all 
aspects of our business – and is an essential component 
in our ongoing success and sustainability. 

2016 was a milestone year for Lenta. Ahead of schedule, 
we achieved our objective set three years ago at IPO, 
of doubling our total selling space. Throughout the period 
since our IPO, including again in 2016, we have also made 
significant progress in our pursuit of the highest standards 
of governance. 

Towards best practice
We are not required to comply with the UK Corporate 
Governance Code (‘the Code’). However, we believe 
that following the Code’s provisions – so far as is 
appropriate and practicable – is in the best interests of all 
our stakeholders. We reviewed our governance framework 
last year. Following this exercise, we implemented a series 
of new systems and processes, with the aim of moving 
us closer to becoming a ‘best practice’ model in corporate 
governance terms for a Russian operating company. 

Objectives and responsibilities
The main objective of the Board is to ensure the long-term 
success of the Company and ensure sustained returns 
for its shareholders. This includes the setting of strategic 
goals, overseeing our financial and human resource 
structures, reviewing management performance and 
determining the Company’s risk appetite. The Board sets 
the ‘tone at the top’, helping to establish the management 
culture of the Company. 

  67

The Company is exposed to a variety of financial, 
operational and compliance risks. It is the Board’s 
responsibility to ensure that the Company’s risk 
management measures, internal controls and compliance 
functions are appropriate and effective. Oversight of the 
Company’s risk management framework is delegated 
to the Audit Committee.

Relations with shareholders
Shareholder engagement is an essential aspect of good 
corporate governance. Throughout the year, the CEO, 
CFO and I, supported by the Company’s investor relations 
team, and where appropriate, other members of the Board 
and Senior Management, regularly met with institutional 
shareholders and sell-side analysts. The Board also 
receives regular reports from the Head of Investor 
Relations on the team’s activities – and in particular 
on shareholder sentiment and feedback.

Lenta’s corporate governance framework combines 
leadership with collaboration and lies at the heart of our 
robust decision-making process. As a Board, we are 
responsible to our shareholders. We are also driven by 
our advisory role to complement and support the executive 
team as it implements our strategy. Certain responsibilities 
are delegated to four principal Board Committees – 
Audit, Remuneration, Nomination and Capital Expenditure. 
Details of their roles, responsibilities and activities during 
the year is set out in their respective sections.

Looking forward
The macroeconomic situation in Russia continues to 
present us – and our customers – with fresh challenges. 
It affects the choices people make and the way they shop. 
Even if conditions remain difficult, we will continue to 
drive improvements in Lenta’s performance in 2017. 

Our results for 2016 demonstrate our ability to achieve 
ambitious targets and deliver excellent results. As we 
start to implement the next phase of our long-term 
strategy, the leadership team knows it can count on the 
Board’s continued support. I remain confident that we have 
all the necessary skills to continue to build on our success. 

John Oliver
Chairman

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68

Board of Directors

The Board believes that it has the 
necessary skills and experience 
to provide effective leadership 
and control of the Company. 
When recommending the Directors 
for appointment, the Nomination 
Committee ensured that there was 
an appropriate balance of skills, 
experience and backgrounds relevant 
to the success of the Company. 

John Oliver (58)
Chairman

John Oliver was appointed a non-executive 
Director of the Company in October 2009 
and has been Chairman of the Board 
since 2011.

Board Committees
Nomination, Remuneration, 
Capital Expenditure

Experience
John is a former TPG partner and led TPG’s 
European Operating Group until December 
2013. Prior to joining TPG in 2006, John 
spent 15 years with General Electric. His 
roles at GE included CEO of GE Equipment 
Services Europe, a diverse portfolio of 
businesses operating in 20 countries, 
and CEO of GE IT Solutions Europe, 
an IT infrastructure and services provider, 
which was turned around and sold under 
his leadership. Prior to this, he held various 
roles at GE Medical Systems including 
GM EMEA Services, VP Global Radiation 
Therapy and VP Global Vascular Systems. 
He started his career in 1981 with 
Schlumberger oilfield services, holding 
various technical and country general 
management roles in Africa and Asia-
Pacific, then worked for Boston Consulting 
Group before joining GE.

Other roles
Senior Advisor to TPG. Advisor to 
Vita Group. 

Qualifications
John graduated with a BSc in Chemical 
Engineering from Imperial College in 1981, 
and with an MBA from INSEAD in 1987.

Jan Dunning (57)
Chief Executive Officer 
(CEO)

Michael Lynch-Bell (63)
Director

Jan Dunning joined Lenta as CEO in 2009 
and was appointed a Director of Lenta Ltd 
in 2013.

Michael Lynch-Bell was appointed an 
independent non-executive Director of 
Lenta Ltd in 2013.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Jan was Operations 
Director of Metro Cash & Carry Russia and 
then General Manager of Metro Cash & 
Carry Ukraine. During his six years with 
Metro in Russia, the business expanded 
from four to 48 stores. Jan’s previous 
experience also includes three years as 
General Manager of the Lukas Klamer 
wholesale business, a subsidiary of the 
Metro Group in the Netherlands, and over 
ten years with Aldi North. Over the last 
27 years, he has worked in a broad range 
of retail functions including leadership roles 
in operations, development, sales, marketing, 
purchasing and finance.

Qualifications
Jan has a History degree from the 
University of Groningen and an Economics 
degree from the University of Amsterdam. 
He also attended management 
development programmes at INSEAD 
and the London Business School.

Jago Lemmens (48)
Chief Financial Officer 
(CFO)

Jago Lemmens joined Lenta in 2010 
as Accounting and Reporting Director, 
becoming CFO in 2011. He was appointed 
a Director of Lenta Ltd in 2013.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Jago served as 
Finance Director of OBI Ukraine and, before 
this, as Finance Director of Metro Cash & 
Carry Ukraine. During his 26 years in the 
retail industry, he has held senior positions 
in finance, accounting and controlling with 
several major retailers in the Netherlands, 
including Makro and Lukas Klamer (both 
part of Metro Cash & Carry) and Vomar.

Qualifications
Jago holds a degree in Finance and 
Auditing from the VU University Amsterdam 
and completed postgraduate courses in 
Auditing and Financial Management at the 
University of Amsterdam. He is a member 
of the Association of Chartered Auditors 
and the Association of Registered 
Controllers, both in the Netherlands.

Board Committees
Audit (Chairman), Nomination, 
Remuneration

Experience
Michael retired from Ernst & Young as 
Senior Partner in 2012 after a 38-year 
career with the firm. He was a member 
of Ernst & Young’s audit practice from 
1974 to 1997, becoming a partner in 1985. 
During this period, as well as supervising 
and being involved in the audit of a 
number of multinational groups, he advised 
a wide range of companies on systems 
and controls, corporate governance, 
risk management and accounting issues. 
In 1997, Michael moved to Ernst & Young’s 
Transaction Advisory practice, where he 
founded and led its UK IPO and Global 
Natural Resources transaction teams. 
He has been involved with the CIS since 
1991 and has advised many CIS companies 
on fundraising, reorganisations, transactions, 
corporate governance and IPOs.

Other roles
Michael is also Senior Independent 
Director and Audit Committee Chairman of 
Kaz Minerals Plc, a non-executive Director 
and Audit Committee Chairman of Gem 
Diamonds Limited, a non-executive Director 
and Audit Committee Chairman at Seven 
Energy Ltd and a non-executive Director 
of Barloworld Limited. He is also active with 
the charities ActionAid International and 
21st Century Legacy. 

Qualifications
Michael graduated from Sheffield University 
with a BA in Economics and Accounting 
in 1974, qualified as an English Chartered 
Accountant in 1977, and was awarded an 
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters 
by Schiller International University in 2006.

Stephen Johnson (53)
Senior Independent  
Director

Stephen Johnson has been an independent 
non-executive Director of Lenta Ltd since 
2010. He was appointed as Lenta’s Senior 
Independent Director in 2013.

Board Committees
Nomination (Chairman), Remuneration 
(Chairman), Audit, Capital Expenditure

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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Experience
Stephen has over 20 years’ experience in 
the retail industry, having been part of the 
team that turned around and successfully 
sold Asda to Walmart. Whilst at Asda, 
Stephen held several senior positions 
including Trading Director, Commercial 
Finance Director and Marketing Director. 
Following his time at Asda, he was CEO of 
Focus DIY Ltd and of Woolworths Plc, as 
well as Sales & Marketing Director at GUS 
Plc. He started his career in management 
consultancy with Bain & Co.

Other roles
Stephen has been a non-executive 
Director of Big Yellow Group Plc since 2010, 
Chairman of Pocketwatch Bidco Limited 
since 2015 and Chairman of Poundworld 
Retail Limited since 2015. He also works 
with a number of private equity firms 
primarily focused on Southern and 
Eastern Europe.

Qualifications
Stephen graduated from Cambridge 
University with an Engineering degree.

Stephen Peel (50)
Director

Stephen Peel has been a non-executive 
Director of Lenta Ltd since 2011.

Experience
Stephen is the founder of SMP Policy 
Innovation, a not for profit organisation 
focused on promoting better public policy. 
He is also a visiting fellow at the Blavatnik 
School of Government at the University of 
Oxford. Prior to this, he spent some 27 years 
in finance and private equity. From 1989 to 
1997 Stephen was in the corporate finance 
and principal investment areas at Goldman 
Sachs. From 1997 to 2014, he was a 
Managing Partner at TPG Capital initially 
founding and leading its European office 
and latterly leading its Asian business 
based in Hong Kong.

Other roles
Stephen is Chairman of the Advisory Board 
of Open Contracting Partnership, is a 
member of the Trilateral Commission and 
serves on the boards of Global Witness, 
the Institute of State Effectiveness, The 
Jackson Institute of Global Affairs at Yale 
University and the Global Partners Council 
of the Institute of New Economic thinking.

Qualifications
Stephen graduated from the University 
of Cambridge, Downing College with  
an MA in 1987 and received a Masters 
of Advanced Studies from Yale University 
in 2015.

Dmitry Shvets (44)
Director

Dmitry Shvets was appointed a non-
executive Director of Lenta Ltd in 2009.

Board Committees
Capital Expenditure (Chairman), 
Nomination, Remuneration

Experience
Prior to joining TPG Capital in 2008, 
Dmitry was Operating Director in the mining 
and metallurgical company Norilsk Nickel, 
where he was in charge of optimisation of 
the company’s key production assets and 
was also responsible for the integration of 
newly acquired assets. From 1998 to 2004 
Dmitry worked for McKinsey & Company, 
where he led projects in industries including 
consumer goods, retail, transportation, 
metals and mining, and oil extraction in 
the areas of strategy, organisation and 
operational effectiveness. He also worked 
for the Coca-Cola Company in various 
marketing roles.

Other roles
Dmitry is the Head of TPG Capital Russia 
and is a Director at Fesco Transportation 
Group.

Qualifications
Dmitry holds an MBA from Emory University 
and graduated with honours from the 
Moscow State Institute of International 
Relations (‘MGIMO’).

Martin Elling (63)
Director

Martin Elling joined Lenta Ltd as a  
non-executive Director in 2011.

Board Committees
Capital Expenditure

Experience
Martin started his career with the UN Food 
and Agriculture Organization where he 
worked for 11 years as a financial analyst 
and economist mostly on World Bank 
agribusiness and infrastructure. He then 
joined the European Bank for Reconstruction 
and Development (‘EBRD’), where he 
was responsible for agribusiness, financial 
services and energy investments in Ukraine, 
Romania and Russia. In 1997, Martin left 
the EBRD to concentrate on investment 
opportunities in agribusiness, leasing and 
B2B services in Ukraine and Russia, 
achieving two successful exits in Ukraine 
and one in Russia.

  69

Other roles
Martin advises a number of companies 
on restructuring and corporate governance. 
He also occasionally advises the African 
Parks Foundation on the operational 
strategy of individual national parks.

Qualifications
Martin holds an Economics degree from the 
University of Amsterdam and a postgraduate 
degree from the University of Wageningen.

Anton Artemyev (56)
Director

Anton Artemyev was appointed an 
independent non-executive Director of 
Lenta Ltd in 2013.

Board Committees
Audit, Nomination, Remuneration

Experience
Anton has extensive FMCG experience 
in Russia and Eastern Europe including 
12 years in the brewing industry, where 
his roles included Executive Vice-President 
of Baltic Beverages Holding, the largest 
Eastern European brewing group at the 
time; President of Baltika Breweries; and 
Senior Vice-President responsible for 
Eastern Europe and a Member of the 
Executive Committee of Carlsberg Group. 
Prior to this Anton worked in a variety 
of consulting roles including Partner in 
Bossard Consultants and Principal in 
Gemini Consulting/CAP Gemini, where as 
head of Russian operations he focused on 
strategy work in various sectors, primarily 
consumer goods.

Other roles
Anton is currently Chairman of Fortrent OY, 
which provides construction equipment 
rental services in Russia and Ukraine. 
Fortrent is a 50/50 joint venture between 
Cramo and Ramirent, who are among the 
European leaders in this field. He is a 
member of the Board of Directors of HTT 
BWH OY, which is a Finnish private 
subsidiary of another company, Hartwall 
Capital OY, which has an interest in the 
Russian wine industry.

Qualifications
Anton holds a Diploma with honours 
and a Doctorate in Geography from 
Leningrad State University. He also 
studied Management and Economics 
at Bocconi University and at Henley 
Management College.

There were no changes to the Board 
in 2016. 

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
70

Senior Management team

Under the chairmanship of  
the CEO, our highly skilled Senior 
Management team implements the 
strategies set by the Board. With 
a breadth of experience across 
the food retail sector, both on the 
domestic and international front, 
their leadership is vital to the 
success of Lenta’s day-to-day 
operations.

Jan Dunning (57)
Chief Executive Officer 
(CEO)

Jan Dunning joined Lenta as CEO in 2009 
and was appointed a Director of Lenta Ltd in 
2013. Jan’s biography appears on page 68 
of this report.

Jago Lemmens (48)
Chief Financial Officer 
(CFO)

Jago Lemmens joined Lenta in 2010 
as Accounting and Reporting Director, 
becoming CFO in 2011. He was appointed 
a Director of Lenta Ltd in 2013. Jago’s 
biography appears on page 68 of this report.

Edward Doeffinger (60)
Chief Operational Officer  
(COO)

Anna Meleshina (39)
Public Relations  
and Government  
Affairs Director

Edward Doeffinger joined Lenta in 2011 
as Chief Operational Officer.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Edward served as 
Deputy General Director of Metro Cash 
& Carry Kazakhstan. Before starting his 
career in 1991 at Metro Cash & Carry 
(Germany), Edward held several positions 
in wholesale companies and worked as 
Head of the dry food department at the 
Trade Ministry of the German Democratic 
Republic. During his more than 30 years’ 
experience in the retail industry he has 
held senior positions in various countries. 
In 1994 he obtained his first assignment 
outside Germany as a board advisor to Metro 
Cash & Carry in Hungary. After a year in 
Hungary, Edward became a member of the 
Metro Jinjiang team (China) and worked as 
a Store General Director and later as Head 
of Store Development for several years 
in China before moving to Russia in 2001.  
In Russia Edward was responsible for the 
business operations of Metro Cash & Carry 
in the Privolzhsky, Ural and Siberian regions. 
He was also responsible for the Metro Cash 
& Carry Kazakhstan business operations 
as a Deputy CEO.

Qualifications
Edward has a degree in Economics from 
the Hochschule fuer Oekonomie Berlin.

Anna Meleshina joined Lenta in 2013 
as Public Relations and Government 
Affairs Director.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Anna served as 
Corporate Relations Director for Heineken 
in Russia and served as a member of the 
global corporate relations leadership team. 
In addition to her 13-year career in the 
brewing sector, Anna has held senior 
positions in non-commercial organisations, 
including an advisory role at the Honorary 
Consul of Iceland in St. Petersburg, and 
as a board member and Deputy Chairman 
of the Russian Breweries’ Association.

Qualifications
Anna graduated from the Scandinavian 
linguistics faculty of the St. Petersburg 
State University with a diploma cum laude. 
She also holds an MBA from Henley 
Management College in the UK.

Herman Tinga (59)
Commercial Director 

Herman Tinga joined Lenta in 2013 as 
Commercial Director.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Herman served as 
Non-Food Global Category Management  
& Sourcing Director at Metro AG. With 
a background in marketing, category 
management, buying and merchandising, 
Herman has extensive experience as a 
senior manager and board member in retail 
and cash & carry spanning 34 years. For 
four years, Herman was a board member 
of Metro Cash & Carry in Russia.

Qualifications
Herman has a bachelor’s degree from the 
Netherlands Institute of Marketing.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  71

Tatiana Yurkevich (44)
HR Director 

Joern Arnhold (46)
Supply Chain Director 

Tatiana Yurkevich joined Lenta in 2012 as 
Human Resources Director.

Joern Arnhold joined Lenta in 2011 as 
Supply Chain Director.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Tatiana served 
as Human Resources Director at Fazer 
Bakeries & Confectionery, Russia. During 
her 18 years in HR management, she has 
held senior positions in HR including Head 
of HR at United Heavy Machinery Group 
and Izhora Plants, and HR Director of 
Caterpillar European Fabrications and 
Caterpillar Tosno. Tatiana has experience in 
leading Six Sigma Program implementation 
as a Deployment Champion in Caterpillar.

Qualifications
Tatiana has a master’s degree in 
International Economics from St. Petersburg 
State University as well as English and 
German language degrees from Novosibirsk 
State Pedagogical University.

Sergey Prokofiev (48)
Legal Director

Sergey Prokofiev joined Lenta as Legal and 
Government Relations Director in 2012.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Sergey worked for 
Metro Cash & Carry for 11 years in different 
positions including Legal and Compliance 
Director. He started his career as expert- 
interpreter and later worked as a lawyer 
in a major Russian law firm and as a 
defending attorney at the Moscow City Bar.

Qualifications
Sergey graduated from the Military Institute 
of Foreign Languages (‘VKIMO’) and the 
Institute of Law. He holds a PhD in Law 
from the Institute of Legislation and 
Comparative Law under the Government 
of the Russian Federation and an MBA 
in Strategic Management from California 
State University.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Joern had 13 years’ 
experience with Metro Group Logistics 
(‘MGL’) where he held various key positions 
in Germany, Turkey and Russia. As 
Managing Director of MGL in Russia, Joern 
was responsible for developing and running 
logistics operations for the Metro Group 
sales divisions in Russia.

Qualifications
Joern holds a degree in Business 
Administration from the Georg August 
University Goettingen.

Maxim Shchegolev (50)
Integration and  
Format Development  
Director

Maxim Shchegolev joined Lenta in 2012 
as Integration and Format Development 
Director.

Experience
Prior to joining Lenta, Maxim held a number 
of executive positions with O’KEY Group. 
During his 17 years’ experience in the retail 
industry, Maxim has held a variety of senior 
positions in business development. In 2008 
he was appointed Director of Expansion for 
O’KEY and was responsible for various 
aspects of business development, including 
expert assessment of the competitive 
environment, and the purchase and lease 
of real estate for the construction of stores. 
In 2012, he took a similar position with Lenta. 
He is responsible for finding and acquiring 
plots of land, managing the construction 
and redevelopment of shopping centres, 
letting out premises owned by the Company, 
and the development of new stores in 
leased premises.

Qualifications
Maxim graduated from St. Petersburg 
University of Economics and Finance, 
the Russian-Dutch School of Marketing 
and the Higher School of the Ministry of 
Economic Development and Trade of the 
Russian Federation.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
72

Corporate governance

OUR CORPORATE  
GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK

Compliance with UK  
Corporate Governance Code
The UK Corporate Governance Code 
(‘the Code’) sets out principles and 
specific provisions on how a company 
should be directed and controlled to 
achieve good standards of corporate 
governance. As a company 
incorporated in the British Virgin 
Islands (‘BVI’) with GDRs admitted to 
the Official List, we are not required to 
comply with the provisions of the Code. 
However, we have chosen to comply 
with the Code to an appropriate and 
practicable extent.

As of the date of this report, the Board 
considers that Lenta fully complies 
in all material respects with the Code, 
with the exception of the following 
provisions:

Leadership

The Chairman leads the Board, 
ensuring its effectiveness while taking 
account of the interest of the Group’s 
various stakeholders and promoting 
high standards of corporate 
governance. There is a clear distinction 
between the role of Chairman and 
CEO. Updated descriptions of the 
roles were agreed by the Board in 
2016 and are summarised as follows:

The CEO’s responsibilities include:

•  leading the development of the 

Company’s strategic direction and 
implementing the agreed strategy;

•  identifying and executing new 

business opportunities;

•  managing the Group’s risk profile 

and implementing and maintaining 
an effective framework of internal 
controls;

The Chairman’s responsibilities include:

•  building and maintaining an effective 

management team;

•  ensuring the Directors receive 
accurate, timely and clear 
information;

•  facilitating the effective contribution 

of non-executive Directors and 
engagement between executive 
and non-executive Directors;

•  the Chairman of the Board was not 
independent on his appointment;

•  building an effective Board;

•  there is not a majority of independent 

directors on the Board;

•  the whole Board is available to attend 
the AGM but it is not a requirement 
that each member attends;

•  the Company commenced 

implementation of a revised risk 
management process during the 
year following a review assisted by 
external consultants. The process 
of implementation will be completed 
during 2017.

The Board does not consider that the 
above areas of non-compliance expose 
the Company to any additional risks.

While BVI law imposes certain general 
duties on company directors (including 
the duty to act in the best interests 
of the company), there is no specific 
corporate governance code or 
corporate governance regime in 
the BVI.

•  the induction of new Directors and 
further training for all Directors 
as required;

•  communicating effectively with 

shareholders and other stakeholders 
and ensuring the Board develops 
an understanding of the view 
of stakeholders;

•  ensuring an annual evaluation of the 
Board is conducted and leading the 
performance evaluation of the CEO 
and non-executive Directors.

The Chairman holds one-to-one and 
group meetings with the non-executive 
Directors – without the executive 
Directors being present – four times 
a year. The Chairman was not 
independent upon his appointment 
to the Board since, at that time, he 
was a partner in TPG Capital, one of 
the Company’s major shareholders.

•  ensuring effective communication 
with shareholders and regularly 
updating institutional shareholders 
on business strategy and 
performance.

Stephen Johnson was the Senior 
Independent Director (‘SID’) throughout 
the year ending 31 December 2016.
He was selected for the role because 
of his experience and expertise, both 
as an executive and non-executive 
Director with retail and international 
experience. The key roles and 
responsibilities of the SID include 
the following:

•  acting as a sounding board for 

the Chairman;

•  serving as an intermediary for the 
other Directors when necessary;

•  being available to assist in resolving 

shareholder concerns, should 
alternative channels be exhausted;

•  holding at least one meeting each 

year with the non-executive Directors 
without the Chairman present;

•  monitoring the training and 
development requirements 
of Directors;

•  overseeing the Chairman’s appraisal 

and succession, and

•  ensuring that Committee chairmen 
conduct performance evaluations 
of their Committees.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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Non-executive Directors
The non-executive Directors provide 
an essential independent element to 
the Board – and a solid foundation for 
strong corporate governance. Although 
all Directors are equally accountable 
under BVI law, the non-executive 
Directors fulfil a vital role in corporate 
accountability. They have responsibility 
for constructively challenging the 
strategies proposed by the executive 
Directors and scrutinising the 
performance of management in 
achieving agreed goals and objectives. 
They also play a key role in the 
functioning of the Board and its 
Committees. Between them, the 
current non-executive Directors have 
an appropriate balance of skills, 
experience, knowledge and 
independent judgement to undertake 
their roles effectively.

Matters specifically reserved 
for the decision of the Lenta Ltd 
Board of Directors
Management, strategy and planning
The Board has responsibility for the 
overall management of the Group. 
The Board discharges some of its 
responsibilities directly and discharges 
others through Board Committees and 
the Senior Management team. This 
includes approval of the strategy, for 
which it has collective responsibility, 
business plans and budgets, as well as 
approval of any material restructuring 
or reorganisation and establishment 
of new material areas of business. 
The Board also reviews performance 
in light of the strategy, objectives, 
business plans and budgets, ensuring 
that any necessary corrective action 
is taken.

Operations and transactions
This includes approval of significant 
capital and non-capital expenditure 
as well as approval of significant asset 
disposals and any other transactions 
that could have a material effect 
on the strategic or financial plans 
of the Company, including making 
or responding to takeover bids.

  73

Remuneration 
Committee

Capital 
Expenditure 
Committee

Audit  
Committee

Nomination 
Committee

Shareholders’ 
meeting

 Board of 
Directors

Senior 
Management

Board of Directors
The Board of Directors manages, 
directs and supervises the business 
of the Company. The Board oversees 
the officers of the Company and 
succession planning. The Board, 
in some circumstances, may elect 
a Director to fill an empty seat 
on the Board. The Board may 
also establish committees and  
set their responsibilities. As shown 
below, our Directors have a wide range 
of complementary skills and experience.

Board members’ expertise

Financial 5

Retail 3

Strategy 5

Marketing 3

Technology 2

Tenure of Non-executive Directors

3-4 years

5-6 years

>7 years

Capital structure
The Board approves changes relating 
to capital structure including allotment 
of shares, reduction of capital (except 
under employee share plans) and 
share buy-backs. It also approves 
major changes to the Group’s 
corporate structure and the Company’s 
listings or its status as a company 
limited by shares.

Loans and dividends
This includes approval of any 
substantial new loan or similar facility 
(including financial leases) from third 
parties or material amendment to 
any such facilities including material 
loans or similar facilities made 
available to third parties. The Board 
also oversees the Company’s dividend 
policy, declaration of interim and 
recommendation of final dividends 
and approval of other distributions 
to shareholders, as well as any new 
pension schemes or significant 
changes to existing pension schemes.

Public reporting and controls
The Board approves the preliminary 
trading and half-yearly results 
announcements as well as the Annual 
Report and Accounts. It also approves 
appropriate press releases, material 
changes in principal accounting 
policies and practices, treasury policies 
and related risk management strategy 
and framework. On recommendation 
of the Audit Committee, the Board 
also appoints or removes the 
external auditor.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
74

Corporate governance continued

Remuneration
This includes approving the Directors’ 
and Officers’ insurance cover and 
establishing policies and rules relating 
to share-based incentive schemes. The 
Board also determines the remuneration 
policy for executive Directors and certain 
senior executives and approves the 
remuneration of non-executive Directors.

Corporate governance
The Board reviews its own performance 
and that of its Committees and 
individual Directors. It is responsible 
for determining the risk appetite of the 
Group and ensuring maintenance of an 
effective system of internal control and 
risk management. It also approves 
and revises policies, including health, 
safety and environment policies, share 
dealing rules, code of conduct, anti- 
bribery and corruption policy and 
corporate governance arrangements.

The Board also calls any general 
meetings and approves documents 
sent to shareholders. It also 
recommends any changes to the 
Company’s Memorandum and Articles 
of Association and considers material 
litigation or regulatory investigations 
affecting the Lenta Group. It is 
responsible for the approval of political 
donations and the appointment of 
key corporate advisors.

Other
The Board also considers other 
matters of strategic or reputational 
importance likely to have a significant 
impact on the Company. When, 
exceptionally, decisions on matters 
specifically reserved for the Board are 
required to be taken urgently between 
Board meetings, such decisions 
shall be taken by a Directors’ written 
resolution pursuant to Article 12.9 of the 
Articles of Association of the Company.

The Board is responsible for managing 
our business and may exercise all of 
the business’s powers in doing so, 
except to the extent that any such 
power must be exercised by the 
shareholders in accordance with 
applicable BVI law or the Company’s 
Memorandum and Articles (‘M&A’). 
The Board also, by virtue of direct 
or indirect shareholdings in our 
consolidated subsidiaries, provides 
strategic management of our affairs 
and those of our consolidated 
subsidiaries. The day-to-day 
operations of our operating company, 
Lenta LLC, are managed by Senior 
Management as described below.

The Board currently consists of nine 
Directors, of which three: Michael 
Lynch-Bell, Anton Artemyev and 
Stephen Johnson are judged by the 
Board to be independent Directors 
according to the provisions of the UK 
Corporate Governance Code. None 
of the factors or circumstances set 
out in the Code as potential indicators 
of non-independence apply to  
Mr Lynch-Bell or Mr Artemyev.

While Mr Johnson carried out 
remunerated consultancy work 
for Lenta and one of its Major 
Shareholders, TPG Capital, prior to 
2014, is remunerated as Chairman of 
another TPG Capital investee company 
and holds 80,000 Shares in Lenta Ltd 
subject to secured arrangements 
in favour of our pre-2014 Offering, 
the Board is satisfied that these 
have no effect on his independence. 
This is primarily because of his 
extensive experience in retail and the 
fact that his shareholding is subject to 
staggered release starting in 2014 and 
ending in 2018 – and is subject to his 
continued service on Lenta’s Board.

Our CEO and CFO, who are also the 
General Director and Chief Financial 
Officer of Lenta LLC, are Directors, 
but are ineligible to serve on Board 
Committees. The remaining four 
Directors – including the Chairman – 
were elected by the shareholders 
pursuant to the nomination rights 
of the Major Shareholders.

Board of Directors

Position

Name

 Chairman

John Oliver

Cat.

TPG

 Sen. INED Stephen Johnson

INED

 Director

Michael Lynch-Bell

INED

 Director

Anton Artemyev

INED

 Director

Dmitry Shvets

 Director

Stephen Peel

TPG

TPG

Director since Nomination Audit

Remuneration Capex

Committees

2009

2010

2013

2013

2009

2011

 Director

Martin Elling

EBRD

2011

 Director

Jan Dunning

 Director

Jago Lemmens

CEO

CFO

2013

2013

Committee member 

Chairman of Committee

 Nomination Committee (five Directors)

 Audit Committee (three Directors)

 Remuneration Committee (five Directors)

 Capex Committee (four Directors)

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
S

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  75

BOARD FOCUS DURING THE YEAR

In 2016, the Board considered a 
wide range of matters, including:

• strategy

• budgets and long-term plans for 

the Company

• review of estimates of future cash 
flows, financing arrangements 
and fundraising

• industry and competitive 

environment

• responding to the changing 

dynamics of the Russian economy

• maintaining and increasing efficiency 
of the Company’s rapid development

• individual business and overall 
Group performance and future 
capital expenditures

• the review and execution of M&A 

transactions

• development of the Company’s 

corporate governance

• financial statements and 

announcements

• reviewing reports from its 

Committees

• shareholder feedback and reports 

from brokers and analysts

• risk management and risk oversight.

There should be at least three 
independent Directors at all times. 
Independent Directors are elected by 
a majority resolution of the Board from 
a list of candidates proposed by the 
Board and considered by the Board 
to be independent, taking into account 
the criteria for independence set forth 
in the Code. Each independent Director 
shall be deemed to resign at the 
first general meeting following their 
election by the Board, at which general 
meeting they shall be put forward 
for re-election. These Directors may 
be removed by a majority resolution 
of the Board or by a simple majority 
resolution of the shareholders upon 
a proposal made by shareholders 
holding more than 15% of the shares.

Each of the other Directors (if any) 
shall be elected by a simple majority 
resolution of the shareholders from 
a list of candidates. This will include 
those candidates proposed by the 
Board, retiring Directors consenting to 
being put forward for re-election and 
any candidates put forward for election 
by shareholders holding at least 15% 
of the shares within the timeframe 
stipulated in the M&A. These Directors 
may be removed in the same way 
as the independent Directors.

The Board may appoint a Director to 
fill a vacancy (subject to the rights of 
the Major Shareholders). In this case, 
that Director shall resign at the next 
general meeting and be put forward 
for re-election.

While the Board has overall 
accountability, in order to operate more 
effectively, responsibility for specific 
functions is delegated to four specialist 
Board Committees: Nomination, Audit, 
Remuneration and Capital Expenditure. 
The responsibility for formulating and, 
after approval, implementing strategic 
plans and the management of day-to- 
day operations is delegated to the 
Chief Executive Officer and the Senior 
Management team.

As provided under the M&A:

•  the CEO and CFO hold office by 
virtue of their positions, and are 
appointed, and may be removed 
by the Board.

•  the Major Shareholders may 
nominate Major Shareholder-
nominated Directors (and remove 
such Directors), and shareholders 
are obliged to vote to approve the 
appointment or removal of such 
candidates, as follows:

 ̵ TPG Capital: three Directors 
including the Chairman whilst 
it holds directly or indirectly an 
interest in 22.5% or more of the 
shares; two Directors including 
the Chairman whilst it holds 
directly or indirectly an interest 
in 15% or more of the shares; 
one Director whilst it holds directly 
or indirectly an interest in 5% 
or more of the shares;

 ̵ EBRD: one Director whilst it 

holds an interest in 5% or more 
of the shares.

When a Major Shareholder’s 
shareholding falls below a threshold 
listed above, one of the Directors 
nominated by that Major Shareholder 
must resign no later than the 
next general meeting, but may be 
renominated and re-elected by a simple 
majority resolution of the shareholders. 
These Directors may otherwise only 
be removed by their nominating Major 
Shareholder. The Major Shareholders 
may not assign or transfer these 
nomination rights to third parties. 

As at the date of this report there are 
four Major Shareholder-nominated 
Directors on the Board. The Major 
Shareholder-nominated Directors have 
a fiduciary duty under the laws of the 
BVI to act in the best interests of our 
business. Under the M&A, a Director 
who has an interest in a transaction 
likely to give rise to a conflict of interest 
may not vote on any resolution relating 
to the transaction, unless fewer than 
three Directors are entitled to vote on 
such a resolution, in which case each 
interested Director may vote provided 
his interest is duly disclosed or certain 
other exceptions apply.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
76

Corporate governance continued

Board and Committee attendance during the year
Normally the Board holds at least four meetings in person and a number of ad hoc meetings in person or via 
teleconference. We consider that any Director, participating via teleconference, videoconference or other electronic means 
shall be considered to be physically present, provided each Director is able to hear all other Directors and, in turn, be heard 
by all other Directors.

Member
John Oliver
(Major Shareholder nominee) Chairman
Jan Dunning (CEO)
Stephen Johnson (Independent)
Michael Lynch-Bell (Independent)
Jago Lemmens (CFO)
Anton Artemyev (Independent)
Dmitry Shvets
(Major Shareholder nominee)
Stephen Peel
(Major Shareholder nominee)
Martin Elling
(Major Shareholder nominee)

Board  
(5 meetings)

Audit Committee  
(10 meetings)

Capex  
Committee  
(4 meetings)

Nomination 
Committee  
(2 meetings)

Remuneration 
Committee  
(4 meetings)

8
8
7
8
8
8

8

7

8

–
–
11
11
–
10

–

–

–

13
–
11
–
–
–

13

–

12

3
–
3
3
–
3

3

–

–

4
–
4
4
–
4

4

–

–

A quorum for Board meetings consists of a minimum of five members of the Board.

Changes to the Board in 2016
There were no changes to the Board in 2016.

Length of service and independence of non-executive Directors
Since 2010
Stephen Johnson (Independent) 
Since 2013
Michael Lynch-Bell (Independent)
Since 2013
Anton Artemyev (Independent)

Considered to be independent by the Board
Considered to be independent by the Board
Considered to be independent by the Board

There are seven Board meetings scheduled for 2017. 

The terms of reference for Lenta’s Board Committees were last revised and updated in November 2015. Details are set out 
in the Corporate Governance section of the Company website: http://www.lentainvestor.com/en/about/corporate-governance/
internal-policies.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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BOARD COMMITTEES

Effectiveness

The appointment of new Directors 
is led by the Nomination Committee, 
the majority of whose members are 
independent non-executive Directors. 
Details of the appointments process 
can be found on page 75.

All new Directors receive a 
personalised induction programme, 
tailored to their experience, 
background and particular area of 
focus. This is designed to develop 
their knowledge and understanding of 
the Company’s culture and operations. 
The programme incorporates a 
wide-ranging schedule of meetings 
with Senior Management across the 
Company, comprehensive briefing 
materials and opportunities to visit 
the Company’s operations, including 
spending time at new store openings, 
in store and in our distribution network.

All Directors have the opportunity 
to increase their knowledge of the 
Company through visits to the 
Company’s operations and meetings 
with senior executives across 
the business.

The Board makes a careful assessment 
of the time commitments required 
from the Chairman and non-executive 
Directors to discharge their roles 
properly. This is discussed with 
candidates as part of the recruitment 
process and a commitment to the 
appropriate time requirements 
is included in engagement letters. 
Directors are expected to attend every 
Board meeting and every meeting 
of any Committee of which they are 
a member, unless there are exceptional 
circumstances preventing their 
attendance. Scheduled Board and 
Committee meetings are arranged 
at least a year in advance to allow 
Directors to manage other commitments.

The Chairman reviews each Director’s 
development needs as part of the 
annual performance evaluation 
process and puts appropriate 
arrangements in place for specific 
training. The Nomination Committee 
reviews the Directors’ skills and 
experience as a group against those 
needed to oversee and support the 
Company’s future operations, and 
identifies any gaps. Training is 
arranged to develop the knowledge 
and skills of the Directors in a variety 
of areas relevant to Lenta’s business.

Board papers are, ordinarily, circulated 
a week before each meeting to give 
the Directors and Committee members 
sufficient time to fully consider the 
information. All Directors have 
access to the Company Secretary 
and may take independent professional 
advice at the Company’s expense 
in conducting their duties.

Conflicts of interest
Directors have a statutory duty to 
avoid situations in which they have or 
could have a direct or indirect interest 
that conflicts or may conflict with the 
interests of the Company. A Director 
has a duty to disclose to the Board 
any transaction or arrangement under 
consideration by the Company in which 
he has a personal interest. The Board 
has a procedure for authorising conflicts 
or potential conflicts of interest. Under 
this procedure, Directors are required 
to declare all directorships or other 
appointments outside the Company 
that could give rise to a conflict or 
potential conflict of interest.

Early in 2016 the Senior Independent 
Director (also Chairman of the 
Nomination Committee) conducted an 
internal review of its performance and 
that of its Committees and individual 
Directors. The outcome of this review 
was encouraging, with the Directors 
(both non-executive and executive) 
confirming that Lenta has a high 
performing Board and rating most 
aspects of the Board’s activities and 
governance very highly. As a result of 
the review, Lenta has made a small 
number of positive changes to its 
Board processes and will continue to 
keep its performance under both formal 
and informal review in order to ensure 
a process of continuous improvement. 

  77

NOMINATION COMMITTEE REPORT

Committee members:

• Stephen Johnson  

(Independent, Chairman)

• Michael Lynch-Bell  

(Independent)

• Anton Artemyev  
(Independent)

• John Oliver  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

• Dmitry Shvets  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

The key roles and responsibilities of 
the Nomination Committee include:

•  ensuring that proper procedures 

are established for the nomination, 
selection and training of the 
Company’s Directors and Senior 
Management;

•  keeping under review the size, 
structure, balance of skills, 
experience, independence, 
knowledge and general diversity 
of the Board to ensure the balance 
and composition of the Board and 
its Committees remains appropriate;

•  making recommendations to the 
Board on Directors’ conflicts of 
interest for authorisation, where 
appropriate;

•  making recommendations to the 
Board regarding the appointment 
of new Directors, and identifying, 
interviewing, selecting, and 
determining the independence 
of candidates with suitable industry 
or key competency experience;

•  reviewing Board level, Senior 

Management and Company-wide 
succession planning and other 
human resources-related matters;

•  reviewing the leadership needs 
of the Company, both executive 
and non-executive, to ensure the 
continued ability of the organisation 
to compete in the marketplace.

A copy of the Committee’s full terms 
of reference is available on the 
Company’s website: http://www.
lentainvestor.com/en/about/corporate-
governance/internal-policies.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
78

Corporate governance continued

The Human Resources Director may 
be invited to attend any meeting of the 
Committee, except for portions of the 
meetings where their presence would 
be inappropriate, as determined by 
the Committee Chairman.

Dear Shareholders 
Looking forward to 2017, the 
Committee intends to continue its 
focus on the performance appraisal 
programme and the succession 
planning programme. We will 
also support management in the 
identification and recruitment of 
suitable candidates to support the 
Company’s growth plans. 

Activities during the year 
Performance appraisal programme
Over the last few years, Lenta has 
developed and implemented a 
Company-wide performance appraisal 
programme. This process is used 
to assess the performance of every 
employee in the business, including 
the executive Directors. The findings 
from this programme are used to 
identify training and development 
needs, to pinpoint areas where 
investment in human resources is 
required and to identify high 
performance individuals at all levels. 
The Nomination Committee receives 
regular reports on the results and 
operation of the performance 
appraisal programme.

Succession planning programme
The Company also operates an active 
succession planning programme. 
This is designed to identify possible 
successors for all management 
positions in the Company, to identify 
development needs for any potential 
successors, and to address any 
succession gaps. The performance 
appraisal programme is one of the 
key inputs in the succession planning 
process. During the year the 
Committee regularly reviewed the 
succession plan and worked with 
Company management to refine 
and develop it. Inevitably, this is an 
ongoing process. 

Inevitably, not every role in a 
company can be adequately covered 
with a like-for-like successor. However, 
we remain confident that the Senior 
Management team and wider 
Board have the skills and experience 
necessary to seamlessly manage 
the business should any external 
recruitment be necessary. 

Stephen Johnson
Chairman
Nomination Committee

Accountability

The Board considers the Annual 
Report and Accounts, taken as 
a whole, to be fair, balanced and 
understandable and provide the 
necessary information required for 
shareholders to assess the Company’s 
performance, business model and 
strategy – and that the business 
continues to operate as a going concern. 

The Board assumes ultimate 
responsibility for ensuring the 
Company has appropriate risk 
management and internal controls in 
place – and has delegated responsibility 
to the Audit Committee to review their 
effectiveness. Successful management 
of risk is supported by controls, 
management oversight and sources 
of assurance. The Company maintains 
a comprehensive framework of internal 
controls addressing the key strategic, 
financial, legal, reputational and 
operational risks to the business. 
The accountability for operating these 
controls rests with Senior Management 
as a first line of defence.

Key elements of the Company’s system 
of internal controls that operated 
throughout the year were:

•  monitoring by the Board of a 

comprehensive reporting system 
including detailed monthly results, 
periodic short- and medium-term 
forecasts, annual budgets and 
medium-term plans;

•  monitoring by the Board of the 

Company’s liquidity, financing and 
borrowing requirements;

•  well-defined procedures for 

assessment, approval, control 
and  monitoring of major 
investment projects;

•  a centrally coordinated internal audit 
programme to verify that policies 
and internal control procedures are 
being correctly implemented and 
identify any risks and potential areas 
for improvement at an early stage;

•  financial, treasury, operating, 

compliance and administrative 
policies and procedures that 
incorporate statements of 
required behaviour;

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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•  reviewing the speak-up policy and 

monitoring the operation of whistle- 
blowing facilities in place to allow 
staff and customers to raise 
concerns; and

•  a remuneration policy for executives 
that motivates them appropriately, 
without encouraging excessive 
risk taking.

No significant internal control failings 
were identified during the year. The 
Group’s approach to risk management, 
the risks identified and how it profiles 
these risks is set out on pages 40 to 47.

The Board commissioned a review 
of the effectiveness of the Company’s 
risk management and internal 
controls in late 2015, assisted by 
external consultants. As a result, 
recommendations resulting from 
that review were considered and 
implementation commenced in 2016. 
This included the launch of a Risk 
Management Policy and Risk Matrix. 
A Head of Risk Management was 
also appointed during the year. 
Implementation of the recommendations 
will be completed during 2017.

Colleagues are required to confirm 
annually that they have complied with 
the Code of Business Conduct, which 
sets out individual obligations and 
responsibilities for everyone working 
at Lenta.

Internal audit
Internal audit advises management on 
the extent to which systems of internal 
control are adequate and effective  
to manage business risk, safeguard 
the Company’s resources and ensure 
compliance with the Company’s 
policies and legal and regulatory 
requirements. It also advises on 
ways in which areas of risk can be 
addressed and provides objective 
assurance on risk and controls to 
Senior Management, the Audit 
Committee and the Board.

The mandate and programme of 
work of the internal audit department 
is considered and approved by the 
Audit Committee. Based on the 
approved internal audit plan, a number 
of internal audits took place across 
the Company’s operations and 
functions to facilitate improvement 
of the Company’s internal controls, 
with findings reported to the relevant 
operational management. Internal 
audit follows up on the implementation 
of recommendations and reports on 
progress to Senior Management and 
to the Audit Committee.

The Head of Internal Audit reports 
regularly to the Chairman of the 
Audit Committee and attends Audit 
Committee meetings to present the 
internal control findings from the 
internal audits performed. The Audit 
Committee reviews and discusses 
the effectiveness of internal audits 
on an annual basis with the Head of 
Internal Audit.

The Audit Committee plays a role in 
monitoring compliance with internal 
controls. In addition to receiving reports 
from Internal Audit, the Committee 
is responsible for monitoring legal 
compliance across the Company, 
including receiving reports from the 
Chief Legal Director. The Committee 
reports each year on its assessment 
of the effectiveness of the risk 
management and internal control 
systems. Throughout the year the 
Committee receives regular reports 
from the external auditor covering 
topics such as quality of earnings and 
technical accounting developments.

Whilst an internal control system 
cannot guarantee that losses will 
not occur, the Board is satisfied that 
management has remained diligent 
in its efforts to ensure an appropriate 
level of control remains in place. All 
Directors are covered by the Group’s 
Directors’ and Officers’ insurance policy.

  79

AUDIT COMMITTEE REPORT

Committee members:

• Michael Lynch-Bell  

(Independent, Chairman)

• Anton Artemyev  
(Independent)

• Stephen Johnson  

(Independent)

The membership of the Committee 
is fully Code compliant and includes 
retail, liquidity, financial, risk 
management and geographic 
expertise. The Chairman is deemed 
to be the member with recent and 
relevant financial experience.

The Audit Committee supports the 
Board in its responsibilities with 
regard to corporate reporting and risk 
management and internal controls, and 
with maintaining a relationship with the 
Company’s auditor. The Committee’s 
activities include the review of internal 
control systems, compliance with 
financial reporting requirements 
and the scope, results and cost 
effectiveness of the external audit.

There are ten Committee meetings 
scheduled for 2017.

Dear Shareholders 
I am delighted to present the report of 
the Audit Committee. This report sets 
out the Committee’s responsibilities, 
how it discharged its duties during the 
year and the key matters that were 
discussed at our meetings.

At the heart of the Audit Committee’s 
remit is the need to provide confidence 
in the integrity of the Company’s 
processes and procedures in relation 
to internal control, risk management 
and corporate reporting. In keeping 
with our commitment to good corporate 
governance, we seek to do this in 
line with international best practice.
During 2016, the Committee reviewed 
the Company’s financial results, 
including significant financial reporting 
estimates and judgements, as well 
as the financial disclosures in the 
interim management statements. It also 
monitored the Company’s system of 
internal control and management of 
the Company’s risks and oversaw the 
relationship with the external auditor 

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
80

Corporate governance continued

and with the internal audit function. 
We reviewed the implementation 
of the recommendations of the risk 
management function review and 
received reports from the newly 
appointed risk manager. As the 
Company has made its first long-term 
viability statement in this Annual 
Report, the Committee also considered 
management’s assumptions and 
disclosures relating to it.

We are very grateful for the assistance 
of the Company’s external auditor 
Ernst & Young (‘EY’) in this capacity. 
EY contributes a further independent 
perspective on certain aspects of the 
Company’s financial control systems 
and reports both to the Audit Committee 
and directly to the Board.

Looking forward to the next 12 months, 
the Committee will continue to focus 
on the audit and assurance processes 
within the business, together with the 
monitoring of the key risks. 

Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of 
the Audit Committee encompass 
overseeing, monitoring and reviewing 
the Company’s financial reporting, 
internal control and assurance 
processes. Whilst the Committee has 
very specific duties set out in its terms 
of reference, it serves a much greater 
purpose in reassuring shareholders 
that their interests are properly 
protected in respect of the Company’s 
financial management and reporting. 
The Committee regularly reports to 
the Board on matters discussed at its 
meetings. The Board has delegated 
responsibility to the Committee for 
reviewing the Company’s procedures 
and system of internal control in 
relation to risk management, with 
a focus on the methodology used by 
Senior Management. It also oversees 
the internal and external audit 
processes that report to it.

The Chair, CEO and CFO are invited 
to attend all committee meetings. The 
Company Secretary, Head of Internal 
Audit, Chief Legal Counsel and the 
external auditor are also normally 
invited to attend Committee meetings, 
other than those that are called solely 
to approve the financial disclosures in 
the Company announcements made 
in respect of the March and September 

quarters. Other members of Senior 
Management are invited to attend to 
discuss any matters relevant to them. 
At the end of each meeting, where 
they are in attendance, the Committee 
offers both the external auditor and 
Head of Internal Audit the opportunity 
to meet with them without members 
of senior management being present.

External auditor
The Committee approved the terms 
of engagement of the external auditor, 
the fees paid to it and the scope of 
work carried out by it, and reviewed 
the performance and effectiveness 
of the external auditor in respect of 
the year ended 31 December 2016. 
Consideration was given to the 
performance, objectivity, independence, 
resources and relevant experience 
of the external auditor. In this process, 
it reviewed a report from the external 
auditor on all relationships that might 
reasonably have a bearing on its 
independence and the audit partner 
and staff’s objectivity, and the related 
safeguards and procedures. It also 
performed an annual review of the 
policies on the independence and 
objectivity of the external auditor, 
the use of the auditor for non-audit 
services and the employment of former 
employees of the external auditor. 
Following this review, the Committee 
recommended to the Board the 
re-appointment of EY as the 
Company’s external auditor.

To safeguard auditor objectivity 
and independence, the Committee 
oversees the process for the approval 
of all non-audit services provided by 
EY. Consideration is given to whether 
it is in the best interests of the Company 
that the non-audit services are 
purchased from EY.

The Committee received reports on the 
findings of the external auditor during 
its half yearly review and annual audit. 
It reviewed the recommendations made 
to management by the external auditor 
and management’s responses as well 
as the letters of representation to the 
external auditor.

Ernst & Young LLC was appointed 
as our external auditor in 2011. It is 
our policy to review its appointment 
annually and to re-tender the audit 
contract every seven years.

Ernst & Young LLC was reappointed as 
the Company’s auditor by shareholders 
at the 2016 AGM. Professional fees 
billed by Ernst & Young LLC are shown 
in the table below.

Auditor’s (Ernst & 
Young LLC) fees, 
(‘000 RUB)
Audit of 
consolidated 
financial 
statements
Consulting and 
other non-audit 
services
Total fees

2016

2015

25,186

29,565

20,725
45,911

5,699
35,264

Role of the Audit Committee
The key roles and responsibilities  
of the Audit Committee include:

•  monitoring and challenging, 

where necessary, the integrity of 
the financial statements and half 
yearly results, interim management 
statements and any other 
formal announcement relating 
to financial performance;

•  reviewing and challenging, 

where necessary, the actions and 
judgements of management, taking 
into account the views of the external 
auditor, in relation to the Company’s 
financial statements, strategic review, 
financial review, governance 
statement and half-yearly reports, 
including the going concern 
assumption and the long-term 
viability statement;

•  reviewing the Company’s internal 

controls, including financial 
controls and updated risk 
management systems;

•  reviewing the content of the 

Annual Report and Accounts 
when requested by the Board;

•  reviewing reports on changes in 

tax legislation and management’s 
proposed response;

•  reviewing the Company’s significant 

insurance arrangements;

•  reviewing the Company’s treasury 

policy;

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  81

Going concern
The Committee reviewed 
management’s adoption of the 
going concern basis of accounting. 
Management had taken into account 
the Company’s financial position, 
available borrowing facilities, loan 
covenant compliance, planned 
store opening programme and the 
anticipated cash flows and related 
expenditures from our retail stores. 
The Committee considered the position 
taken by management and, taking 
into account the external auditor’s 
review, concluded that management’s 
recommendation to prepare the 
financial statements on a going 
concern basis was appropriate.

The annual report also includes,  
for the first time, a long-term viability 
statement, which can be found 
on pages 46 to 47. The Committee 
considered the statement and 
approved management’s disclosures.

Share-based payments
The Committee reviewed the 
considerations made by management 
in relation to the accounting for 
remuneration received by certain 
employees in the form of share-based 
payments. In addition, management 
had evaluated the required disclosures 
for inclusion in the financial statements. 
Having challenged the appropriateness 
of key assumptions used by 
management, the Committee agreed 
with management’s assessment 
and disclosures.

Michael Lynch-Bell
Chairman
Audit Committee

•  reviewing the Company’s procedures 
for detecting and preventing bribery 
and fraud;

•  reviewing the Company’s compliance 

with the updated UK Corporate 
Governance Code;

•  overseeing and reviewing the 

Internal Audit function, its terms 
of reference, effectiveness, plan, 
budget and reporting;

•  reviewing the Company’s speak-up 
policy and receiving reports on 
matters raised via the speak-up 
facilities;

•  recommending the appointment of 
the external auditor and overseeing 
the relationship;

•  reviewing the terms of reference 
of the Committee, the results  
of the performance evaluation  
and the training requirements  
of Committee members;

•  reporting to the Board on how the 
Committee has discharged its 
responsibilities.

A copy of the Committee’s full terms 
of reference is available on the 
Company’s website: http://www.
lentainvestor.com/en/about/corporate-
governance/internal-policies.

The Audit Committee considered 
a number of issues during the year, 
taking into account the views of the 
Company’s management, its tax 
advisors and the external auditor.

Significant issues considered 
by the Audit Committee
The significant issues – and how they 
were addressed – are set out below.

Suppliers’ allowances
The Committee reviewed the 
accounting for and recognition of 
suppliers’ allowances received for 
the provision of services. The review 
included consideration of the types 
of allowances received, the period 
of coverage and the timing of receipt. 
Based on this review, the Committee 
is satisfied that the allowances are 
recognised in the period in which 

they are earned and that appropriate 
disclosure has been made in the 
financial statements.

Inventories and  
inventory allowances 
The Committee reviewed the 
accounting for inventories and the 
recognition of write-downs during 
the period. The review took into 
consideration the calculation of the 
cost of inventories, the identification 
of slow-moving inventories and the 
reasons why shrinkage had occurred. 
Based on this review, the Committee 
agreed with the accounting treatment 
and disclosures adopted by 
management.

Capital construction
The Committee examined the 
accounting for capital construction 
including the recognition of direct 
costs incurred, the allocation of 
directly attributable overheads and 
land lease expense. The review 
included a consideration of potential 
fraud risk, the construction tender 
process and the acquisition or leasing 
of land. The Committee agreed with the 
accounting treatment and disclosures 
adopted by management.

Business combination
The Committee considered the key 
judgements made by management 
in accounting for the acquisition of 
the K-Ruoka stores. The Committee 
agreed with the accounting treatment 
and disclosures adopted by 
management.

Ethics Committee
The Committee reviewed the work 
of the Ethics Committee; in particular 
its report on the Company hotline. 
The Audit Committee approved 
measures taken by management to 
mitigate risks of impropriety and hold 
culpable employees to account.

Taxation
The Committee received regular 
updates on tax developments in 
Russia from management and the 
Company’s advisors, together with 
management’s interpretation of the 
impact of current tax legislation on the 
Company. The Committee concurred 
with management’s judgement 
on the positions adopted and the 
related disclosures.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
82

Corporate governance continued

Remuneration

REMUNERATION COMMITTEE REPORT

The work of the Remuneration 
Committee, the interests in the 
Company’s share capital held by 
Senior Management and the 
remuneration received by the 
Chairman and the non-executive 
Directors are set out on pages 85 
to 88. The Directors’ interests in the 
Company’s share capital are set out 
on page 87.

Committee members:

• Stephen Johnson  

(Independent, Chairman)

• Michael Lynch-Bell 

(Independent)

• Anton Artemyev  
(Independent)

• John Oliver  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

• Dmitry Shvets  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

The Remuneration Committee held 
three meetings in 2016 and has five 
meetings scheduled for 2017.

The key roles and responsibilities of 
the Remuneration Committee include:

•  determining and recommending 
the broad policy for executive 
remuneration within the Group;

•  determining, on behalf of the Board, 
the remuneration of the executive 
Directors and senior management;

•  approving the design of, and 
determining targets for any 
performance-related plans;

•  making recommendations regarding 

employee equity participation 
schemes;

•  determining the policy for and scope 

of service agreements and 
termination payments.

A copy of the Committee’s full terms 
of reference is available on the 
Company’s website: http://www.
lentainvestor.com/en/about/corporate-
governance/internal-policies. 

Dear Shareholders 
2016 was another year of big 
challenges for Lenta – the challenge 
of managing the significant growth 
delivered by the business and the 
challenge of managing the business 
successfully in a difficult consumer 
and competitor environment. The 
senior management team and the 
wider management group within 
the business have remained very 
stable and committed to delivering 
its ambitious targets. Enabling 
the business to attract, retain and 
incentivise the best people remains 
central to our continuing ability to 
achieve our goals. The Remuneration 
Committee’s primary focus is to 
ensure that Lenta has a remuneration 
framework that is highly competitive 
in the markets where we compete 
for talent, designed to support the 
long-term strategy of the business 
and aligned with the interests of 
our shareholders. 

Having spent much of 2015 ensuring 
that the various elements of the 
management remuneration plans and 
policies were fit for purpose, in 2016 
we were focused on reviewing and 
monitoring the changes that we made 
to ensure that they were functioning 
as desired. So far, we are content that 
this is the case. It is in part testament 
to the robustness of Lenta’s approach 
to remuneration that we have managed 
to retain a very stable executive 
management team over the last 
four or five years in what has been 
a very challenging environment. 
The Committee is mindful of the 
need to be both active and flexible in 
keeping all aspects of the business’s 
remuneration policies under review.

The Committee continues to be active 
in gathering external views in order 
to ensure that it remains aware of 
any significant changes in the area 
of remuneration both in Russia and 
more widely across Europe. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  83

Key activities of the  
Committee in 2016
Long-Term Incentive Programme 
for Senior Management
The Board and Shareholders 
expressed concern about retention 
of the Senior Management team 
after the vesting date of the current 
Management Incentive Programme 
in 2018/19. The Remuneration 
Committee has addressed this concern 
by approving a new LTI programme 
for MIP participants that is targeted 
to assure retention of the Senior 
Management team after 2019. 
The programme operates according 
to the following rules:

•  shares are granted annually with 
a vesting period of three years;

•  the amount of shares depends 
on the job grade (percentage of 
annual salary), share price and 
individual performance evaluation 
of the manager;

•  the final amount of vesting shares 

is subject to a financial performance 
co-efficient for three years preceding 
the vesting date;

•  a manager’s eligibility to receive 
shares is conditional on his or 
her employment with Lenta and 
compliance with certain covenants, 
including confidentiality, non-
competition and non-solicitation 
covenants.

The LTIP 2016 with a vesting date 
in 2019 was approved, granting a total 
of 150,322 shares, which represents 
around 120% of the annual salary of 
this group (including Currency 
Adjustment Pay).

Corrections to MIP 
During the development of MIP 
corrections in 2015, it was concluded 
with PWC that some positions with 
MIP allocation did not deliver the 
market-level total cash reward for 
these senior managers in comparison 
to FTSE 25-75 companies. It was 
agreed to make additional allocations 
within the MIP for Herman Tinga. The 
Committee also approved a one-time 
LTIP allocation with vesting in 2018 
in the amount equivalent to one year’s 
salary to Maxim Schegolev, Sergey 
Prokofiev and Tatiana Yurkevich. 
Details are in the table on page 86.

New LTIP allocation for  
middle managers 
The Committee also approved a new 
annual long-term incentive plan with 
a vesting period of three years for 
92 key middle managers. The total 
value of this award is 82,362 shares 
and represents around 44% of this 
group’s annual salary. The allocation 
of the LTIP is linked to overall Company 
performance in the previous year and 
individual performance evaluation.

2016 Annual Bonus  
Scheme approval
The Committee approved the bonus 
KPIs, target and payout scales for 
2016. The Committee was informed 
of the change in monthly bonus 
programme for store personnel, 
which was targeted to be linked more 
to store performance than individual 
contribution. The number of KPIs for 
the monthly bonus system has reduced 
by 40%. There was no financial impact 
on overall pay. 

Salary review in comparison 
to labour market
The Committee reviewed the labour 
market situation and salary dynamics 
in Russia, based on Mercer and Hay 
surveys. Based on this data and 
the company’s experience and 
observations relating to staff turnover, 
motivation and recruitment it was 
decided not to make an overall salary 
revision, although salaries for some 
job positions were adjusted on an 
individual basis. The Committee will 
conduct a similar review to determine 
salary revisions required during 2017.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
84

Corporate governance continued

Summary of executive Directors’ remuneration policy

Principles

Opportunity

Element

Base pay

Currency 
adjustment

Base pay is reviewed annually by the Remuneration 
Committee, considering a number of factors, including:

•  Individual performance evaluation

•  Salaries in comparable roles in the same industry 

and activities scope. 

According to Russian legislation, base salaries are 
fixed in Roubles, which leads to a negative pay trend 
for executive Directors with a drop in the RUB/EUR rate. 
To maintain competitive pay levels, currency adjustment 
pay is used as decided by the Committee in 2013.

Benefits

•  Company car, for some Directors with a driver

Annual bonus

•  Medical insurance with family coverage

•  Relocation support 

•  Partial reimbursement of school fees for expatriates’ 

children attending school in Russia.

All Directors are eligible for the annual bonus scheme, 
which is a discretionary, non-contractual scheme. 
Performance is measured against quantifiable financial 
targets, which are set at the start of the year and approved 
by the Remuneration Committee.

In addition to financial targets, the bonus may be affected 
by the individual performance evaluation which may 
increase or decrease the payout.

Annual bonus is paid on the condition that a ‘threshold’ 
level of EBITDA is achieved.

Management 
incentive plan

Eight executive Directors are eligible for the share-settled 
Management Incentive Plan (MIP).

Participating managers are allocated a specified number 
of phantom shares, in relation to which their entitlement 
under the MIP is calculated.

The plan is based on share price dynamics vs. IPO price 
in RUB and is subject to a hurdle reference price.

The plan has fixed vesting periods.

A Director’s eligibility to receive shares is conditional on 
his or her employment with Lenta and compliance with 
certain covenants, including confidentiality, non-competition 
and non-solicitation covenants.

Long-term 
incentive plan

All executive Directors are eligible for the share-based 
long-term incentive plan (LTIP) as decided by the 
Remuneration Committee.

LTIP is a conditional grant of shares depending on the 
job grade, base salary share price. Shares vesting depends 
on Company performance during the three years following 
the allocation.

Vesting period is three years from the grant date.

A Director’s eligibility to receive shares is conditional on his 
or her employment with Lenta and compliance with certain 
covenants, including confidentiality, non-competition and
non-solicitation covenants.

There is no set maximum or minimum, 
it is in line with labour market trends 
and/or individual role scope changes.

Currency adjustment pay is the 
difference between individual salary 
calculated in Euro at recruitment and 
current RUB salary expressed in Euro. 
For some executive Directors, only 
partial compensation is applied.

There are maximums set for each 
compensation element depending 
on the job grade.

Total maximum annual bonus 
opportunity for each executive Director 
is 120% of annual base pay.

There is no maximum set for the MIP; 
actual reward depends on the number 
of phantom shares allocated and share 
price development.

Maximum LTIP annual value is 150% 
of annual salary; the actual amount 
varies between Directors based 
on their job grade and individual 
performance evaluation.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  85

Pay structure of CEO, CFO and all executive Directors

Chief Executive Officer (Jan Dunning)

CEO total cash reward (fixed vs. variable at target)

Maximum

26%

31%

43%

Target

28.5%

28.5%

43%

Minimum

100%

Base salary

Annual incentive

Long-term incentive (LTIP)

Fixed 

Base Salary
28.5%

Variable 

Annual incentive
28.5%
Long-term 
43%

Chief Financial Officer (Jago Lemmens)

CFO total cash reward (fixed vs. variable at target)

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Maximum

28%

34%

38%

Target

31%

31%

38%

Minimum

100%

Base salary

Annual incentive

Long-term incentive (LTIP)

Fixed 

Base Salary
31%

Variable 

Annual incentive
31%
Long-term 
38%

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Other Senior Management team members

Other Senior Management team members total cash reward 
(fixed vs. variable at target)

Maximum

28%

34%

38%

Target

31%

31%

38%

Minimum

100%

Base salary

Annual incentive

Long-term incentive (LTIP)

Fixed 

Base salary
31%

Variable 

Annual incentive
31%
Long-term 
incentive (LTIP)
38%

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
86

Corporate governance continued

Pay structure of CEO, CFO and all executive Directors continued
The key terms of each member of Senior Management’s participation in the MIP are set out below:

Manager
Jan Dunning
Jago Lemmens
Herman Tinga
  1st grant
  2nd grant
  3rd grant
Edward Doeffinger
Joern Arnhold 
Sergey Prokofiev
Maxim Shchegolev
Tatiana Yurkevich

Number  
of phantom 
shares
205,646
102,823

Base price 
 (RUB)
1,516
1,516

Hurdle  
reference price 
(RUB)
764
764

Hurdle  
reference  
date
23/09/2011
23/09/2011

Vesting period 
commencement 
date
01/04/2012
01/04/2012

102,823
35,000
42,000
102,823
85,686
35,988
35,988
35,988

1,516
1,516
2,214
1,516
1,516
1,516
1,516
1,516

1,375
1,375
1,375
764
764
1,375
1,375
1,375

01/04/2013
01/04/2013
01/04/2013
23/09/2011
23/09/2011
01/04/2013
01/04/2013
01/04/2013

01/04/2013
01/04/2014
01/04/2019
01/04/2012
01/04/2012
01/04/2013
01/04/2013
01/04/2013

On 22 April 2014, as a result of the Settlement Event upon the 2014 Offering, we granted 399 new shares, (some in the form 
of GDRs), to Senior Management under the MIP. The details of the MIP issuance, the holdings of the recipients immediately 
following the issuance, and holdings of Senior Management as of 31 December 2016 are summarised below:

Manager
Jan Dunning
Jago Lemmens
Edward Doeffinger
Joern Arnhold 
Herman Tinga
Sergey Prokofiev
Maxim Shchegolev
Tatiana Yurkevich

Number  
of phantom 
shares total
496,978
245,787
42,000

Vested 
shares
99,396
49,157

Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 2*

* Herman Tinga 2016 additional tranche.

Number of  
shares issued 
(including as GDRs)
132
66
66
55
44
12
12
12

Base 
price 
(RUB)
1,516
1,516
2,214

Hurdle 
reference 
price 
(RUB)
764
1,375
1,375

Total holding  
after issuance  
(interests in shares)
549,538 
104,697
95,557
86,497
7,044
12
12
12

Total holding  
as of Dec 31 2016 
(interest in shares)
549,538
105,737
95,557
86,497
9,204

Approximate holding  
as of Dec 31 2016  
(% of share capital)
0.56%
0.11%
0.10%
0.09%
0.01%
12 Less than 0.0001%
12 Less than 0.0001%
12 Less than 0.0001%

Vesting schedule

Hurdle 
reference  
date

2017

2018
23/09/2011 149,093 248,489
63,236 105,394
01/04/2013
01/04/2013

2019

2020

2021

10,500
21,000

21,000

17,500

The total executive Director LTIP 2016 allocation is equal to 150,322 shares, which represents around 120% of the 
annual salary of this group.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  87

Summary of non-executive Directors’ remuneration policy

Element

Principles and opportunities

Letter of 
appointment

Chairman and 
non-executive 
Director

•  The Chairman and other non-executive Directors of Lenta LLC each have a letter of appointment; 

they do not have service contracts. 

•  There is no notice period for termination.

•  Fees are reviewed periodically by the Committee taking into consideration:

 ̵ Time commitment, demands and the responsibility of the role; and

 ̵ External market practice.

•  There has been no increase in the level of fees paid to the Chairman and the non-executive 

Directors since the Company’s IPO in February 2014. The Committee and Board have agreed 
that no increase will be payable for the coming year.

Additional fees

•  Additional fees are paid for undertaking the extra responsibilities of

 ̵ Board Chairman

 ̵ Senior Independent Director

 ̵ Committee Chairman.

Other benefits

•  The Chairman and the other non-executive Directors do not participate in any of our employee 

incentive arrangements, nor do they receive any pension provision.

•  No further benefits are provided to the Chairman or non-executive Directors.

Recruitment

•  Fees for the Chairman and the other non-executive Directors are determined by the Board  

as a whole, upon the recommendation of the Remuneration Committee. 

•  Fees are set at a level sufficient to attract, motivate and retain the world-class talent necessary  

to contribute to a high-performing board.

Non-executive Directors’ Fees

Base fee for non-executive Directors
Additional fees:
Chairman
Senior Independent Director
Chairman of the Audit Committee
Chairman of the Capital Expenditure Committee
Chairman of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee
Members of the Audit and Capital Expenditure Committees
Members of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees

Interests of Directors in Lenta shares are summarised in the table below:

Name of Director
John Oliver
Stephen Johnson
Martin Elling
Michael Lynch-Bell

Amount payable  
(USD)
165,000

285,000
25,000
40,000
30,000
17,500
15,000
10,000

Total holding as of  
31 Dec 2016  
(interest in shares)
125,000
80,000
10,000
3,200

Approximate holding  
as of 31 Dec 2016  
(% of share capital)
0.13%
0.08%
0.01%
less than 0.001%

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
88

Corporate governance continued

Strategic alignment of pay
The table below shows the integration between Lenta’s financial key performance indicators and the senior remuneration 
framework for 2015/16. This clearly demonstrates a clear linkage between performance metrics, payments to Directors 
and business performance over the short and long term.

Financial objectives
Company revenue

Increase earnings and returns

KPI
Turnover

EBITDA

Increase shareholder value

Share price

Incentive scheme
Annual Bonus Scheme 
Performance coefficient 
for LTIP scheme
Annual Bonus Scheme 
Performance coefficient 
for LTIP scheme
MIP, LTIP

Non-financial objectives
Efficient operations
Sales space growth

Annual bonus scheme

KPI
Productivity 
Number of stores opened 
and in pipeline

Incentive scheme
Annual Bonus Scheme
Annual Bonus Scheme

Target bonus 
(% of base 
salary)

x

50% of
Target bonus
OEBITDA
multiplier*

x

50% of
Target bonus
Sales
multiplier

x

Individual
performance
coefficient

x

EUR/RUR 
base to 
actual rate
adjustment

=

Bonus
achieved
(as % of 
base salary)

* Trigger for Annual Bonus

In April 2016, the 2015 annual bonus award was completed, with an overall award across the Company for those participating 
in the scheme of 92% of the maximum. Functional KPIs execution was on a high level, increasing the overall payout and 
the total bonus payout coefficient was higher than in 2014. The Committee and the Board felt that this accurately reflected 
the significant progress that the business made during 2015 despite the challenging external environment.

Within this overall award, the Senior Management team was awarded annual bonuses averaging 92% of the maximum, 
with the CEO achieving 97.6%. The Committee also agreed the annual bonus targets for 2016, providing for similarly 
stretching performance.

Stephen Johnson
Chairman
Remuneration Committee

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  89

We considered, reviewed and made 
recommendations to the Board on the 
Company’s investment strategy, policy 
and risk management. We continued 
to improve the new form of investment 
proposal (‘IP’) with even higher 
standards to ensure the best overview 
and forecasts against the backdrop 
of the very large number of promising 
new store IPs that the expansion teams 
developed in 2016. We also worked 
together with management on improving 
the efficiency of the existing stores and 
maintaining their strict compliance with 
all applicable regulations.

The Capital Expenditure Committee 
also worked closely with management 
in reviewing potential acquisition 
opportunities. This cooperation 
enabled the smooth acquisition and 
integration of the new assets of Kesko.

We continued to refine the post-IP 
evaluation procedures to make sure 
that the capital expenditure process 
is in line with the Company strategy – 
and that the results are in line with our 
return requirements and high corporate 
standards. Post-IP evaluation continues 
to be refined to ensure future outcomes 
remain in line with our expectations. 
We also ensure that any lessons 
learned are applied in future store 
and other investment projects.

We also paid close attention to stores 
with weaker relative performance 
opened in previous years to ensure any 
specific lessons learned can be taken 
into account when reviewing, opening 
and operating new stores in the future.

Dmitry Shvets
Chairman
Capital Expenditure Committee

Dear Shareholders 
2016 was another successful year 
for Lenta as it further accelerated its 
expansion – opening 41 hypermarkets 
(adding 40 hypermarkets net, as one 
was closed) and 17 supermarkets in 
Russia. We also completed a purchase 
of 11 well-located stores from Kesko 
which represented an excellent 
strategic fit for Lenta in the North-West 
region. This meant a lot of work for 
the Capital Expenditure Committee. 
In a growing economy, with the 
environment providing tailwinds for 
the business, our job would have 
been a very busy one. But with 
Russia’s current financial uncertainties, 
a more stringent focus on how these 
could impact the business – and 
consequently any future capital 
expenditure planning – was required.

In a more challenging economic 
environment, the Committee applied 
a particularly keen focus on balancing 
the expenditure for land purchases 
and the construction and fitting-out 
of stores that will continue to feed 
Lenta’s future growth plans with 
our commitment to deliver value 
for shareholders.

We will, as usual, be reviewing 
all opportunities as they present 
themselves. However, the Board and 
Senior Management agree that, in the 
present circumstances, it is particularly 
important to maintain an appropriate 
balance of prudent leverage levels, 
whilst also pursuing high growth 
and high investment project returns. 
We are confident of being able to 
continue to do so.

Activities during the year
During 2016, the Capital Expenditure 
Committee focused on a number 
of issues on behalf of the Board. 
We considered more than 160 new 
investment proposals including new 
store projects and acquisitions (where 
investment proposals included more 
than one store), as well as supply 
chain and vertical integration projects.

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE  
COMMITTEE REPORT

Committee members:

• Dmitry Shvets 

(Major Shareholder nominee, 
Chairman)

• Stephen Johnson  

(Independent)

• John Oliver  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

• Martin Elling  

(Major Shareholder nominee)

There are 12 Committee meetings 
scheduled for 2017; this number may 
be increased as necessary.

The key roles and responsibilities of the 
Capital Expenditure Committee include:

•  advising the Board with regard to 
the overall capital expenditure 
strategy of the Group;

•  reviewing the Company’s processes 
for approving capital expenditure 
projects;

•  setting the limits of authority for 

capex-related decisions;

•  reviewing and approving all capex 

and M&A projects within the 
Committee’s limits of authority;

•  reviewing and making 

recommendations on how the 
overall capex plan aligns with the 
Company’s strategy;

•  endeavouring to ensure that 

improvement programmes relating 
to the design, construction and 
operation of new stores are defined 
and implemented in cooperation 
with management;

•  monitoring capex projects’ returns 
and making adjustments to the 
capex processes to reflect the 
lessons learned.

A copy of the Committee’s full terms 
of reference is available on the 
Company’s website: http://www.
lentainvestor.com/en/about/corporate-
governance/internal-policies.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
90

Corporate governance continued

RELATIONS WITH SHAREHOLDERS
We are committed to conducting 
constructive dialogue with shareholders 
to ensure that we understand what is 
important to them and enable clear 
communication of our position. The 
Chairman, CEO and CFO hold regular 
meetings with shareholders and update 
the Board on the outcomes of those 
meetings. Investor Relations keeps 
the Board informed of investor, broker 
and analyst views, and reports and 
presents formally to the Board at each 
scheduled Board meeting.

We support engagement with 
institutional shareholders as envisaged 
by the Stewardship Code and have 
a dedicated investor relations website.

RESPONSIBILITY STATEMENT
We, members of the Board, confirm 
that, to the best of our knowledge:

At our AGM, all resolutions are 
proposed and voted upon individually 
by shareholders or their proxies. All 
votes taken during the AGM are by 
way of a poll. This follows best practice 
guidelines and allows the Company 
to count all votes, not just those of 
shareholders attending the meeting.

The consolidated financial statements, 
prepared in accordance with IFRS, 
give a true and fair view of the assets, 
liabilities, financial position and 
profit and loss of Lenta Ltd and its 
subsidiaries taken as a whole. This 
annual report includes a fair review 
of the development and performance 
of the business and the position of 
Lenta Ltd and its subsidiaries, taken 
as a whole, together with a description 
of the principal risks and uncertainties 
that they face.

By order of the Board.

John Oliver
Chairman, Lenta Ltd
28 April 2017

Schedule of investor calls in 2016
January
February
April
July
August
October

28
18
27
21
25
20

Thursday
Thursday
Wednesday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday

Schedule of investor calls in 2017
January
February
April
July
August
October

26
16
20
20
30
19

Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Thursday
Wednesday
Thursday

5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time

5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time
5–6pm Moscow time

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  91

FINANCIAL  
STATEMENTS

92 

 Statement of management’s responsibilities 
for the preparation and approval of the 
consolidated financial statements
Independent auditors’ report

93 
96  Consolidated statement of financial position 
 Consolidated statement of profit or loss  
97 
and other comprehensive income
98  Consolidated statement of cash flows
99  Consolidated statement of changes in equity
100  Notes to the consolidated financial statements

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
92

Statement of management’s responsibilities for the preparation  
and approval of the consolidated financial statements 
for the year ended 31 December 2016

The following statement is made with a view to the respective 
responsibilities of management in relation to the consolidated 
financial statements of Lenta Limited and its subsidiaries 
(“the Group”).

•  Maintaining statutory accounting records in compliance 
with local legislation and accounting standards in the 
respective jurisdictions in which the Group operates;

•  Taking such steps as are reasonably available to them 

to safeguard the assets of the Group; and

•  Preventing and detecting fraud and other irregularities.

The consolidated financial statements of the Group for 
the year ended 31 December 2016 were approved by 
management on 15 February 2017.

On behalf of the Management as authorised by the  
Board of Directors.

Jan Dunning
CEO of Lenta Ltd

Jago Lemmens
CFO of Lenta Ltd

Management is responsible for the preparation of these 
consolidated financial statements that present fairly the 
financial position of Lenta Limited and its subsidiaries 
(“the Group”) as at 31 December 2016 and the results 
of its operations, cash flows and changes in shareholders’ 
equity for the year then ended, in compliance with 
International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”).

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, 
management is responsible for:

•  Selecting and applying accounting policies;

•  Presenting information, including accounting policies, 

in a manner that provides relevant, reliable, comparable 
and understandable information;

•  Providing additional disclosures when compliance with the 
specific requirements of IFRSs are insufficient to enable 
users to understand the impact of particular transactions, 
other events and conditions on the Group’s consolidated 
financial position and financial performance;

•  Making an assessment of the Group’s ability to continue 

as a going concern.

Management is also responsible for:

•  Designing, implementing and maintaining an effective and 
sound system of internal controls throughout the Group;

•  Maintaining adequate accounting records that are 

sufficient to show and explain the Group’s transactions 
and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the 
consolidated financial position of the Group, and which 
enable them to ensure that the consolidated financial 
statements of the Group comply with IFRS;

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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Independent auditor’s report
To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of Lenta Limited

Opinion
We have audited the consolidated financial statements 
of Lenta Limited and its subsidiaries (the Group), 
which comprise the consolidated statement of financial 
position as at 31 December 2016, and the consolidated 
statement of profit and loss and other comprehensive 
income, consolidated statement of changes in equity and 
consolidated statement of cash flows for the year then 
ended, and notes to the consolidated financial statements, 
including a summary of significant accounting policies.

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated financial 
statements present fairly, in all material respects, the 
financial position of the Group as at 31 December 2016 
and its financial performance and its cash flows for the 
year then ended in accordance with International Financial 
Reporting Standards.

Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International 
Standards on Auditing (ISAs). Our responsibilities under 
those standards are further described in the Auditor’s 
responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated financial 
statements section of our report. We are independent of the 
Group in accordance with the International Ethics Standards 
Board for Accountants’ Code of Ethics for Professional 
Accountants (IESBA Code), and we have fulfilled our other 
ethical responsibilities in accordance with the IESBA Code. 
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is 
sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Key audit matters
Key audit matters are those matters that, in our professional 
judgment, were of most significance in our audit of the 
consolidated financial statements of the current period. 
These matters were addressed in the context of our 
audit of the consolidated financial statements as a whole, 
and in forming our opinion thereon, and we do not provide 
a separate opinion on these matters. For each matter below, 
our description of how our audit addressed the matter is 
provided in that context.

We have fulfilled the responsibilities described in the 
Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the consolidated 
financial statements section of our report, including in 
relation to these matters. Accordingly, our audit included 
the performance of procedures designed to respond to 
our assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the 
consolidated financial statements. The results of our audit 
procedures, including the procedures performed to address 
the matters below, provide the basis for our audit opinion 
on the accompanying consolidated financial statements. 

Capitalisation of construction costs
The Group incurs significant expenditures related to 
the construction of new retail stores, a part of which was 
capitalised under IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment. 
Capitalisation of construction costs was a matter of most 
significance in our audit because the balance of property, 

  93

plant and equipment as of 31 December 2016 is significant 
to the consolidated financial statements. Information in 
respect of the balance of property, plant and equipment as of 
31 December 2016 and additions for the year then ended is 
disclosed in Note 9 to the consolidated financial statements. 

We obtained understanding of the Group’s capitalisation 
policy and tested controls over authorisation, timeliness 
and accuracy of recording of property, plant and equipment 
additions. We compared the Group’s investment budget with 
actual capital expenditures. On a sample basis we tested 
capital expenditures to supporting documents. We analysed 
aging of assets under construction.

Recognition of suppliers’ allowances
The Group receives various types of allowances from 
suppliers in connection with the purchase of goods for 
resale in the form of volume discounts and other payments. 
The recognition of allowances was a matter of most 
significance in our audit because of its material impact 
on trade and other receivables, cost of goods sold and 
inventories. In addition, management exercises judgement 
in determining the period over which these allowances 
should be recognised considering the nature and the level 
of fulfilment of the Group’s obligations and estimates of 
purchase volumes. Information about suppliers’ rebates 
receivable and accounts receivable on suppliers’ advertising 
as of 31 December 2016 is disclosed in Note 14 to the 
consolidated financial statements.

We understood and tested the design and operating 
effectiveness of internal controls over the recognition 
of allowances from suppliers. We agreed performance 
obligations to supporting documents approved by 
individual suppliers. We analysed the assumptions 
underlying management estimates of amounts receivable. 
On a sample basis we received direct confirmations 
of outstanding balances from suppliers. We agreed the 
balances of suppliers’ allowances receivables to the post 
year-end cash settlements.

Other information included in the Group’s  
2016 annual report 
Other information consists of the information included in 
the Annual report, other than the consolidated financial 
statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Management 
is responsible for the other information. The Group’s 
2016 Annual report is expected to be made available 
to us after the date of this auditor’s report.

Our opinion on the consolidated financial statements does 
not cover the other information and we do not express any 
form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the consolidated financial 
statements, our responsibility is to read the other information 
identified above when it becomes available and, in doing so, 
consider whether the other information is materially 
inconsistent with the consolidated financial statements or 
our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears 
to be materially misstated.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
94

Independent auditor’s report (continued)

Responsibilities of management and Board 
of Directors for the financial statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair 
presentation of the consolidated financial statements 
in accordance with IFRSs, and for such internal control 
as management determines is necessary to enable the 
preparation of consolidated financial statements that are free 
from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the consolidated financial statements, 
management is responsible for assessing the Group’s 
ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as 
applicable, matters related to going concern and using the 
going concern basis of accounting unless management 
either intends to liquidate the Group or to cease operations, 
or has no realistic alternative but to do so.

Board of Directors is responsible for overseeing the Group’s 
financial reporting process.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the 
consolidated financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether the consolidated financial statements as a whole 
are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud 
or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our 
opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, 
but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance 
with ISAs will always detect a material misstatement when it 
exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are 
considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they 
could reasonably be expected to influence the economic 
decisions of users taken on the basis of these consolidated 
financial statements.

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs, we exercise 
professional judgment and maintain professional skepticism 
throughout the audit. We also:

•  Identify and assess the risks of material misstatement 
of the consolidated financial statements, whether due 
to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures 
responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that 
is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our 
opinion. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement 
resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from 
error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional 
omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of 
internal control.

•  Obtain an understanding of internal control relevant to 
the audit in order to design audit procedures that are 
appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose 
of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the 
Group’s internal control.

•  Evaluate the appropriateness of accounting policies used 
and the reasonableness of accounting estimates and 
related disclosures made by management.

•  Conclude on the appropriateness of management’s use of 
the going concern basis of accounting and, based on the 
audit evidence obtained, whether a material uncertainty 
exists related to events or conditions that may cast 
significant doubt on the Group’s ability to continue as a 
going concern. If we conclude that a material uncertainty 
exists, we are required to draw attention in our auditor’s 
report to the related disclosures in the consolidated 
financial statements or, if such disclosures are inadequate, 
to modify our opinion. Our conclusions are based on the 
audit evidence obtained up to the date of our auditor’s 
report. However, future events or conditions may cause 
the Group to cease to continue as a going concern.

•  Evaluate the overall presentation, structure and content 
of the consolidated financial statements, including the 
disclosures, and whether the consolidated financial 
statements represent the underlying transactions and 
events in a manner that achieves fair presentation.

•  Obtain sufficient appropriate audit evidence regarding the 
financial information of the entities or business activities 
within the Group to express an opinion on the consolidated 
financial statements. We are responsible for the direction, 
supervision and performance of the group audit. We remain 
solely responsible for our audit opinion. 

We communicate with Board of Directors regarding, 
among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the 
audit and significant audit findings, including any significant 
deficiencies in internal control that we identify during 
our audit.

We also provide Board of Directors with a statement that 
we have complied with relevant ethical requirements 
regarding independence, and to communicate with them 
all relationships and other matters that may reasonably be 
thought to bear on our independence, and where applicable, 
related safeguards.

From the matters communicated with Board of Directors, 
we determine those matters that were of most significance 
in the audit of the consolidated financial statements of the 
current period and are therefore the key audit matters. 
We describe these matters in our auditor’s report unless law 
or regulation precludes public disclosure about the matter 
or when, in extremely rare circumstances, we determine that 
a matter should not be communicated in our report because 
the adverse consequences of doing so would reasonably 
be expected to outweigh the public interest benefits of 
such communication.

The partner in charge of the audit resulting in this 
independent auditor’s report is Ilya Ananyev.

Ilya Ananyev
Partner 
Ernst & Young LLC

15 February 2017

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  95

Details of the audited entity
Name: Lenta Ltd
Registered 16 July 2003
Address: Road Town, Tortola, BVI

Details of the auditor
Name: Ernst & Young LLC
Record made in the State Register of Legal Entities 
on 5 December 2002, State Registration Number 
1027739707203. 
Address: Russia 115035, Moscow, Sadovnicheskaya 
naberezhnaya, 77, building 1.
Ernst & Young LLC is a member of Self-regulated 
organization of auditors “Russian Union of auditors” 
(Association) (“SRO RUA”). Ernst & Young LLC is included 
in the control copy of the register of auditors and audit 
organizations, main registration number 11603050648. 

Ernst & Young LLC 
Sadovnicheskaya Nab., 77, bld. 1 
Moscow, 115035, Russia 
Tel:   +7 (495) 705 9700  

+7 (495) 755 9700
Fax:  +7 (495) 755 9701 
www.ey.com/ru

ООО «Эрнст энд Янг» 
Россия, 115035, Москва 
Садовническая наб., 77, стр. 1 
Тел.:   +7 (495) 705 9700 
+7 (495) 755 9700
Факс: +7 (495) 755 9701 
ОКПО: 59002827

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96

Consolidated statement of financial position
as at 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

Assets
Non-current assets:
Property, plant and equipment
Prepayments for construction
Leasehold rights
Intangible assets other than leasehold rights
Long-term portion of cash flow hedging instruments
Deferred tax asset
Other non-current assets 
Total non-current assets

Current assets:
Inventories
Trade and other receivable
Advances paid
Taxes recoverable
Advance payments for income tax
Prepaid expenses
Short-term portion of cash flow hedging instruments
Cash and cash equivalents
Total current assets
Total assets

Equity and liabilities
Equity
Share capital
Additional paid-in capital
Share options
Hedging reserve
Retained earnings
Total equity

Liabilities
Non-current liabilities:
Long-term borrowings
Deferred tax liabilities
Long-term portion of cash flow hedging instruments
Total non-current liabilities

Current liabilities:
Trade and other payables
Advances received
Other taxes payable
Current income tax payable
Short-term portion of cash flow hedging instruments
Short-term borrowings and short-term portion of long-term borrowings
Short-term obligations under finance leases
Total current liabilities 
Total liabilities
Total equity and liabilities

Note

31 December
 2016

31 December 
2015

9
10
11
12
31
22

13
14
15
16

31
17

147,812,289
7,741,743
3,744,009
1,890,176
62,618
123,508
199,131
161,573,474

27,490,941
17,035,789
2,669,761
3,920,940
–
131,932
309,592
13,037,767
64,596,722
226,170,196

104,016,458
6,528,355
3,047,168
1,092,329
355,414
–
–
115,039,724

22,781,732
13,646,894
2,264,911
1,257,764
288,119
217,711
439,050
22,455,945
63,352,126
178,391,850

18, 20
18
28
18

284
26,216,147
668,200
431,570
31,052,910
58,369,111

284
26,216,147
338,016
724,642
19,850,882
47,129,971

21
22
31

23

24

31
21

66,955,931
7,359,998
2,137
74,318,066

65,149,097
5,229,804
24,564
70,403,465

56,171,598
340,062
1,111,306
568,345
46,588
35,245,120
–
93,483,019
167,801,085
226,170,196

48,820,207
219,705
927,084
–
99,564
10,773,277
18,577
60,858,414
131,261,879
178,391,850

The accompanying notes on pages 100 to 140 are an integral part of these financial statements.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
Consolidated statement of profit or loss  
and other comprehensive income 
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

Sales
Cost of sales
Gross profit

Selling, general and administrative expenses
Other operating income
Other operating expense
Operating profit

Interest expense
Interest income
Ineffective portion of change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments
Foreign exchange gains/(losses)
Profit before income tax

Income tax expense
Profit for the year

Other comprehensive income
Other comprehensive income to be reclassified to profit or loss  

in subsequent periods

Net loss from cash flow hedges
Income tax relating to the components of OCI
Other comprehensive loss for the year, net of tax
Total comprehensive income for the year, net of tax

  97

Note

25

26
27
27

31

22

19
22

Year ended
31 December
 2016
306,352,092
(238,584,029)
67,768,063

Year ended
31 December 
2015
252,763,075
(196,457,910)
56,305,165

(46,442,510)
3,086,079
(716,375)
23,695,257

(10,084,573)
851,813
–
90,751
14,553,248

(36,044,771)
2,584,310
(512,533)
22,332,171

(10,044,858)
767,905
6,308
(189,423)
12,872,103

(3,351,220)
11,202,028

(2,584,010)
10,288,093

(366,340)
73,268
(293,072)
10,908,956

(2,326,519)
465,304
(1,861,215)
8,426,878

Earnings per share (in thousands of Russian roubles per share) (Note 20)
– basic and diluted, for profit for the year attributable to equity holders of the parent

0.115

0.112

The accompanying notes on pages 100 to 140 are an integral part of these financial statements.

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98

Consolidated statement of cash flows 
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

Cash flows from operating activities
Profit before income tax

Adjustments for:
Net loss on disposal of property, plant and equipment
Net loss on disposal of intangible assets
Net loss on disposal of leasehold rights
Interest expense
Interest income
Inventory write-down/(reversal of write-down) to NRV
Change in bad debt allowance and impairment of advances and prepayments for 

construction

Depreciation and amortisation
Share options expense
Ineffective portion of change in fair value of cash flow hedging instruments

Movements in working capital
Increase in trade and other receivables
(Increase)/decrease in advances paid
Increase in prepaid expenses
Increase in inventories
Increase in trade and other payables
Increase in advances received
(Decrease)/increase in net other taxes payable
Cash from operating activities

Income taxes paid
Interest received
Interest paid
Net cash generated from operating activities

Cash flows from investing activities
Purchases of property, plant and equipment
Acquisition of subsidiaries, net of cash acquired
Purchases of intangible assets other than leasehold rights
Purchases of leasehold rights
Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment
Net cash used in investing activities

Cash flows from financing activities
Proceeds from borrowings
Repayments of borrowings
Repayments of obligations under financial lease
Proceeds from issue of new shares
Payment of loan commission
Net cash generated from financing activities

Year ended
31 December
 2016

Year ended
31 December 
2015

Note

14,553,248

12,872,103

13
10, 14, 
27
9, 26
28
31

15

13
23

16, 24

262,048
–
1,279
10,084,573
(851,813)
325,443

178,504
7,694,569
330,184
–
32,578,035

(3,399,994)
(406,727)
(33,427)
(4,821,288)
5,159,820
115,017
(1,281,209)
27,910,227

(289,411)
942,997
(8,845,027)
19,718,786

53,596
6,486
59,235
10,044,858
(767,905)
(38,710)

194,665
5,686,264
184,124
(6,308)
28,288,408

(2,120,455)
486,213
(52,232)
(3,113,641)
1,228,784
5,754
1,187,747
25,910,578

(896,352)
656,052
(9,745,887)
15,924,391

(41,688,957)
(11,100,481)
(1,088,745)
(630,989)
251,937
(54,257,235)

(30,434,839)
–
(486,224)
(557,827)
109,264
(31,369,626)

65,422,079
(40,283,231)
(18,577)
–
–
25,120,271

89,717,940
(85,565,000)
(16,888)
21,788,593
(59,250)
25,865,395

18

Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents

(9,418,178)

10,420,160

Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period

17
17

22,455,945
13,037,767

12,035,785
22,455,945

The accompanying notes on pages 100 to 140 are an integral part of these financial statements.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
Consolidated statement of changes in equity 
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

  99

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Balance at 1 January 2016
Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Total comprehensive income/(loss)

Share-based payments (Note 28)
Balance at 31 December 2016

Balance at 1 January 2015
Profit for the period
Other comprehensive income/(loss)
Total comprehensive income/(loss)

Share-based payments (Note 28)
Issue of shares (Note 18, 28)
Balance at 31 December 2015

Share 
capital
284
–
–
–

Additional 
paid-in capital
26,216,147
–
–
–

Hedging
reserve
724,642
–
(293,072)
(293,072)

Share options
 reserve
338,016
–
–
–

Retained
 earnings 
19,850,882
11,202,028
–
11,202,028

Total
equity
47,129,971
11,202,028
(293,072)
10,908,956

–
284

284
–
–
–

–
–
284

–
26,216,147

–
431,570

330,184
668,200

–
31,052,910

330,184
58,369,111

4,427,554
–
–
–

2,585,857
–
(1,861,215)
(1,861,215)

153,892
–
–
–

9,562,789
10,288,093
–
10,288,093

16,730,376
10,288,093
(1,861,215)
8,426,878

–
21,788,593
26,216,147

–
–
724,642

184,124
–
338,016

–
–
19,850,882

184,124
21,788,593
47,129,971

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Notes
Additional paid-in capital: Additional paid-in capital is the difference between the fair value of consideration received 
and nominal value of the issued shares.

The accompanying notes on pages 100 to 140 are an integral part of these financial statements.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
100

Notes to the consolidated financial statements
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

1.  THE LENTA GROUP AND ITS OPERATIONS
The Lenta Group (the “Group”) comprises Lenta Limited 
(“the Company”) and its subsidiaries. The Group’s principal 
business activity is the development and operation of 
hypermarket and supermarket stores in Russia.

The Company was incorporated as a company limited by 
shares under the laws of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) on 
16 July 2003. The Company’s registered address is at Road 
Town, Tortola, BVI. The registered office of the Group’s main 
operating entity, Lenta LLC, is located at 112, Savushkina 
Street, 197374, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Starting from March 2014 the Company’s shares were listed 
on the London Stock Exchange and Moscow Exchange 
in the form of Global Depositary Receipts (GDR). In 2015 
two more public offerings took place at the London Stock 
Exchange and Moscow Exchange in the form of GDRs.

At 31 December 2015 and 2016 the Group has one main 
operational fully owned subsidiary, Lenta LLC, a legal 
entity registered under the laws of the Russian Federation. 
The principal activity of Lenta LLC is retail trade. Other 
subsidiaries including newly acquired (see Note 7) are 
property or investment holding companies by its nature. 

Accordingly, management is satisfied that it is appropriate 
to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing 
the consolidated financial information for these consolidated 
financial statements.

At 31 December 2016, the Group had net current liabilities 
of RUB 28,886,297 thousand (net current assets at 
31 December 2015: 2,493,712 thousand). 

Unused credit facilities available as of 31 December 2016 
were RUB 44,150,000 thousand. Management believes 
that operating cash flows and available borrowing capacity 
will provide it adequate resources to fund its liabilities for 
the next year.

2.2 Basis of consolidation
The consolidated financial statements incorporate 
the financial statements of the Company and other 
entities controlled by the Company (its subsidiaries) 
as at 31 December 2016. Control is achieved when the 
Group is exposed, or has rights, to variable returns from 
its involvement with the investee and has the ability to 
affect those returns through its power over the investee.
Specifically, the Group controls an investee if and only 
if the Group has:

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 

ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Statement of compliance 
These consolidated financial statements have been prepared 
in accordance with International Financial Reporting 
Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting 
Standards Board (IASB).

•  Power over the investee (i.e. existing rights that give it the 
current ability to direct the relevant activities of the investee);

•  Exposure, or rights, to variable returns from its involvement 

with the investee; and

•  The ability to use its power over the investee to affect 

its returns.

2.1  Basis of preparation
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared 
on a historical cost basis, except for as described in 
accounting policies below. The consolidated financial 
statements are presented in Russian roubles and all values 
are rounded to the nearest thousand (RUB 000), except 
when otherwise indicated.

The principal accounting policies applied in the preparation 
of these consolidated financial statements are set out below. 
These policies have been consistently applied to all the 
periods presented unless otherwise stated.

Management has considered the Group’s cash flow 
forecasts for the period ending 31 March 2018, which take 
into account the current and expected economic situation 
in Russia, the Group’s financial position, available borrowing 
facilities, and loan covenant compliance, planned store 
opening program and the anticipated cash flows and related 
expenditures from retail stores.

Generally, there is a presumption that a majority of voting 
rights result in control. To support this presumption and when 
the Group has less than a majority of the voting or similar 
rights of an investee, the Group considers all relevant facts 
and circumstances in assessing whether it has power over 
an investee, including:

•  The contractual arrangement with the other vote holders 

of the investee;

•  Rights arising from other contractual arrangements;

•  The Group’s voting rights and potential voting rights.

The Group reassesses whether or not it controls an 
investee if facts and circumstances indicate that there are 
changes to one or more of the three elements of control. 
Consolidation of a subsidiary begins when the Group obtains 
control over the subsidiary and ceases when the Group 
loses control of the subsidiary. Assets, liabilities, income 
and expenses of a subsidiary acquired or disposed of during 
the year are included in the statement of comprehensive 
income from the date the Group gains control until the date 
the Group ceases to control the subsidiary.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  101

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.2 Basis of consolidation (continued)
Profit or loss and each component of other comprehensive 
income (OCI) are attributed to the equity holders of the 
parent of the Group and to the non-controlling interests, 
even if this results in the non-controlling interests having 
a deficit balance. When necessary, adjustments are made 
to the financial statements of subsidiaries to bring their 
accounting policies into line with the Group’s accounting 
policies. All intra-group assets and liabilities, equity, income, 
expenses and cash flows relating to transactions between 
members of the Group are eliminated in full on consolidation.

A change in the ownership interest of a subsidiary, without 
a loss of control, is accounted for as an equity transaction. 
If the Group loses control over a subsidiary, it derecognises 
the related assets (including goodwill), liabilities, non-
controlling interest and other components of equity while 
any resultant gain or loss is recognised in profit or loss. 
Any investment retained is recognised at fair value.

Subsidiaries are those companies (including special 
purpose entities) in which the Group, directly or indirectly, 
has an interest of more than one half of the voting rights or 
otherwise has power to govern the financial and operating 
policies so as to obtain economic benefits and which are 
neither associates nor joint ventures. The existence and 
effect of potential voting rights that are presently exercisable 
or presently convertible are considered when assessing 
whether the Group controls another entity. Subsidiaries are 
consolidated from the date on which control is transferred 
to the Group (acquisition date) and are deconsolidated from 
the date that control ceases.

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies
Business combinations and goodwill
Business combinations are accounted for using the 
acquisition method. The cost of an acquisition is measured 
as the aggregate of the consideration transferred measured 
at acquisition date fair value and the amount of any non-
controlling interest in the acquiree. For each business 
combination, the Group elects whether to measure the 
non-controlling interest in the acquiree at fair value or at the 
proportionate share of the acquiree’s identifiable net assets. 
Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred and 
included in administrative expenses.

When the Group acquires a business, it assesses the 
financial assets and liabilities assumed for appropriate 
classification and designation in accordance with the 
contractual terms, economic circumstances and pertinent 
conditions as at the acquisition date. This includes the 
separation of embedded derivatives in host contracts 
by the acquiree.

If the business combination is achieved in stages, 
the previously held equity interest is remeasured at its 
acquisition date fair value and any resulting gain or loss 
is recognised in profit or loss.

Any contingent consideration to be transferred by the 
acquirer will be recognised at fair value at the acquisition 
date. Subsequently contingent consideration classified as 
an asset or liability is measured at fair value with changes 
in fair value recognised either in profit or loss. Contingent 
consideration that is classified as equity is not remeasured 
and subsequent settlement is accounted for within equity.

Goodwill is initially measured at cost, being the excess 
of the aggregate of the consideration transferred and the 
amount recognised for non-controlling interest over the 
net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed.

If the fair value of the net assets acquired is in excess of the 
aggregate consideration transferred, the gain is recognised 
in profit or loss.

After initial recognition, goodwill is measured at cost 
less any accumulated impairment losses. For the purpose 
of impairment testing, goodwill acquired in a business 
combination is, from the acquisition date, allocated to 
each of the Group’s cash-generating units that are expected 
to benefit from the combination, irrespective of whether 
other assets or liabilities of the acquiree are assigned 
to those units.

Where goodwill has been allocated to a cash-generating unit 
and part of the operation within that unit is disposed of, the 
goodwill associated with the disposed operation is included 
in the carrying amount of the operation when determining 
the gain or loss from disposal. Goodwill disposed in these 
circumstances is measured based on the relative values 
of the disposed operation and the portion of the cash-
generating unit retained.

Current versus non-current classification
The Group presents assets and liabilities in statement of 
financial position based on current/non-current classification. 
An asset is current when it is:

•  Expected to be realised or intended to sold or consumed 

in normal operating cycle;

•  Held primarily for the purpose of trading;

•  Expected to be realised within twelve months after the 

reporting period; or

•  Cash or cash equivalent unless restricted from being 

exchanged or used to settle a liability for at least twelve 
months after the reporting period.

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102

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
All other assets are classified as non-current. A liability 
is current when:

•  It is expected to be settled in normal operating cycle;

•  It is held primarily for the purpose of trading;

The Group uses valuation techniques that are appropriate 
in the circumstances and for which sufficient data are 
available to measure fair value, maximising the use 
of relevant observable inputs and minimising the use 
of unobservable inputs.

All assets and liabilities for which fair value is measured 
or disclosed in the financial statements are categorised 
within the fair value hierarchy, described as follows, based 
on the lowest level input that is significant to the fair value 
measurement as a whole:

•  It is due to be settled within twelve months after the 

reporting period; or

•  Level 1 – quoted (unadjusted) market prices in active 

markets for identical assets or liabilities.

•  There is no unconditional right to defer the settlement 

of the liability for at least twelve months after the 
reporting period.

•  Level 2 – valuation techniques for which the lowest level 
input that is significant to the fair value measurement is 
directly or indirectly observable.

The Group classifies all other liabilities as non-current.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are classified as non-
current assets and liabilities.

Fair value measurement
The Group measures financial instruments, such as 
derivatives at fair value at each balance sheet date. Also, 
fair values of financial instruments measured at amortised 
cost are disclosed in Note 30.

Fair value is the price that would be received to sell an 
asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction 
between market participants at the measurement date. 
The fair value measurement is based on the presumption 
that the transaction to sell the asset or transfer the liability 
takes place either:

•  In the principal market for the asset or liability; or

•  In the absence of a principal market, in the most 
advantageous market for the asset or liability.

The principal or the most advantageous market must be 
accessible to by the Group.

The fair value of an asset or a liability is measured using the 
assumptions that market participants would use when pricing 
the asset or liability, assuming that market participants act 
in their economic best interest.

A fair value measurement of a non-financial asset takes into 
account a market participant’s ability to generate economic 
benefits by using the asset in its highest and best use or by 
selling it to another market participant that would use the 
asset in its highest and best use.

•  Level 3 – valuation techniques for which the lowest level 
input that is significant to the fair value measurement 
is unobservable.

For assets and liabilities that are recognised in the 
financial statements on a recurring basis, the Group 
determines whether transfers have occurred between 
Levels in the hierarchy by reassessing categorisation 
(based on the lowest level input that is significant to the 
fair value measurement as a whole) at the end of each 
reporting period.

For the purpose of fair value disclosures, the Group has 
determined classes of assets and liabilities on the basis of 
the nature, characteristics and risks of the asset or liability 
and the level of the fair value hierarchy as explained above.

Functional and presentation currency
The presentation and functional currency of all Group entities 
is the Russian rouble (“RUB”), the national currency of the 
Russian Federation, the primary economic environment 
in which operating entities function. 

Transactions in foreign currencies are initially recorded by 
the Group’s entities at the functional currency spot rates 
at the date the transaction first qualifies for recognition.

Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign 
currencies are translated at the functional currency spot 
rates of exchange at the reporting date. Differences 
arising on settlement or translation of monetary items 
are recognised in profit or loss.

Non-monetary items that are measured in terms of historical 
cost in a foreign currency are translated using the exchange 
rates at the dates of the initial transactions. Non-monetary 
items measured at fair value in a foreign currency are 
translated using the exchange rates at the date when 
the fair value is determined. The gain or loss arising on 
translation of non-monetary items measured at fair value 
is treated in line with the recognition of gain or loss from 
change in fair value of the item.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  103

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
Property, plant and equipment
Property, plant and equipment are initially recorded at 
purchase or construction cost. Cost of replacing major parts 
or components of property, plant and equipment items is 
capitalised and the replaced part is retired. All other repair 
and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, net of 
accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment 
losses, if any.

Gains and losses on disposals determined by comparing 
net proceeds with the respective carrying amount are 
recognised in profit or loss.

Construction in progress comprises costs directly related to 
the construction of property, plant and equipment including 
an appropriate allocation of directly attributable variable 
overheads that are incurred in construction. Depreciation 
of an asset begins when it is available for use, i.e. when it 
is in the location and condition necessary for it to be capable 
of operating in the manner intended by management. 
Construction in progress is reviewed regularly to determine 
whether its carrying value is recoverable and whether 
appropriate impairment loss has been recognised.

Properties in the course of construction for production, 
rental or administrative purposes, or for purposes not yet 
determined, are carried at cost, less any recognised 
impairment loss. Depreciation of these assets, on the same 
basis as other property assets, commences when the assets 
are ready for their intended use.

Depreciation
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment is calculated 
using the straight-line method to write off their cost to their 
residual values over their estimated useful lives:

Buildings
Land improvements
Machinery and equipment
Other

Useful lives 
in years
30
30
5 to 15
3 to 5

Leasehold rights
Leasehold rights acquired as part of hypermarket 
development projects are separately reported at cost less 
accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment 
losses. These leasehold rights are amortised to profit or 
loss over the term of the lease, which is 49 years. If the 
Group further purchases the land plot previously leased, 
the carrying amount of the related leasehold right as of the 
date of purchase transaction is reclassified to the cost of 
land plot purchased. 

Finance leases
Leases are classified as finance leases whenever the terms 
of the lease transfer substantially all the risks and rewards 
of ownership to the lessee. All other leases are classified 
as operating leases.

Assets held under finance leases are recognised as assets 
at their fair value at the inception of the lease or, if lower, 
at the present value of the minimum lease payments. 
The corresponding liability to the lessor is included in the 
statement of financial position as a finance lease obligation.

Lease payments are apportioned between finance charges 
and reduction of the lease obligation so as to achieve a 
constant rate of interest on the remaining balance of the 
liability. Finance charges are charged directly to the profit 
and loss, unless they are directly attributable to qualifying 
assets, in which case they are capitalised in accordance 
with the Group’s general policy on borrowing costs.

Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense 
on a straight-line basis over the lease term, except where 
another systematic basis is more representative of the time 
pattern in which economic benefits from the leased asset 
are consumed.

Intangible assets
Intangible assets acquired separately are measured on 
initial recognition at cost. The cost of intangible assets 
acquired in a business combination is their fair value at the 
date of acquisition. Following initial recognition, intangible 
assets are carried at cost less any accumulated amortisation 
and accumulated impairment losses.

Internally generated intangible assets, excluding capitalised 
development costs, are not capitalised and expenditure 
is reflected in profit and loss in the period in which the 
expenditure is incurred.

The useful lives of intangible assets are assessed as either 
finite or indefinite.

Intangible assets with finite lives are amortised over 
the useful economic life (which is from 3 to 7 years) using 
a straight-line method to write off their cost to their residual 
values and assessed for impairment whenever there is 
an indication that the intangible asset may be impaired. 
The amortisation period and the amortisation method for an 
intangible asset with a finite useful life are reviewed at least 
at the end of each reporting period. Changes in the expected 
useful life or the expected pattern of consumption of future 
economic benefits embodied in the asset are considered 
to modify the amortisation period or method, as appropriate, 
and are treated as changes in accounting estimates. The 
amortisation expense on intangible assets with finite lives 
is recognised in the statement of profit or loss and other 
comprehensive income as the expense category that is 
consistent with the function of the intangible assets or 
included into the carrying amount of an asset as appropriate.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
104

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

Income taxes
Income taxes have been provided for in the consolidated 
financial statements in accordance with management’s 
interpretation of the relevant legislation enacted or 
substantively enacted as at the reporting date. The income 
tax charge comprises current tax and deferred tax and is 
recognised in the consolidated statement of profit or loss and 
other comprehensive income unless it relates to transactions 
that are recognised, in the same or a different period, 
directly in equity. In the case of a business combination, 
the tax effect is taken into account in calculating goodwill 
or determining the excess of the acquirer’s interest in the 
net fair value of the acquiree’s identifiable assets, liabilities 
and contingent liabilities over cost of consideration paid.

Current tax is the amount expected to be paid to or 
recovered from the taxation authorities in respect of 
taxable profits or losses for the current and prior periods. 
Deferred income tax is recorded using the balance sheet 
liability method for tax loss carry-forwards and temporary 
differences arising between the tax bases of assets and 
liabilities and their carrying amounts for financial reporting 
purposes. Deferred tax balances are measured at tax rates 
enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date, 
which are expected to apply to the period when the temporary 
differences will reverse or the tax loss carry-forwards will be 
utilised. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are netted only 
within the individual companies of the Group. Deferred tax 
assets for deductible temporary differences and tax loss 
carry-forwards are recorded only to the extent that it is 
probable that future taxable profit will be available against 
which the deductions can be utilised. 

Deferred tax liabilities are recognised for all taxable 
temporary differences, except:

•  When the deferred tax liability arises from the initial 
recognition of goodwill or an asset or liability in a 
transaction that is not a business combination and, 
at the time of the transaction, affects neither the 
accounting profit nor taxable profit or loss.

•  In respect of taxable temporary differences associated 

with investments in subsidiaries, associates and interests 
in joint ventures, when the timing of the reversal of the 
temporary differences can be controlled and it is probable 
that the temporary differences will not reverse in the 
foreseeable future.

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
Intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not 
amortised, but are tested for impairment annually, 
either individually or at the cash-generating unit level. 
The assessment of indefinite life is reviewed annually 
to determine whether the indefinite life continues to be 
supportable. If not, the change in useful life from indefinite 
to finite is made on a prospective basis.

Gains or losses arising from derecognition of an intangible 
asset are measured as the difference between the net 
disposal proceeds and the carrying amount of the asset 
and are recognised in the profit or loss when the asset 
is derecognised.

Impairment of non-financial assets
At each reporting date, the Group reviews the carrying 
amounts of its non-financial assets to determine whether 
there is any indication that those assets have suffered 
an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the 
recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order 
to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any). 
Where it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount 
of an individual asset, the Group estimates the recoverable 
amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset 
belongs. Where a reasonable and consistent basis of 
allocation can be identified, corporate assets are also 
allocated to individual cash-generating unit, or otherwise 
they are allocated to the smallest group of cash-generating 
units for which a reasonable and consistent allocation 
basis can be identified.

The recoverable amount of an asset or a cash-generating 
unit is the higher of its fair value less costs to sell and value 
in use. In assessing value in use, the estimated future cash 
flows are discounted to their present value using a pre-tax 
discount rate that reflects current market assessments of 
the time value of money and the risks specific to the asset 
for which the estimates of future cash flows have not 
been adjusted.

If the recoverable amount of an asset (or a cash-generating 
unit) is estimated to be less than its carrying amount, the 
carrying amount of the asset (the cash-generating unit) 
is reduced to its recoverable amount. An impairment loss 
is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Where an impairment loss subsequently reverses, the 
carrying amount of the asset (the cash generating unit) is 
increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount, 
but so that the increased carrying amount does not exceed 
the carrying amount that would have been determined 
had no impairment loss been recognised for the asset 
(the cash-generating unit) in prior years. A reversal of an 
impairment loss is recognised immediately in profit or loss.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  105

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
Deferred tax assets are recognised for all deductible 
temporary differences, the carry-forward of unused tax 
credits and any unused tax losses to the extent that it 
is probable that taxable profit will be available against 
which the deductible temporary differences, and the carry-
forward of unused tax credits and unused tax losses can 
be utilised, except:

•  When the deferred tax asset relating to the deductible 

temporary difference arises from the initial recognition of 
an asset or liability in a transaction that is not a business 
combination and, at the time of the transaction, affects 
neither the accounting profit nor taxable profit or loss.

•  In respect of deductible temporary differences associated 
with investments in subsidiaries, associates and interests 
in joint ventures, deferred tax assets are recognised 
only to the extent that it is probable that the temporary 
differences will reverse in the foreseeable future and 
taxable profit will be available against which the temporary 
differences can be utilised.

The carrying amount of deferred tax assets is reviewed at 
each reporting date and reduced to the extent that it is no 
longer probable that sufficient taxable profits will be available 
to allow all or part of the asset to be recovered.

The measurement of deferred tax liabilities and assets 
reflects the tax consequences that would follow from the 
manner in which the Group expects, at the reporting date, 
to recover or settle the carrying amount of its assets 
and liabilities.

Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset when there is a 
legally enforceable right to set off current tax assets against 
current tax liabilities and when they relate to income taxes 
levied by the same taxation authority and the Group intends 
to settle its current tax assets and liabilities on a net basis.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost and net realisable 
value. Cost of inventory is determined on the weighted 
average basis. Net realisable value is the estimated selling 
price in the ordinary course of business, less the cost of 
completion and selling expenses. Cost comprises the direct 
cost of goods, transportation and handling costs. Cost of 
sales comprises only cost of inventories sold through retail 
stores and inventory write-downs made during the period.

Borrowing costs
Borrowing costs directly attributable to the acquisition, 
construction or production of qualifying assets are 
capitalised as part of the cost of that asset, other borrowing 
costs are recognised in profit or loss in the period in 
which they are incurred. A qualifying asset is an asset that 
necessarily takes a substantial period of time to get ready 
for its intended use or sale. For the purposes of borrowing 
costs recognition, a substantial period of time is considered 
to be a period of twelve months or more.

To the extent that the Group borrows funds generally and 
uses them for the purpose of obtaining a qualifying asset, 
the Group determines the amount of borrowing costs eligible 
for capitalisation by applying a capitalisation rate to the 
expenditures on that asset. The capitalisation rate is the 
weighted average of the borrowing costs applicable to 
the borrowings of the Group that are outstanding during 
the period, other than borrowings made specifically for 
the purpose of obtaining a qualifying asset.

Revenue recognition
The sole source of revenue is retail sales. Revenue from 
the sale of goods is recognised at the point of sale.

The Group generates and recognises sales to retail 
customers in its stores at the point of sale. Retail sales are 
in cash and through bank cards. Revenues are measured 
at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, 
recognised net of value added tax and are reduced for 
estimated customer returns. Historical information in relation 
to the timing and frequency of customer returns is used to 
estimate and provide for such returns at the time of sale.

Income generated from rental of spaces for small trading 
outlets within the Group’s stores is recognised in the end 
of each month on a straight-line basis over the period of 
the lease, in accordance with the terms of the relevant 
lease agreements.

Interest income is recognised on a time-proportion basis 
using the effective interest rate method. Interest income 
is included into the Interest income line in the statement 
of comprehensive income.

Suppliers’ allowances
The Group receives various types of allowances from 
vendors in the form of volume discounts and other forms 
of payments that effectively reduce the cost of goods 
purchased from the vendor. These allowances received 
from suppliers are recorded as a reduction in the price paid 
for the products and reduce cost of goods sold in the period 
the products are sold. Where a rebate agreement with 
a supplier covers more than one year, the rebates are 
recognised in the period in which they are earned.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
106

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
Employee benefits
The Group is subject to mandatory contributions to the 
Russian Federation defined contribution state pension 
benefit fund. Wages, salaries, contributions to the state 
pension and social insurance funds, paid annual leave and 
sick leave, bonuses, and non-monetary benefits are accrued 
in the year in which the associated services are rendered 
by the employees of the Group.

Share-based payments
Certain employees (including senior executives) of the Group 
receive remuneration in the form of share-based payments, 
whereby employees render services as consideration for 
equity instruments (equity-settled transactions).

The cost of equity-settled transactions is determined by 
the fair value at the date when the grant is made using 
an appropriate valuation model.

That cost is recognised, together with a corresponding 
increase in share options reserve in equity, over the period in 
which the performance and/or service conditions are fulfilled 
in employee benefits expense (Note 28). The cumulative 
expense recognised for equity-settled transactions at each 
reporting date until the vesting date reflects the extent to 
which the vesting period has expired and the Group’s best 
estimate of the number of equity instruments that will 
ultimately vest. The statement of profit or loss expense or 
credit for a period represents the movement in cumulative 
expense recognised as at the beginning and end of that 
period and is recognised in employee benefits expense 
(Note 28).

Segment reporting
The Group’s business operations are located in the Russian 
Federation and relate primarily to retail sales of consumer 
goods. Although the Group operates through different stores 
and in various regions within the Russian Federation, the 
Group’s chief operating decision maker reviews the Group’s 
operations and allocates resources on an individual store- 
by-store basis. The Group has assessed the economic 
characteristics of the individual stores and determined that 
the stores have similar margins, similar products, similar 
types of customers and similar methods of distributing such 
products. Therefore, the Group considers that it only has one 
reportable segment under IFRS 8. Segment performance 
is evaluated based on a measure of revenue and earnings 
before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA). 
EBITDA is non-IFRS measure. Other information is 
measured in a manner consistent with that in the 
consolidated financial statements.

Seasonality
The Group’s business operations are stable during the year 
with limited seasonal impact, except for a significant increase 
of business activities in December.

Financial assets
General description
Financial assets are classified into the following specified 
categories: at fair value through profit or loss (“FVTPL”); 
held-to-maturity investments, “available-for-sale” (“AFS”) 
financial assets and “loans and receivables”. The 
classification depends on the nature and purpose of 
the financial assets and is determined at the time of 
initial recognition.

All financial assets are recognised initially at fair value plus, 
in the case of financial assets not at fair value through profit 
or loss, directly attributable transaction costs.

No expense is recognised for awards that do not ultimately 
vest, except for equity-settled transactions for which vesting 
is conditional upon a market or non-vesting condition. 
These are treated as vested irrespective of whether or not 
the market or non-vesting condition is satisfied, provided that 
all other performance and/or service conditions are satisfied.

Loans and receivables
Trade receivables, loans, and other receivables that have 
fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in 
an active market are classified as loans and receivables. 
Loans and receivables are measured at amortised cost 
using the effective interest rate method.

When the terms of an equity-settled award are modified, 
the minimum expense recognised is the expense had the 
terms had not been modified, if the original terms of the 
award are met. An additional expense is recognised for any 
modification that increases the total fair value of the share-
based payment transaction, or is otherwise beneficial to 
the employee as measured at the date of modification. 

Pre-opening costs
Operating expenses incurred during the process of opening 
of new stores were recorded in the Group’s consolidated 
statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income. 
These expenses do not meet capitalisation criteria under IAS 
16 Property, Plant and Equipment and include rent, utilities 
and other operating expenses.

Cash and cash equivalents
Cash and short-term deposits in the statement of financial 
position comprise cash at banks and on hand and short-term 
deposits with a maturity of three months or less.

Impairment of financial assets
Financial assets are assessed for indicators of impairment 
at each reporting date. Financial assets are impaired where 
there is objective evidence that, as a result of one or more 
events that occurred after the initial recognition of the 
financial asset, the estimated future cash flows of the 
financial asset have been impacted. For financial assets 
carried at amortised cost, the amount of the impairment is 
the difference between the asset’s carrying amount and the 
present value of estimated future cash flows, discounted 
at the original effective interest rate. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
S

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2.   BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
The carrying amount of the financial asset is reduced 
by the impairment loss directly for all financial assets 
with the exception of trade receivables where the carrying 
amount is reduced through the use of an allowance account. 
When a trade receivable is uncollectible, it is written off 
against the allowance account. Subsequent recoveries 
of amounts previously written off are credited against the 
allowance account. Changes in the carrying amount of 
the allowance account are recognised in profit or loss.

With the exception of AFS equity instruments, if, in a 
subsequent period, the amount of the impairment loss 
decreases and the decrease can be related objectively 
to an event occurring after the impairment was recognised, 
the previously recognised impairment loss is reversed 
through profit or loss to the extent that the carrying amount 
of the investment at the date the impairment is reversed 
does not exceed what the amortised cost would have 
been had the impairment not been recognised.

Derecognition of financial assets
A financial asset is derecognised when:

•  The rights to receive cash flows from the asset 

have expired;

•  The Group has transferred its rights to receive cash 

flows from the asset or has assumed an obligation to pay 
the received cash flows in full without material delay to 
a third party under a “pass-through” arrangement; and 
either (a) the Group has transferred substantially all the 
risks and rewards of the asset, or (b) the Group has neither 
transferred nor retained substantially all the risks and 
rewards of the asset but has transferred control of 
the asset.

When the Group has transferred its rights to receive cash 
flows from an asset or has entered into a pass-through 
arrangement, and has neither transferred nor retained 
substantially all of the risks and rewards of the asset nor 
transferred control of the asset, the asset is recognised to 
the extent of the Group’s continuing involvement in the asset.

In that case, the Group also recognises an associated 
liability. The transferred asset and the associated liability are 
measured on a basis that reflects the rights and obligations 
that the Group has retained.

Continuing involvement that takes the form of a guarantee 
over the transferred asset is measured at the lower of the 
original carrying amount of the asset and the maximum 
amount of consideration that the Group could be required 
to repay.

Financial liabilities and equity instruments  
issued by the Group
Treasury shares
Own equity instruments that are reacquired (treasury shares) 
are recognised at cost and deducted from equity. No gain 
or loss is recognised in the statement of profit or loss and 
other comprehensive income on the purchase, sale, issue 
or cancellation of the Group’s own equity instruments. 
Any difference between the carrying amount and the 
consideration, if reissued, is recognised in additional paid-in 
capital. Voting rights related to treasury shares are nullified 
for the Group and no dividends are allocated to them. Share 
options exercised during the reporting period are satisfied 
with treasury shares. 

Share capital
Ordinary shares are classified as equity. Transaction costs 
of a share issue are shown within equity as a deduction from 
the equity.

Additional paid-in capital
Additional paid-in capital represents the difference between 
the fair value of consideration received and the nominal 
value of the issued shares.

Earnings per share
Basic earnings per share amounts are calculated by 
dividing the net profit for the year attributable to ordinary 
equity holders of the parent by the weighted average number 
of ordinary shares outstanding during the year.

Diluted earnings per share amounts are calculated by 
dividing the net profit attributable to ordinary equity holders 
of the parent (after adjusting for interest on the convertible 
preference shares) by the weighted average number 
of ordinary shares outstanding during the year plus the 
weighted average number of ordinary shares that would 
be issued on conversion of all the dilutive potential ordinary 
shares into ordinary shares.

Classification as debt or equity
Debt and equity instruments are classified as either 
financial liabilities or as equity in accordance with the 
substance of the contractual arrangement. An equity 
instrument is any contract that evidences a residual interest 
in the assets of an entity after deducting all of its liabilities. 
Equity instruments are recorded at the proceeds received, 
net of transaction costs.

Financial liabilities
Financial liabilities of the Group, including borrowings 
and trade and other payables, are initially recognised at fair 
value, net of transaction costs, and subsequently measured 
at amortised cost using the effective interest rate method. 

Derecognition of financial liabilities
The Group derecognises financial liabilities when, and 
only when, the Group’s obligations are discharged, cancelled 
or they expire.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
108

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

2.    BASIS OF PREPARATION AND SIGNIFICANT 
ACCOUNTING POLICIES (CONTINUED)

2.3 Summary of significant accounting policies 
(continued)
Offsetting of financial instruments
Financial assets and financial liabilities are offset and the 
net amount is reported in the consolidated statement of 
financial position if there is a currently enforceable legal 
right to offset the recognised amounts and there is an 
intention to settle on a net basis, to realise the assets 
and settle the liabilities simultaneously.

Derivative financial instruments and hedge accounting
Initial recognition and subsequent measurement
The Group uses derivative financial instruments, such as 
interest rate swaps and caps, to hedge its interest rate risks. 
Such derivative financial instruments are initially recognised 
at fair value on the date on which a derivative contract is 
entered into and are subsequently re-measured at fair value. 
Derivatives are carried as financial assets when the fair 
value is positive and as financial liabilities when the fair value 
is negative.

Any gains or losses arising from changes in the fair value 
of derivatives are taken directly to profit or loss, except 
for the effective portion of cash flow hedges, which is 
recognised in OCI and later reclassified to profit or loss 
when the hedge item affects profit or loss.

At the inception of a hedge relationship, the Group formally 
designates and documents the hedge relationship to 
which the Group wishes to apply hedge accounting and 
the risk management objective and strategy for undertaking 
the hedge. The documentation includes identification of 
the hedging instrument, the hedged item or transaction, 
the nature of the risk being hedged and how the entity 
will assess the effectiveness of changes in the hedging 
instrument’s fair value in offsetting the exposure to changes 
in the hedged item’s fair value or cash flows attributable to 
the hedged risk. Such hedges are expected to be highly 
effective in achieving offsetting changes in fair value or cash 
flows and are assessed on an ongoing basis to determine 
that they actually have been highly effective throughout the 
financial reporting periods for which they were designated.

Swaps and caps used by the Group that meet the strict 
criteria for hedge accounting are accounted for as cash flow 
hedges. The effective portion of the gain or loss from the 
hedging instrument is recognised in other comprehensive 
income in the cash flow hedge reserve, while any ineffective 
portion is recognised immediately in profit or loss as other 
operating expenses. 

Designation of a hedge relationship takes effect prospectively 
from the date all of the criteria are met. In particular, hedge 
accounting can be applied only from the date all of the 
necessary documentation is completed. Therefore, hedge 
relationships cannot be designated retrospectively. 

Amounts recognised as OCI are transferred to profit or loss 
when the hedged transaction affects profit or loss, such as 
when the hedged financial income or financial expense is 
recognised or when a forecast sale occurs.

When the hedged item is the cost of a non-financial asset 
or non-financial liability, the amounts recognised as OCI are 
transferred to the initial carrying amount of the non-financial 
asset or liability.

If the hedging instrument expires or is sold, terminated or 
exercised without replacement or rollover (as part of the 
hedging strategy), or if its designation as a hedge is revoked, 
or when the hedge no longer meets the criteria for hedge 
accounting, any cumulative gain or loss previously 
recognised in OCI remains separately in equity until the 
forecast transaction occurs or the foreign currency firm 
commitment is met.

Current versus non-current classification
Derivative instruments are classified as current or non-
current or separated into current and non current portions 
based on an assessment of the facts and circumstances 
(i.e., the underlying contracted cash flows):

•  When the Group expects to hold a derivative as an 

economic hedge for a period beyond 12 months after the 
reporting date, the derivative is classified as non-current 
(or separated into current and non-current portions) 
consistent with the classification of the underlying item.

3.    SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING JUDGMENTS, 

ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS

In the application of the Group’s accounting policies, which 
are described in Note 2 above, management is required to 
make judgments, estimates and assumptions about the 
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities that are not readily 
apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated 
assumptions are based on historical experience and other 
factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may 
differ from these estimates.

The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on 
an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are 
recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised if 
the revision affects only that period or in the period of the 
revision and future periods if the revision affects both current 
and future periods.

Judgments that have the most significant effect on the 
amounts recognised in these consolidated financial 
statements and estimates that can cause a significant 
adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities 
within the next financial year include:

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
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  109

3.    SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING JUDGMENTS, 

ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS (CONTINUED)

Judgments
Operating lease commitments – Group as lessor
The Group has entered into premises leases. The Group 
has determined, based on an evaluation of the terms and 
conditions of the arrangements, such as the lease term not 
constituting a substantial portion of the economic life of the 
commercial property, that it retains all the significant risks 
and rewards of ownership of these properties and accounts 
for the contracts as operating leases.

Assets versus business acquisition
From time to time in the normal course of business the 
Group acquires the companies that are a party to a lease 
contract, own the land plot or store in which the Group is 
interested. If at the date of acquisition by the Group, the 
company does not constitute an integrated set of activities 
and assets that is capable of being conducted and managed 
for the purpose of providing a return in the form of dividends, 
lower costs or other economic benefits directly to investor, 
the Group treats such acquisitions as a purchase of assets 
(a leasehold right, land plot or store) in the consolidated 
financial statements. The exercise of judgment determines 
whether a particular transaction is treated as a business 
combination or as a purchase of assets.

Estimates and assumptions 
The key assumptions concerning the future and other 
key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date, 
that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment 
to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the 
next financial year, are described below. The Group based 
its assumptions and estimates on parameters available 
when the consolidated financial statements were prepared. 
Existing circumstances and assumptions about future 
developments, however, may change due to market changes 
or circumstances arising beyond the control of the Group. 
Such changes are reflected in the assumptions when 
they occur.

Leases renewal assumption
It is presumed that the initial land leases contracted for 
short terms will be renewed for 49 years at completion 
of construction of department stores. Thus, any long-term 
prepayments at the inception of the leases are presumed 
to have a 49-year useful life. Should the Group fail to renew 
the land lease contracts for a 49-year period, leasehold 
rights would have to be written off at the end of the initial 
lease term. 

Inventory valuation
Management reviews the inventory balances to determine 
if inventories can be sold at amounts greater than or equal 
to their carrying amounts plus costs to sell. This review 
also includes the identification of slow moving inventories, 
which are written down based on inventories ageing and 
write down rates. The write down rates are determined by 
management following the experience of sales of such items.

Tax legislation
Russian tax, currency and customs legislation is subject to 
frequent changes and varying interpretations. Management’s 
interpretation of such legislation in applying it to business 
transactions of the Group may be challenged by the 
relevant regional and federal authorities enabled by law to 
impose fines and penalties. Recent events in the Russian 
Federation suggest that the tax authorities are taking a more 
assertive position in their interpretation of the legislation 
and assessments and as a result, it is possible that the 
transactions that have not been challenged in the past may 
be challenged. Fiscal periods remain open to review by 
the tax authorities in respect of taxes for the three calendar 
years preceding the year of tax review. Under certain 
circumstances reviews may cover longer periods. While the 
Group believes it has provided adequately for all tax liabilities 
based on its understanding of the tax legislation, the above 
facts may create additional financial risks for the Group.

Fair value measurement of financial instruments
When the fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities 
recorded in the statement of financial position cannot be 
derived from active markets, their fair value is determined 
using valuation techniques including the discounted cash 
flow model. The inputs to these models are taken from 
observable markets where possible, but where this is not 
feasible, a degree of judgment is required in establishing 
fair values. The judgments include considerations of inputs 
such as liquidity risk, credit risk and volatility. Changes in 
assumptions about these factors could affect the reported 
fair value of financial instruments. See Note 30 for 
further discussion.

Impairment of non-financial assets
The Group reviews the carrying amounts of its assets to 
determine whether there is any indication that those assets 
are impaired. Impairment exists when the carrying value 
of an asset or cash generating unit exceeds its recoverable 
amount, which is the higher of its fair value less costs to 
sell and its value in use. 

The fair value less costs to sell calculation is based on 
available data from binding sales transactions, conducted 
at arm’s length, for similar assets or observable market 
prices less incremental costs for disposing of the asset. 

Due to their subjective nature, these estimates will likely 
differ from future actual results of operations and cash flows, 
and it is possible that these differences could be material.

The value in use calculation is based on a discounted 
cash flow model. In determining the value in use calculation, 
future cash flows are estimated from each store based on 
cash flows projection utilising the latest budget information 
available. The discounted cash flow model requires 
numerous estimates and assumptions regarding the future 
rates of market growth, market demand for the products 
and the future profitability of products.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
110

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

3.    SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING JUDGMENTS, 

ESTIMATES AND ASSUMPTIONS (CONTINUED)

Estimates and assumptions (continued)
Share-based payments
The Group measures the cost of equity-settled transactions 
by reference to the fair value of the equity instruments at 
the date at which they are granted. Estimating fair value for 
share-based payment transactions requires determination 
of the most appropriate valuation model, which is dependent 
on the terms and conditions of the grant. This estimate 
also requires determination of the most appropriate inputs 
to the valuation model including the expected life of the 
share option, volatility and dividend yield and making 
assumptions about them. The assumptions and models 
used for estimating fair value for share-based payment 
transactions are disclosed in Note 28.

4.   ADOPTION OF NEW OR REVISED STANDARDS 

AND INTERPRETATIONS

The accounting policies adopted in the preparation of 
the consolidated financial statements are consistent with 
those followed in the preparation of the Group’s annual 
consolidated financial statements for the year ended 
31 December 2015, except for the adoption of new or revised 
standards and interpretations effective as of 1 January 2016.

The nature and the impact of each new standard and 
amendment are described below:

IFRS 14 Regulatory Deferral Accounts
IFRS 14 is an optional standard that allows an entity, whose 
activities are subject to rate-regulation, to continue applying 
most of its existing accounting policies for regulatory deferral 
account balances upon its first-time adoption of IFRS. Entities 
that adopt IFRS 14 must present the regulatory deferral 
accounts as separate line items on the statement of financial 
position and present movements in these account balances 
as separate line items in the statement of profit or loss and 
OCI. The standard requires disclosure of the nature of, and 
risks associated with, the entity’s rate-regulation and the 
effects of that rate-regulation on its financial statements.

Since the Group is an existing IFRS preparer and is not 
involved in any rate-regulated activities, this standard does 
not apply.

Amendments to IFRS 11 Joint Arrangements: 
Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests
The amendments to IFRS 11 require that a joint operator 
accounting for the acquisition of an interest in a joint 
operation, in which the activity of the joint operation 
constitutes a business, must apply the relevant IFRS 3 
Business Combinations principles for business combination 
accounting. The amendments also clarify that a previously 
held interest in a joint operation is not remeasured on the 
acquisition of an additional interest in the same joint 
operation if joint control is retained. In addition, a scope 
exclusion has been added to IFRS 11 to specify that the 

amendments do not apply when the parties sharing joint 
control, including the reporting entity, are under common 
control of the same ultimate controlling party. The 
amendments apply to both the acquisition of the initial 
interest in a joint operation and the acquisition of any 
additional interests in the same joint operation and are 
applied prospectively. These amendments do not have any 
impact on the Group as there has been no interest acquired 
in a joint operation during the period.

Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38: Clarification of 
Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation
The amendments clarify the principle in IAS 16 Property, 
Plant and Equipment and IAS 38 Intangible Assets that 
revenue reflects a pattern of economic benefits that are 
generated from operating a business (of which the asset is 
a part) rather than the economic benefits that are consumed 
through use of the asset. As a result, a revenue-based 
method cannot be used to depreciate property, plant 
and equipment and may only be used in very limited 
circumstances to amortise intangible assets. The 
amendments are applied prospectively and do not have 
any impact on the Group, given that it has not used a 
revenue-based method to depreciate its non-current assets.

Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 41 Agriculture: 
Bearer Plants
The amendments change the accounting requirements 
for biological assets that meet the definition of bearer plants. 
Under the amendments, biological assets that meet the 
definition of bearer plants will no longer be within the scope 
of IAS 41 Agriculture. Instead, IAS 16 will apply. After initial 
recognition, bearer plants will be measured under IAS 16 
at accumulated cost (before maturity) and using either 
the cost model or revaluation model (after maturity). The 
amendments also require that produce that grows on bearer 
plants will remain in the scope of IAS 41 measured at fair 
value less costs to sell. For government grants related to 
bearer plants, IAS 20 Accounting for Government Grants 
and Disclosure of Government Assistance will apply. 
The amendments are applied retrospectively and do not 
have any impact on the Group as it does not have any 
bearer plants. 

Amendments to IAS 27: Equity Method in 
Separate Financial Statements
The amendments allow entities to use the equity method 
to account for investments in subsidiaries, joint ventures 
and associates in their separate financial statements. 
Entities already applying IFRS and electing to change 
to the equity method in their separate financial statements 
have to apply that change retrospectively. 

These amendments do not have any impact on the Group’s 
consolidated financial statements.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
S

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Amendments to IAS 1 Disclosure Initiative
The amendments to IAS 1 clarify, rather than significantly 
change, existing IAS 1 requirements. The amendments 
clarify:

•  The materiality requirements in IAS 1;

•  That specific line items in the statement(s) of profit or loss 
and OCI and the statement of financial position may be 
disaggregated;

•  That entities have flexibility as to the order in which they 

present the notes to financial statements;

•  That the share of OCI of associates and joint ventures 

accounted for using the equity method must be presented 
in aggregate as a single line item, and classified between 
those items that will or will not be subsequently reclassified 
to profit or loss.

Furthermore, the amendments clarify the requirements 
that apply when additional subtotals are presented in the 
statement of financial position and the statement(s) of profit 
or loss and OCI. These amendments do not have any impact 
on the Group.

Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 28 Investment 
Entities: Applying the Consolidation Exception
The amendments address issues that have arisen in 
applying the investment entities exception under IFRS 10 
Consolidated Financial Statements. The amendments to 
IFRS 10 clarify that the exemption from presenting 
consolidated financial statements applies to a parent entity 
that is a subsidiary of an investment entity, when the 
investment entity measures all of its subsidiaries at fair value. 
Furthermore, the amendments to IFRS 10 clarify that only 
a subsidiary of an investment entity that is not an investment 
entity itself and that provides support services to the 
investment entity is consolidated. All other subsidiaries 
of an investment entity are measured at fair value. The 
amendments to IAS 28 Investments in Associates and 
Joint Ventures allow the investor, when applying the equity 
method, to retain the fair value measurement applied by 
the investment entity associate or joint venture to its interests 
in subsidiaries.

These amendments are applied retrospectively and do not 
have any impact on the Group as the Group does not apply 
the consolidation exception.

4.    ADOPTION OF NEW OR REVISED STANDARDS 

AND INTERPRETATIONS (CONTINUED)

Annual improvements 2012–2014 cycle
These improvements include:

IFRS 5 Non-current Assets Held for Sale and 
Discontinued Operations
Assets (or disposal groups) are generally disposed of either 
through sale or distribution to the owners. The amendment 
clarifies that changing from one of these disposal methods 
to the other would not be considered a new plan of disposal, 
rather it is a continuation of the original plan. There is, 
therefore, no interruption of the application of the requirements 
in IFRS 5. This amendment is applied prospectively.

IFRS 7 Financial Instruments: Disclosures
(i)  Servicing contracts
The amendment clarifies that a servicing contract that 
includes a fee can constitute continuing involvement in a 
financial asset. An entity must assess the nature of the fee 
and the arrangement against the guidance for continuing 
involvement in IFRS 7 in order to assess whether the 
disclosures are required. The assessment of which servicing 
contracts constitute continuing involvement must be made 
retrospectively. However, the required disclosures need not 
be provided for any period beginning before the annual 
period in which the entity first applies the amendments. 

(ii) Applicability of the amendments to IFRS 7 
to condensed interim financial statements
The amendment clarifies that the offsetting disclosure 
requirements do not apply to condensed interim financial 
statements, unless such disclosures provide a significant 
update to the information reported in the most recent annual 
report. This amendment is applied retrospectively.

IAS 19 Employee Benefits
The amendment clarifies that market depth of high quality 
corporate bonds is assessed based on the currency in 
which the obligation is denominated, rather than the country 
where the obligation is located. When there is no deep 
market for high quality corporate bonds in that currency, 
government bond rates must be used. This amendment 
is applied prospectively.

IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting
The amendment clarifies that the required interim 
disclosures must either be in the interim financial statements 
or incorporated by cross-reference between the interim 
financial statements and wherever they are included within 
the interim financial report (e.g., in the management 
commentary or risk report). The other information within the 
interim financial report must be available to users on the 
same terms as the interim financial statements and at the 
same time. This amendment is applied retrospectively. 

These amendments do not have any impact on the Group.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
112

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

5.  STANDARDS ISSUED BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE
The standards and interpretations that are issued, but not yet 
effective, up to the date of issuance of the Group’s financial 
statements are disclosed below. The Group intends to adopt 
these standards, if applicable, when they become effective.

IFRS 9 Financial Instruments
In July 2014, the IASB issued the final version of IFRS 9 
Financial Instruments that replaces IAS 39 Financial 
Instruments: Recognition and Measurement and all previous 
versions of IFRS 9. IFRS 9 brings together all three aspects 
of the accounting for the financial instruments project: 
classification and measurement; impairment; and hedge 
accounting. IFRS 9 is effective for annual periods beginning 
on or after 1 January 2018, with early application permitted. 
Except for hedge accounting, retrospective application 
is required, but providing comparative information is 
not compulsory. For hedge accounting, the requirements 
are generally applied prospectively, with some 
limited exceptions. 

The Group plans to adopt the new standard on the required 
effective date. During 2016, the Group has performed a 
high-level impact assessment of all three aspects of IFRS 9. 
This preliminary assessment is based on currently available 
information and may be subject to changes arising from 
further detailed analyses or additional reasonable and 
supportable information being made available to the Group 
in the future. The Group does not expect a significant impact 
on its balance sheet or equity on applying the classification 
and measurement requirements of IFRS 9. 

IFRS 9 requires the Group to record expected credit losses 
on all of its debt securities, loans and trade receivables, 
either on a 12-month or lifetime basis. The Group will need 
to perform a more detailed analysis which considers all 
reasonable and supportable information, including forward-
looking elements to determine the extent of the impact. 

The Group believes that all existing hedge relationships that 
are currently designated in effective hedging relationships 
will still qualify for hedge accounting under IFRS 9. As IFRS 
9 does not change the general principles of how an entity 
accounts for effective hedges, the Group does not expect 
a significant impact as a result of applying IFRS 9. 

IFRS 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers
IFRS 15 was issued in May 2014 and establishes a new 
five-step model that will apply to revenue arising from 
contracts with customers. Under IFRS 15 revenue is 
recognised at an amount that reflects the consideration 
to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for 
transferring goods or services to a customer. 

The new revenue standard will supersede all current 
revenue recognition requirements under IFRS. Either 
a full retrospective application or a modified retrospective 
application is required for annual periods beginning on or 
after 1 January 2018. Early adoption is permitted. The Group 
is currently assessing the impact of IFRS 15 and plans to 
adopt the new standard on the required effective date.

Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28: Sale or Contribution 
of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or 
Joint Venture
The amendments address the conflict between IFRS 10 
and IAS 28 in dealing with the loss of control of a subsidiary 
that is sold or contributed to an associate or joint venture. 
The amendments clarify that the gain or loss resulting from 
the sale or contribution of assets that constitute a business, 
as defined in IFRS 3, between an investor and its associate 
or joint venture, is recognised in full. Any gain or loss resulting 
from the sale or contribution of assets that do not constitute 
a business, however, is recognised only to the extent of 
unrelated investors’ interests in the associate or joint venture. 
The IASB has deferred the effective date of these 
amendments indefinitely, but an entity that early adopts 
the amendments must apply them prospectively. The Group 
will apply these amendments when they become effective.

IAS 7 Disclosure Initiative – Amendments to IAS 7
The amendments to IAS 7 Statement of Cash Flows are 
part of the IASB’s Disclosure Initiative and require an 
entity to provide disclosures that enable users of financial 
statements to evaluate changes in liabilities arising from 
financing activities, including both changes arising from cash 
flows and non-cash changes. On initial application of the 
amendment, entities are not required to provide comparative 
information for preceding periods. These amendments are 
effective for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 
2017, with early application permitted. Application of the 
amendments will result in additional disclosures provided 
by the Group.

IAS 12 Recognition of Deferred Tax Assets for 
Unrealised Losses – Amendments to IAS 12
The amendments clarify that an entity needs to consider 
whether tax law restricts the sources of taxable profits 
against which it may make deductions on the reversal 
of that deductible temporary difference. Furthermore, 
the amendments provide guidance on how an entity 
should determine future taxable profits and explain the 
circumstances in which taxable profit may include the 
recovery of some assets for more than their carrying amount. 
Entities are required to apply the amendments retrospectively. 
However, on initial application of the amendments, the 
change in the opening equity of the earliest comparative 
period may be recognised in the opening retained earnings 
(or in another component of equity, as appropriate), without 
allocating the change between opening retained earnings 
and other components of equity. Entities applying this relief 
must disclose that fact. These amendments are effective 
for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2017 
with early application permitted. If an entity applies the 
amendments for an earlier period, it must disclose that fact. 
These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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IFRS 16 is effective for annual periods beginning on or after 
1 January 2019. Early application is permitted, but not before 
an entity applies IFRS 15. A lessee can choose to apply the 
standard using either a full retrospective or a modified 
retrospective approach. The standard’s transition provisions 
permit certain reliefs.

The Group is assessing the potential effect of the 
amendments on its consolidated financial statements.

IFRS 1 First-time Adoption of International Financial 
Reporting Standards – Amendments to IFRS 1
The amendment repeals short-term exemptions for first-time 
adopters. The amendment is effective from 1 January 2018. 
These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group. 

IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures – 
Amendments to IAS 28
The amendments clarifies that an entity that is a venture 
capital organisation, or other qualifying entity, may elect, 
at initial recognition on an investment-by-investment basis, 
to measure its investments in associates and joint ventures 
at fair value through profit or loss. If an entity that is not itself 
an investment entity has an interest in an associate or joint 
venture that is an investment entity, the entity may, when 
applying the equity method, elect to retain the fair value 
measurement applied by that investment entity associate 
or joint venture to the investment entity associate’s or joint 
venture’s interests in subsidiaries. This election is made 
separately for each investment entity associate or joint 
venture, at the later of the date on which (a) the investment 
entity associate or joint venture is initially recognised;  
(b) the associate or joint venture becomes an investment 
entity; and (c) the investment entity associate or joint venture 
first becomes a parent. The amendments should be applied 
retrospectively and are effective from 1 January 2018, 
with earlier application permitted. If an entity applies those 
amendments for an earlier period, it must disclose that fact. 
These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group.  

IFRS 12 Disclosure of Interests in Other Entities – 
Amendments to IFRS 12
The amendments clarify that the disclosure requirements 
in IFRS 12, other than those in paragraphs B10-B16, 
apply to an entity’s interest in a subsidiary, a joint venture 
or an associate (or a portion of its interest in a joint venture 
or an associate) that is classified (or included in a disposal 
group that is classified) as held for sale. The amendments 
are effective from 1 January 2017 and must be applied 
retrospectively. These amendments are not expected 
to have any impact on the Group. 

5.    STANDARDS ISSUED BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE 

(CONTINUED)

IFRS 2 Classification and Measurement of Share-based 
Payment Transactions – Amendments to IFRS 2
The IASB issued amendments to IFRS 2 Share-based 
Payment that address three main areas: the effects of 
vesting conditions on the measurement of a cash-settled 
share-based payment transaction; the classification of 
a share-based payment transaction with net settlement 
features for withholding tax obligations; and accounting 
where a modification to the terms and conditions of a 
share-based payment transaction changes its classification 
from cash settled to equity settled.

On adoption, entities are required to apply the amendments 
without restating prior periods, but retrospective application 
is permitted if elected for all three amendments and other 
criteria are met. The amendments are effective for annual 
periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018, with early 
application permitted. The Group is assessing the 
potential effect of the amendments on its consolidated 
financial statements. 

IFRS 16 Leases
IFRS 16 was issued in January 2016 and it replaces IAS 17 
Leases, IFRIC 4 Determining whether an Arrangement 
Contains a Lease, SIC-15 Operating Leases – Incentives and 
SIC-27 Evaluating the Substance of Transactions Involving 
the Legal Form of a Lease. IFRS 16 sets out the principles 
for the recognition, measurement, presentation and 
disclosure of leases and requires lessees to account for all 
leases under a single on-balance sheet model similar to the 
accounting for finance leases under IAS 17. The standard 
includes two recognition exemptions for lessees – leases of 
‘low-value’ assets (e.g., personal computers) and short-term 
leases (i.e., leases with a lease term of 12 months or less). 
At the commencement date of a lease, a lessee will 
recognise a liability to make lease payments (i.e., the lease 
liability) and an asset representing the right to use the 
underlying asset during the lease term (i.e., the right-of-use 
asset). Lessees will be required to separately recognise the 
interest expense on the lease liability and the depreciation 
expense on the right-of-use asset. Lessees will be also 
required to remeasure the lease liability upon the occurrence 
of certain events (e.g., a change in the lease term, a change 
in future lease payments resulting from a change in an index 
or rate used to determine those payments). The lessee will 
generally recognise the amount of the remeasurement of 
the lease liability as an adjustment to the right-of-use asset. 
Lessor accounting under IFRS 16 is substantially unchanged 
from today’s accounting under IAS 17. Lessors will continue 
to classify all leases using the same classification principle 
as in IAS 17 and distinguish between two types of leases: 
operating and finance leases. 

IFRS 16 also requires lessees and lessors to make more 
extensive disclosures than under IAS 17. 

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
114

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

5.    STANDARDS ISSUED BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE 

(CONTINUED)

IFRIC Interpretation 22 Foreign Currency  
Transactions and Advance Consideration
The interpretation clarifies that in determining the spot 
exchange rate to use on initial recognition of the related 
asset, expense or income (or part of it) on the derecognition 
of a non-monetary asset or non-monetary liability relating 
to advance consideration, the date of the transaction is the 
date on which an entity initially recognises the nonmonetary 
asset or non-monetary liability arising from the advance 
consideration. If there are multiple payments or receipts 
in advance, then the entity must determine a date of 
the transactions for each payment or receipt of 
advance consideration.

Entities may apply the amendments on a fully retrospective 
basis. Alternatively, an entity may apply the interpretation 
prospectively to all assets, expenses and income in its scope 
that are initially recognised on or after: (i) the beginning 
of the reporting period in which the entity first applies the 
interpretation or (ii) the beginning of a prior reporting 
period presented as comparative information in the financial 
statements of the reporting period in which the entity first 
applies the interpretation. Early application of interpretation 
is permitted and must be disclosed. First-time adopters 
of IFRS are also permitted to apply the interpretation 
prospectively to all assets, expenses and income initially 
recognised on or after the date of transition to IFRS.

The amendments are intended to eliminate diversity in 
practice, when recognising the related asset, expense or 
income (or part of it) on the derecognition of a nonmonetary 
asset or non-monetary liability relating to advance 
consideration received or paid in foreign currency.

The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning 
on or after 1 January 2018.

These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group. 

IAS 40 Investment property – Amendments to IAS 40
The amendments clarify when an entity should transfer 
property, including property under construction or 
development into, or out of investment property. The 
amendments state that a change in use occurs when the 
property meets, or ceases to meet, the definition of 
investment property and there is evidence of the change in 
use. A mere change in management’s intentions for the use 
of a property does not provide evidence of a change in use.

Entities should apply the amendments prospectively to 
changes in use that occur on or after the beginning of the 
annual reporting period in which the entity first applies the 
amendments. An entity should reassess the classification 
of property held at that date and, if applicable, reclassify 
property to reflect the conditions that exist at that date. 
Retrospective application in accordance with IAS 8 is only 
permitted if that is possible without the use of hindsight. 
Early application of the amendments is permitted and must 
be disclosed. The amendments will eliminate diversity in 
practice. The amendments are effective for annual periods 
beginning on or after 1 January 2018.

These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group.  

Applying IFRS 9 Financial Instruments with IFRS 4 
Insurance Contracts – Amendments to IFRS 4
The amendments address concerns arising from 
implementing the new financial instruments Standard, 
IFRS 9, before implementing the new insurance contracts 
standard that the Board is developing to replace IFRS 4. 
The amendments introduce two options for entities issuing 
insurance contracts: a temporary exemption from applying 
IFRS 9 and an overlay approach.

These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group.

Temporary exemption from IFRS 9
The optional temporary exemption from IFRS 9 is available 
to entities whose activities are predominantly connected with 
insurance. The temporary exemption permits such entities to 
continue to apply IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition 
and Measurement while they defer the application of IFRS 9 
until 1 January 2021 at the latest. Predominance must be 
initially assessed at the annual reporting date that immediately 
precedes 1 April 2016 and before IFRS 9 is implemented. 
Also the evaluation of predominance can only be reassessed 
in rare cases. Entities applying the temporary exemption 
will be required to make additional disclosures.

The overlay approach
The overlay approach is an option for entities that adopt 
IFRS 9 and issue insurance contracts, to adjust profit or loss 
for eligible financial assets; effectively resulting in IAS 39 
accounting for those designated financial assets. The 
adjustment eliminates accounting volatility that may arise 
from applying IFRS 9 without the new insurance contracts 
standard. Under this approach, an entity is permitted to 
reclassify amounts between profit or loss and other 
comprehensive income (OCI) for designated financial assets. 
An entity must present a separate line item for the amount 
of the overlay adjustment in profit or loss, as well as a 
separate line item for the corresponding adjustment in OCI.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  115

5.    STANDARDS ISSUED BUT NOT YET EFFECTIVE 

(CONTINUED)

The temporary exemption is first applied for reporting 
periods beginning on or after 1 January 2018. An entity 
may elect the overlay approach when it first applies IFRS 9 
and apply that approach retrospectively to financial assets 
designated on transition to IFRS 9. The entity restates 
comparative information reflecting the overlay approach if, 
and only if, the entity restates comparative information 
when applying IFRS 9.

The overlay approach requires an entity to remove from profit 
or loss additional volatility that may arise if IFRS 9 is applied 
with IFRS 4. When applying the temporary exemption, 
entities must still provide extensive disclosure that require 
the application of some aspects of IFRS 9.

6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS 
The Group’s principal business activity is the development 
and operation of food retail stores located in Russia. 
Risks and returns are affected primarily by economic 
development in Russia and by the development of Russian 
food retail industry. 

The Group has no significant assets outside the Russian 
Federation (excluding investments in its foreign wholly owned 
intermediate holding subsidiary Zoronvo Holdings Limited, 
which is eliminated on consolidation). Due to the similar 
economic characteristics of food retail stores, the Group’s 
management has aggregated its operating segments 
represented by stores into one reportable operating 
segment. Within the segment all business components 
are similar in respect of:

The amendments are effective for annual periods beginning 
on or after 1 January 2018

•  The products;

•  The customers;

These amendments are not expected to have any impact 
on the Group.

•  Centralised Group structure (commercial, operational, 
logistic, finance, HR and IT functions are centralised).

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The Group’s operations are regularly reviewed by the 
chief operating decision maker, represented by the CEO, 
to analyse performance and allocate resources within the 
Group. The CEO assesses the performance of operating 
segments based on the dynamics of revenue and earnings 
before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation (EBITDA). 

The accounting policies used for the operating segment are 
the same as accounting policies applied for the consolidated 
financial statements.

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116

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

6.  OPERATING SEGMENTS (CONTINUED)
The segment information for the year ended 31 December 2016 and 2015 is as follows:

Sales
EBITDA

Reconciliation of EBITDA to IFRS profit for the year is as follows:

EBITDA
Interest expense
Interest income
Income tax expense (see Note 22)
Depreciation/amortisation (see Note 9, 11, 12, 26)
Ineffective portion of the change in fair value of cash flow  

hedging instruments (see Note 31)

Foreign exchange gain/(loss)
Profit for the year

Year ended
31 December
 2016
306,352,092
31,389,826

Year ended
31 December 
2015
252,763,075
28,018,435

Year ended
31 December
 2016
31,389,826
(10,084,573)
851,813
(3,351,220)
(7,694,569)

–
90,751
11,202,028

Year ended
31 December 
2015
28,018,435
(10,044,858)
767,905
(2,584,010)
(5,686,264)

6,308
(189,423)
10,288,093

7.  ACQUISITION OF SUBSIDIARIES
On 30 November 2016 the Group purchased the Kesko food retail business in Russia (“KFR”), operating under the 
K-Ruoka brand. The Group became the owner of 100% participatory interests in six KFR companies registered in Russia 
and dealing in food and non-food retail business through a chain of 11 hypermarkets. As a result, cost of acquisition of all 
of the participatory interests in six KFR companies for the Group amounted to RUB 11,296,152, including cash consideration 
paid of RUB 11,414,113, less adjustment for working capital of RUB 117,961 at acquisition date.  

The financial position and results of operations of KFR were included in the Group’s consolidated financial statements 
beginning from 30 November 2016. As of the date of issuance of these consolidated financial statements, the Group and 
Kesko Food Russia Holding Oy (the seller) have not finalised the working capital adjustment of the acquired entities and 
the Group has not completed its purchase price allocation in accordance with IFRS 3 Business Combinations. Accordingly, 
the acquisition of KFR has been accounted for based on provisional values.

The Group assigned provisional values to net assets acquired based on estimates of an independent appraiser.  
The Group will finalise the purchase price allocation within 12 months from the acquisition date.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 20167.  ACQUISITION OF SUBSIDIARIES (CONTINUED)
Provisional fair values of the identifiable assets and liabilities of KFR at the date of acquisition were:

Property, plant and equipment (Note 9) 
Prepayments for construction
Leasehold rights (Note 11) 
Deferred tax asset (Note 22)
Inventories 
Trade and other receivable 
Advances paid
VAT and other taxes recoverable
Cash and cash equivalents 
Deferred tax liability (Note 22)
Trade and other payables 
Advances received
Current income tax payable 
Fair value of the identifiable net assets
Total acquisition cost

  117

Provisional 
values at the 
acquisition date
9,992,668
10,590
751,919
208,137
213,364
123,296
47,398
312,766
313,632
(74,296)
(589,532)
(5,340)
(8,450)
11,296,152
11,296,152

The fair value of the trade and other receivables amounts to RUB 123,296. The gross amount of trade receivables is 
RUB 126,096, of which RUB 2,800 have been impaired. It is expected that the rest contractual amounts can be collected. 

During the year ended 31 December 2016 cash flow of acquisition was as follows:

Cash paid
Less cash acquired with subsidiaries
Net cash flow on acquisition

Cash flow 
of acquisition
11,414,113
(313,632)
11,100,481

From the date of acquisition the contribution to revenue and profit before tax of KFR was RUB 1,053,797 and RUB 19,252 
respectively. It is not practicable to determine contribution to revenue and profit before tax of KFR if it had been acquired at 
the beginning of the year ended 31 December 2016 due to different management and operational styles of acquired business 
and the Group.

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118

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

8.  BALANCES AND TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES
The transactions with related parties are made on terms equivalent to those that prevail in arm’s length transactions.

The consolidated financial statements include the following balances with related parties:

Entities with significant influence over the Group:

EBRD
Long-term loans payable
Accrued liabilities
Interest accrued

TPG Capital
Accrued liabilities

The following transactions were carried out with related parties:

Entities with significant influence over the Group:

EBRD
Repayments of borrowings
Interest expense
Directors fee
Business trip expenses
Consulting services

TPG Capital
Directors fee
Business trip expenses
Consulting services

31 December
 2016

31 December 
2015

–
75
–

4,520,527
6,559
1,691

3,260

13,848

31 December
 2016

31 December 
2015

(4,554,240)
340,077
–
155
75

28,784
1,214
–

–
833,200
25,483
323
–

23,642
19,919
2,807

Remuneration to the members of the Board of Directors and key management personnel is as follows:

Short-term benefits
Long-term benefits (share-based payments, Note 28)
Total remuneration

Year ended
31 December
 2016
666,246
280,693
946,939

Year ended
31 December 
2015
682,421
158,645
841,066

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
  119

9.  PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT

Land

Land 
improvements

Buildings

Machinery and 
equipment

Assets under
 construction

Total

Cost 
Balance at 1 January 2016
Additions
Transfers from construction in progress
Transfers from leasehold rights
Acquisition of subsidiaries (Note 7)
Disposals
Balance at 31 December 2016

12,582,774
19,046
3,397,951
618,314
1,253,373
(857)
17,870,601

7,116,578
–
2,642,680
–
309,987
(5,420)

71,205,405
–
23,360,680
–
6,089,079
(163,705)
10,063,825 100,491,459

29,434,011
66
11,769,060
–
2,323,192
(565,266)
42,961,063

3,564,759 123,903,527
41,060,544
41,041,432
–
(41,170,371)
618,314
–
9,992,668
17,037
(900,039)
(164,791)
3,288,066 174,675,014

Accumulated depreciation  

and impairment

Balance at 1 January 2016
Charge for the year
Disposals
Balance at 31 December 2016

Net book value
Balance at 1 January 2016
Balance at 31 December 2016

–
–
–
–

1,041,933
258,724
(529)
1,300,128

8,647,931
2,702,141
(24,140)
11,325,932

10,197,205
4,376,332
(336,872)
14,236,665

–
–
–
–

19,887,069
7,337,197
(361,541)
26,862,725

12,582,774
17,870,601

6,074,645
8,763,697

62,557,474
89,165,527

19,236,806
28,724,398

3,564,759 104,016,458
3,288,066 147,812,289

Land

Land 
improvements

Buildings

Machinery and 
equipment

Assets under
 construction

Total

Cost 
Balance at 1 January 2015
Additions
Transfers from construction in progress
Transfers from leasehold rights
Disposals
Balance at 31 December 2015

9,971,338
–
2,035,686
655,359
(79,609)
12,582,774

5,488,814
–
1,650,598
–
(22,834)
7,116,578

54,610,275
87,269
16,510,017
–
(2,156)
71,205,405

21,331,730
611
8,370,416
–
(268,746)
29,434,011

4,542,748
27,642,190
(28,566,717)
–
(53,462)

95,944,905
27,730,070
–
655,359
(426,807)
3,564,759 123,903,527

Accumulated depreciation  

and impairment

Balance at 1 January 2015
Charge for the year
Disposals
Balance at 31 December 2015

Net book value
Balance at 1 January 2015
Balance at 31 December 2015

–
–
–
–

848,274
193,659
–
1,041,933

6,621,417
2,028,335
(1,821)
8,647,931

7,257,007
3,138,721
(198,523)
10,197,205

–
–
–
–

14,726,698
5,360,715
(200,344)
19,887,069

9,971,338
12,582,774

4,640,540
6,074,645

47,988,858
62,557,474

14,074,723
19,236,806

4,542,748
81,218,207
3,564,759 104,016,458

During the year ended 31 December 2016 and the year ended 31 December 2015 the Group is not involved in acquisition 
of any assets that would satisfy the definition of qualifying assets for the purposes of borrowing costs capitalisation.  
Thus, no borrowings costs were capitalised during those periods.

Land and buildings with a carrying amount of RUB 3,956,848 thousand were pledged under secured loan agreement 
with EBRD as at 31 December 2015. All pledged assets were released upon termination of the loan agreement with EBRD 
on 30 June 2016 (see Note 21).

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120

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

9.  PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT (CONTINUED)
No property, plant and equipment is held by the Group under finance leases at 31 December 2016. 

At 31 December 2015 the carrying amount of property, plant and equipment held under finance leases is RUB 37,532 
thousand.

Depreciation and amortisation expense
The amount of depreciation charged during the year ended 31 December 2016 and year ended 31 December 2015 
is presented within depreciation and amortisation in the Group’s consolidated statement of profit or loss and other 
comprehensive income and statement of cash flows as follows:

Depreciation of property, plant and equipment (Note 9)
Amortisation of intangible assets (Note 12)
Leasehold rights amortisation (Note 11)
Total depreciation and amortisation

See Note 29 for capital commitments.

Year ended
31 December
 2016
7,337,197
290,898
66,474
7,694,569

Year ended
31 December 
2015
5,360,715
257,940
67,609
5,686,264

10. PREPAYMENTS FOR CONSTRUCTION
Prepayments for construction are represented by advances given to the constructors for the building of the stores  
and to suppliers.

Prepayments are regularly monitored on the subject of impairment. An impairment analysis is performed at each reporting 
date on an individual basis for counterparties. A provision for impairment is established when there is objective evidence that 
the Group will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of prepayments. As at 31 December 2016 
the Group impaired RUB 378,672 of prepayments (31 December 2015: RUB 235,995).

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 201611.  LEASEHOLD RIGHTS
Leasehold rights as at 31 December 2016 consist of the following:

Cost
At 1 January 2016
Additions
Acquisition of subsidiaries (Note 7)
Disposals
Transfer to PPE
At 31 December 2016

Accumulated amortisation 
At 1 January 2016
Charge for the year
Transfer to PPE
At 31 December 2016

Net book value
At 1 January 2016
At 31 December 2016

Leasehold rights as at 31 December 2015 consisted of the following:

Cost
At 1 January 2015
Additions
Disposals
Transfer to PPE
At 31 December 2015

Accumulated amortisation 
At 1 January 2015
Charge for the year
Disposals
Transfer to PPE
At 31 December 2016

Net book value
At 1 January 2015
At 31 December 2015

Amortisation expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses (Note 26).

  121

Leasehold rights

3,255,655
630,989
751,919
(1,279)
(657,637)
3,979,647

208,487
66,474
(39,323)
235,638

3,047,168
3,744,009

Leasehold rights

3,486,162
557,827
(63,559)
(724,775)
3,255,655

214,618
67,609
(4,324)
(69,416)
208,487

3,271,544
3,047,168

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122

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

12.  INTANGIBLE ASSETS OTHER THAN LEASEHOLD RIGHTS
Intangible assets other than leasehold rights as at 31 December 2016 consist of the following:

Cost
At 1 January 2016
Additions
At 31 December 2016

Accumulated amortisation
At 1 January 2016
Amortisation for the period
At 31 December 2016

Net book value
At 1 January 2016
At 31 December 2016

Software

Trade marks

Total

2,078,687
1,088,745
3,167,432

986,358
290,898
1,277,256

1,092,329
1,890,176

549
–
549

549
–
549

2,079,236
1,088,745
3,167,981

986,907
290,898
1,277,805

–
–

1,092,329
1,890,176

Intangible assets other than leasehold rights as at 31 December 2015 consisted of the following:

Cost
At 1 January 2015
Additions
Disposals
At 31 December 2015

Accumulated amortisation
At 1 January 2015
Amortisation for the period
Disposals
At 31 December 2015

Net book value
At 1 January 2015
At 31 December 2015

Software

Trade marks

Total

1,603,385
486,224
(10,922)
2,078,687

732,870
257,924
(4,436)
986,358

870,515
1,092,329

549
–
–
549

533
16
–
549

16
–

1,603,934
486,224
(10,922)
2,079,236

733,403
257,940
(4,436)
986,907

870,531
1,092,329

Amortisation expense is included in selling, general and administrative expenses (Note 26).

13.  INVENTORIES

Goods for resale (at lower of cost and net realisable value)
Raw materials
Total inventories

31 December
 2016
26,191,962
1,298,979
27,490,941

31 December 
2015
21,809,738
971,994
22,781,732

Raw materials are represented by inventories used in own production process in butchery, bakery and culinary.

Goods for resale (at cost)
Write down to net realisable value
Goods for resale (at lower of cost and net realisable value)

31 December
 2016
27,437,087
(1,245,125)
26,191,962

31 December 
2015
22,729,419
(919,681)
21,809,738

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
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13.  INVENTORIES (CONTINUED)
During the reporting period the Group wrote down inventories to their net realisable value, which resulted in recognition of 
expenses within cost of sales in the consolidated statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income for the year 
ended 31 December 2016 in the amount of RUB 325,443 thousand (compared to RUB 38,710 thousand of expense reversal 
recognised in the year ended 31 December 2015).

14. TRADE AND OTHER RECEIVABLES

Accounts receivable on rental and other services and on suppliers’ advertising
Suppliers’ rebates receivable
Other receivables
Bad debt allowance
Total trade and other receivables

31 December
 2016
12,892,578
3,858,738
352,258
(67,785)
17,035,789

31 December 
2015
9,727,574
3,643,232
307,105
(31,017)
13,646,894

Receivables are due normally within 25 days according to the terms of standard contracts. Outstanding receivables are 
regularly monitored. An impairment analysis is performed at each reporting date on an individual basis for counterparties. 
A provision for impairment of receivables is established when there is objective evidence that the Group will not be able to 
collect all amounts due according to the original terms of receivables. Usually for receivables over 365 days the allowance 
for doubtful debts is 100%, unless there are strong indications from the nature of the agreement underlying the debt that 
no allowance is needed as the long term of the receivable is in line with the agreement. Allowances for doubtful debts are 
recognised against receivables of under 365 days based on estimated irrecoverable amounts determined by reference to 
past default experience of each particular counterparty and an analysis of the counterparty’s current financial position.

Amounts receivable from suppliers and accounts receivable on rental and other services disclosed above include amounts 
(see below for ageing analysis) that are past due at the end of the reporting period for which the Group has not recognised 
an allowance for doubtful debts because there has not been a significant change in credit quality and the amounts are 
still considered recoverable. The Group does not hold any collateral or other credit enhancements over these balances.

Ageing of trade and other receivables that are past due but not impaired as at 31 December 2016:

Suppliers’ volume rebates receivable
Accounts receivable on rental and other services
Other receivables
Total

0–60 days 
overdue
322,208
758,337
64,594
1,145,139

60–120 days
 overdue
5,613
53,411
9,814
68,838

120–365 days 
overdue
22,260
60,141
20,689
103,090

Neither past 
due nor
impaired
3,486,694
11,975,546
256,482
15,718,722

Total
3,836,775
12,847,435
351,579
17,035,789

Ageing of trade and other receivables that were past due but not impaired as at 31 December 2015:

Suppliers’ volume rebates receivable
Accounts receivable on rental and other services
Other receivables
Total

15.  ADVANCES PAID

Advances to suppliers of goods
Advances for services
Guarantee payments under lease contracts
Total advances paid

0–60 days 
overdue
87,469
1,206,134
80,450
1,374,053

60–120 days
 overdue
8,326
45,621
4,157
58,104

120–365 days 
overdue
30,827
43,801
1,376
76,004

Neither past 
due nor
impaired
3,513,960
8,406,211
218,562
12,138,733

Total
3,640,582
9,701,767
304,545
13,646,894

31 December
 2016
1,162,541
1,109,412
397,808
2,669,761

31 December 
2015
788,124
1,066,570
410,217
2,264,911

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
124

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

16.  TAXES RECOVERABLE
Taxes recoverable as at 31 December 2016 are represented by a VAT recoverable of RUB 3,920,940 thousand  
(31 December 2015: RUB 1,257,764 thousand).

17.  CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

Rouble short-term deposits
Rouble denominated cash in transit
Rouble denominated cash on hand and balances with banks
Foreign currency denominated cash on hand and balances with banks
Total cash and cash equivalents

31 December
 2016
5,669,714
5,272,838
2,062,814
32,401
13,037,767

31 December 
2015
16,612,228
2,258,241
3,556,009
29,467
22,455,945

Cash in transit represents cash receipts made during the last day of the reporting period (29–31 December), which were 
sent to banks but not deposited into the respective bank accounts until the next reporting period.

Significant rouble denominated cash in transit results from the business seasonality, indicating higher levels of retail sales 
in holiday periods such as New Year’s Eve as well as the closing day in relation to the official banking days in Russia.  
If the closing day is on non-banking days, the amount of cash in transit increases. 

Short-term deposits are made for varying periods of between one day and three months, depending on the immediate 
cash requirements of the Group, and earn interest at the respective short-term deposit rates.

18.  ISSUED CAPITAL AND RESERVES

Issued capital 
As at 31 December 2016 the Company’s share capital is comprised of 97,318,746 authorised and issued ordinary shares 
(as at 31 December 2015: 97,318,746) with equal voting rights. The shares have no par value.

All outstanding ordinary shares are entitled to an equal share in any dividend declared by the Company. According to 
the BVI Business Companies Act No. 16 of 2004, no dividends can be declared and paid unless the Board of Directors 
determines that immediately after the payment of the dividend the Group will be able to satisfy its liabilities as they become 
due in the ordinary course of its business and the realisable value of the assets of the Group will not be less than the sum 
of its total liabilities, other than deferred taxes, as shown in the books of account, and its capital. In accordance with Russian 
legislation, Lenta LLC, the Company’s primary operating subsidiary registered under the laws of the Russian Federation, 
may distribute profits as dividends or transfer them to reserves (fund accounts) limited to the retained earnings recorded in 
its financial statements prepared in accordance with Russian Accounting Rules. No dividends to holders of ordinary shares 
are declared for the year ended 31 December 2016 and for the year ended 31 December 2015.

The movements in the number of shares for the year ended 31 December 2016 and for the year ended 31 December 2015 
are as follows.

Authorised share capital (ordinary shares with no par value)
Issued and fully paid (no par value)

Balance of shares outstanding at beginning of financial year
Additional issue of shares
Balance of shares outstanding at the end of financial year

31 December
 2016
No.
unlimited
97,318,746

31 December
 2016
No.
97,318,746
–
97,318,746

31 December
2015
No.
unlimited
97,318,746

31 December
2015
No.
86,053,394
11,265,352
97,318,746

In year 2015 11,265,352 ordinary shares were issued by the Group for a cash consideration of RUB 21,788,593 thousand 
net of directly attributable issuance costs. The whole amount of the consideration received was recorded as increase in 
additional paid-in capital, as the shares have no par value.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  125

18.  ISSUED CAPITAL AND RESERVES (CONTINUED)

Share options reserve
The share options reserve is used to recognise the value of equity-settled share-based payments provided to employees, 
including key management personnel, as part of their remuneration. Refer to Note 28 for further details of these plans.

Hedging reserve
The hedging reserve is used to recognise the effective portion of the gain or loss from the hedging instrument and later 
reclassified to profit or loss when the hedge item affects profit or loss.

19.  COMPONENTS OF OTHER COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (OCI)

Cash flow hedges
Reclassification during the year to profit or loss
Related tax effect
Gain/(loss) arising during the year
Related tax effect
Net loss during the year

20. EARNINGS PER SHARE

Earnings per share (in thousands of Russian roubles per share)
Reclassification during the year to profit or loss

Year ended
31 December
 2016

Year ended
31 December 
2015

(410,581)
82,116
44,241
(8,848)
(293,072)

(1,800,556)
360,111
(525,963)
105,193
(1,861,215)

Year ended
31 December
 2016

Year ended
31 December 
2015

0.115

0.112

The calculation of basic earnings per share for reporting periods is based on the profit attributable to shareholders (for the 
year ended 31 December 2016: RUB 11,202,028 thousand, for the year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 10,288,093 thousand) 
and a weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the respective periods, calculated as shown below.

Number of issued shares at the beginning of period
Number of shares issued in October 2015
Number of shares issued in March 2015
Number of shares at the end of reporting period
Weighted average number of shares

Year ended
31 December
 2016
97,318,746
–
–
97,318,746
97,318,746

Year ended
31 December 
2015
86,053,394
4,225,352
7,040,000
97,318,746
92,252,707

The Group has issued share-based payments’ (Note 28) instruments that could potentially dilute basic earnings per share 
in the future. These instruments have no material effect on dilution of earnings per share for the periods presented.

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126

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

21.  BORROWINGS
Short-term borrowings:

Fixed rate bonds (liability for interests)
Fixed rate long-term bank loans (liability for interests)
Floating rate long-term bank loans (liability for interests)
Floating rate short-term bank loans (liability for interests)
Fixed rate short-term bank loans (liability for interests)
Short-term portion of floating rate long-term bank loans
Short-term portion of fixed rate long-term bank loans
Fixed rate short-term bank loans
Fixed rate bonds
Total short-term borrowings and short-term portion  

of long-term borrowings

Long-term borrowings:

Fixed rate bonds
Fixed rate long-term bank loans
Floating rate long-term bank loans
Total long-term borrowings

Currency
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB
RUB

31 December
 2016
713,803
32,612
803,918
3,266
82,853
3,270,650
11,400,000
18,938,018
–

31 December 
2015
760,097
30,138
14,575
–
–
–
–
–
9,968,467

35,245,120

10,773,277

Currency
RUB
RUB
RUB

31 December
 2016
16,958,600
16,931,549
33,065,782
66,955,931

31 December 
2015
9,973,156
9,951,940
45,224,001
65,149,097

The Group’s borrowings as at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 are denominated in Russian roubles.

On 27 January 2016 the Group received RUB 7,000,000 thousand under non-revolving credit line agreement with 
PJSC Rosbank with maturity period of 3 years. The loan bears financial covenants. 

On 18 February 2016 coupons 7-11 on 03 series bonds issued in March 2013 were reset at 11.75% per annum, put option 
right on early redemption after 2.5 years (August 2018). On 3 March 2016 the Group executed an offer of 03 series bonds 
with total nominal value of RUB 586,583 thousand, and completed book building for the offering on the same day at price 
amounting to 100.75% of nominal value. 

On 24 February 2016 coupons 7-11 on 01 series bonds issued in March 2013 were reset at 11.75% per annum, put option 
right on early redemption after 2.5 years (September 2018). On 10 March 2016 right on early redemption of 01 series bonds 
was not exercised by the holders.

On 24 February 2016 coupons 7-12 on 02 series bonds issued in March 2013 were reset at 11% per annum, put option 
right on early redemption after 3 years (March 2019). On 10 March 2016 the Group executed an offer of 02 series bonds 
with total nominal value of RUB 2,999,979 thousand.

The funds raised from the issue of the bonds are used on business expansion. 

On 9 June 2016 the Group signed revolving credit line of RUB 5,000,000 thousand with PJSC Bank Saint-Petersburg. 

On 21 June 2016 revolving credit line of RUB 5,000,000 thousand was agreed with JSC Rosselkhozbank. The credit line 
has financial covenants.

On 30 June 2016 termination of loan agreement with EBRD was signed upon the prepayment of the entire outstanding 
principal amount of RUB 4,554,240 thousand.

On 03 November 2016 the Group received RUB 10,000,000 thousand under non-revolving credit line agreement with 
PJSC Sberbank. The loan bears financial covenants.

On 9 November 2016 the Group signed revolving credit line of RUB 3,000,000 thousand with PJSC Rosbank.  
The credit line bears financial covenants. At the reporting date the Group draw down RUB 1,000,000 thousand. 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  127

21.  BORROWINGS (CONTINUED)
On 18 November 2016 the Group signed revolving credit line of RUB 15,000,000 thousand with PJSC Sberbank.  
At the reporting date the Group draws down RUB 6,400,000 thousand. The loan bears a financial covenant.

On 15 December 2016 the Group signed 5 year loan agreement of RUB 8,500,000 thousand with JSC UniCredit Bank. 
The loan bears financial covenants.

On 22 December 2016 the Group signed 4 year non-revolving credit line of RUB 4,000,000 thousand with 
JSC Raiffeisenbank. The loan bears financial covenants.

During the year ended 31 December 2016 the Group received RUB 28,600,000 thousand under credit agreements 
concluded before 1 January 2016 and repaid RUB 29,775,669 thousand.

As at 31 December 2016 the Group had RUB 44,150,000 thousand of unused credit facilities (as at 31 December 2015: 
RUB 45,300,000 thousand). 

As at 31 December 2016 the Group is in compliance with all financial covenants of loan agreements. 

22. INCOME TAXES
The Group’s income tax expense for the year ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 is as follows:

Current tax expense
Deferred tax expense
Adjustments in respect of current income tax of previous year
Income tax expense recognised in profit for the year

Tax effect related to effective portion of change in the fair value of  

cash flow hedging instruments

Income tax (benefit)/expense recognised in OCI

Profit before tax
Theoretical tax charge at 20%

Difference in tax rates for foreign companies and specific tax regime in Russia
Add tax effect of non-deductible expenses
  – share option expenses
  – others
Adjustments in respect of current income tax of previous years
Income tax expense

Year ended
31 December
 2016
1,137,425
2,213,795
–
3,351,220

Year ended
31 December 
2015
632,900
1,944,919
6,191
2,584,010

Year ended
31 December
 2016

Year ended
31 December 
2015

(73,268)
(73,268)

(465,304)
(465,304)

Year ended
31 December
 2016
14,553,248
(2,910,649)

Year ended
31 December 
2015
12,872,103
(2,574,421)

(101,269)
(339,302)
(66,037)
(273,265)
–
3,351,220

157,125
(160,523)
(36,825)
(123,698)
(6,191)
2,584,010

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
128

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

22. INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED)
Differences between IFRS and Russian statutory tax regulations give rise to temporary differences between the carrying 
amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and their tax bases. The tax effect of the movements in these 
temporary differences, recorded at the rate of 20% is detailed below.

Tax effect of (taxable)/ deductible  

temporary differences

Property, plant and equipment
Consulting and other accruals
Other
Total deferred assets

Tax effect of (taxable)/deductible  

temporary differences

Property, plant and equipment
Leasehold rights
Unused vacation and employee bonuses accrual
Suppliers’ bonuses
Borrowings
Intangible assets other than leasehold rights
Inventory
Bad debt allowance
Finance leasing
Consulting and other accruals
Customs duty payable
Cash flow hedging instruments
Other
Total deferred tax liabilities

Differences
 in recognition
 and reversals 
recognised in 
profit or loss

Differences
 in recognition 
and reversals 
recognised 
in other 
comprehensive 
income

1 January
 2016

Deferred tax
 on acquisition 
of subsidiaries 
(Note 7)

31 December 
2016

–
–
–
–

(68,668)
(8,529)
(7,432)
(84,629)

–
–
–
–

199,467
8,529
141
208,137

130,799
–
(7,291)
123,508

Differences
 in recognition
 and reversals 
recognised in 
profit or loss

Differences
 in recognition 
and reversals 
recognised 
in other 
comprehensive 
income

Deferred tax
 on acquisition 
of subsidiaries 
(Note 7)

31 December 
2016

(2,360,501)
(2,382)
4,462
69,859
65,058
(3,307)
96,393
30,029
(3,418)
48,061
(37,618)
(3,898)
(31,904)
(2,129,166)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
73,268
–
73,268

(142,047)
–
–
–
–
–
58,712
1,861
–
7,558
–
–
(380)
(74,296)

(7,619,160)
(430,827)
261,671
(874)
(129,273)
(24,076)
570,280
79,949
–
121,539
–
(158,236)
(30,991)
(7,359,998)

1 January
 2016

(5,116,612)
(428,445)
257,209
(70,733)
(194,331)
(20,769)
415,175
48,059
3,418
65,920
37,618
(227,606)
1,293
(5,229,804)

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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22. INCOME TAXES (CONTINUED)

Tax effect of (taxable)/deductible  

temporary differences

Property, plant and equipment
Leasehold rights
Unused vacation and employee bonuses accrual
Suppliers’ bonuses
Borrowings
Intangible assets other than leasehold rights
Inventory
Bad debt allowance
Finance leasing
Consulting and other accruals
Customs duty payable
Cash flow hedging instruments
Other
Total deferred tax (liabilities)/assets

  129

Differences
 in recognition
 and reversals 
recognised in 
profit or loss

Differences
 in recognition 
and reversals 
recognised 
in other 
comprehensive 
income

(1,875,521)
21,911
112,389
86,625
(115,291)
(3,383)
(171,014)
34,823
(3,529)
19,151
6,941
(58,007)
(14)
(1,944,919)

–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
465,304
–
465,304

1 January
 2015

(3,241,091)
(450,356)
144,820
(157,358)
(79,040)
(17,386)
586,189
13,236
6,947
46,769
30,677
(634,903)
1,307
(3,750,189)

31 December 
2015

(5,116,612)
(428,445)
257,209
(70,733)
(194,331)
(20,769)
415,175
48,059
3,418
65,920
37,618
(227,606)
1,293
(5,229,804)

The temporary taxable differences associates with undistributed earnings of subsidiaries amount to RUB 59,399,304 
thousand and RUB 54,229,761 thousand as of 31 December 2016 and 2015, respectively. A deferred tax liability on 
these temporary differences was not recognised, because management believed that it was in a position to control the 
timing of reversal of such differences and has no intention to reverse them in the foreseeable future.

23. TRADE AND OTHER PAYABLES

Trade payables
Accrued liabilities and other creditors
Payables for purchases of property, plant and equipment
Total trade and other payables

The trade and other payables are denominated in:

Russian roubles
USD
EUR
GBP
Total trade and other payables

24. OTHER TAXES PAYABLE

Social taxes
Property tax
Personal income tax
Other taxes
Total other taxes payable

31 December
 2016
46,612,578
4,437,082
5,121,938
56,171,598

31 December 
2015
42,002,004
3,586,669
3,231,534
48,820,207

31 December
 2016
55,569,398
418,393
165,950
17,857
56,171,598

31 December 
2015
48,601,870
122,582
94,991
764
48,820,207

31 December
 2016
559,625
381,379
157,637
12,665
1,111,306

31 December 
2015
490,231
270,774
134,089
31,990
927,084

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
130

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

25. COST OF SALES
Cost of sales for the years ended 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 consists of the following:

Cost of goods sold
Cost of own production
Supply chain cost
Losses due to inventory shortages and write down to net realisable value
Total cost of sales

Cost of goods sold is reduced by rebates and promotional bonuses received from suppliers.

The cost of own production consists of the following:

Raw materials
Labour costs
Utilities
Repairs and maintenance
Total cost of own production

Year ended
31 December
 2016
204,373,681
24,810,938
3,795,679
5,603,731
238,584,029

Year ended
31 December 
2015
167,408,885
21,710,294
3,185,448
4,153,283
196,457,910

Year ended
31 December
 2016
20,497,106
3,492,856
700,859
120,117
24,810,938

Year ended
31 December 
2015
17,925,511
2,947,684
752,180
84,919
21,710,294

Cost of sales for the year ended 31 December 2016 includes employee benefits expense of RUB 3,492,856 thousand 
(year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 4,092,406 thousand) of which contributions to state pension fund are comprised 
of RUB 499,517 thousand (year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 609,388 thousand).

26. SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES

Employee benefits
Depreciation and amortisation (Note 9, 11, 12)
Advertising
Premises lease
Utilities and communal payments
Professional fees
Cleaning
Repairs and maintenance
Security services
Taxes other than income tax
Land and equipment lease
Pre-opening costs
Other
Total selling, general and administrative expenses

Year ended
31 December
 2016
17,522,506
7,694,569
3,324,415
3,167,843
2,959,131
2,615,199
1,789,987
1,636,793
1,300,135
1,263,223
267,793
743,348
2,157,568
46,442,510

Year ended
31 December 
2015
14,558,823
5,671,219
2,313,536
2,349,035
1,964,640
1,822,108
1,432,304
1,264,894
973,180
1,096,846
323,045
640,596
1,634,545
36,044,771

Employee benefits for the year ended 31 December 2016 include contributions to state pension fund of RUB 2,234,917 
thousand (year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 1,844,088 thousand).

Pre-opening costs for the year ended 31 December 2016 include employee benefits of RUB 414,530 thousand (year ended 31 
December 2015: RUB 360,904 thousand) of which contributions to state pension fund are comprised RUB 46,496 thousand 
(year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 39,742 thousand).

Professional fees for the year ended 31 December 2016 include fees billed by Ernst & Young LLC: for the audit of the 
consolidated financial statements in the amount of RUB 25,186 thousand (for the year ended 31 December 2015: RUB 29,565 
thousand) and for consulting and other non audit services in the amount of RUB 20,725 thousand (for the year ended 31 
December 2015: RUB 5,699 thousand).

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 201627.  OTHER OPERATING INCOME AND EXPENSES
Other operating income is comprised of the following:

Rental income
Penalties due by suppliers
Sale of secondary materials
Advertising income
Amounts received from lawsuit settlement
Gain on property, plant and equipment disposal
Other
Total other operating income

Other operating expenses are comprised of the following:

Loss from fixed assets and leasehold rights disposal
Change in bad debt allowance and impairment of advances  

and prepayments for construction (Note 10, 14)

Amounts paid in settlement of lawsuit
Penalties for breach of a contracts with suppliers 
Penalties from government authorities 
Other
Total other operating expenses

28. SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS 

  131

Year ended
31 December
 2016
973,959
788,786
497,245
488,599
188,089
17,165
132,236
3,086,079

Year ended
31 December 
2015
752,755
904,528
295,743
422,002
–
62,250
147,032
2,584,310

Year ended
31 December
 2016
280,492

Year ended
31 December 
2015
181,567

178,504
125,870
61,653
18,185
51,671
716,375

194,665
–
1,311
65,351
69,639
512,533

Long-term incentive plan
During the year 2014 the Group approved a long-term incentive plan (LTIP) to certain members of management, 
according to which the Company granted award shares in 2014, 2015 and 2016 along with the communication of the 
terms of award to participants.

The monetary amount of the award to be granted to the participants of the plan was calculated based on the annual base 
salary on the grant date, target award interest, business results co efficient and individual performance rating co-efficient.

Under terms of Tranche 2014 the shares are to be released in phases:

•  1st 25% on the first anniversary of the award (1 April 2015);

•  2nd 25% on the second anniversary of the award (1 April 2016);

•  50% on the third anniversary of the award (1 April 2017), provided that employment conditions are met.

With respect to the first phase no shares were issued in April 2015 and April 2016, the Group plans to release shares 
till the end of 2017.

The vesting date of 100% of Tranche 2015 is 1 April 2018. The vesting dates of awards granted during 2016 year are 
31 December 2018 and 1 April 2019.

The fair value of the award shares was estimated based on the GDR price on Moscow Exchange on the award grant date.

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
132

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

28. SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS (CONTINUED)

Long-term incentive plan (continued)
Total expense recognised for the services received from the employees covered by long-term incentive plan for the year 
ended 31 December 2016 and the year ended 31 December 2015 is shown in the following table:

Expense arising from the equity-settled long-term incentive plan payments

Year ended
31 December
 2016
139,355

Year ended
31 December 
2015
28,925

Share value appreciation rights
During the 2013 the Group granted share value appreciation rights (SVARs) to certain members of top management as part 
of management long-term incentive plan. Each SVAR entitles the holder to a quantity of ordinary shares in Lenta Ltd based 
on an increase in the share price over a predetermined exercise price subject to meeting the performance conditions.

Movements during the year
The following table illustrates the number and weighted average exercise prices (WAEP) of, and movements in, SVARs:

Outstanding at 1 January
Granted during the year
Forfeited during the year
Exercised during the year
Expired during the year
Outstanding at 31 December
Exercisable at 31 December

2016
Number
594,211
42,000
–
–
–
636,211
–

2016
WAEP
RUB 1,516
RUB 2,214
–
–
–
RUB 1,562
–

2015
Number
594,211
–
–
–
–
594,211
–

2015
WAEP
USD 49.84
–
–
–
–
RUB 1,516
–

In March 2015 modifications to the SVARs were agreed including deferral of exercise date of SVARs that are to be vested 
in April 2015 by one year. 

On 17 July 2015 the Remuneration Committee of Lenta Ltd agreed on certain changes in the management long-term 
incentive plan, which is based on share value appreciation rights. Whereas the plan has been set up using financial 
parameters denominated in USD, all financial parameters are now changed into Russian roubles using the exchange 
rate on the date of the grant (1 April 2013). As a result, the exercise price for the remaining outstanding options will be 
changed from USD 49.84 to RUB 1,516 per share. The vesting schedule has been revised and fixed, as a result of which 
the remaining 80% of the initial grant will now vest in 2 stages: 30% on 1 April 2017 and the remaining 50% on 1 April 2018.

During the year ended 31 December 2016 additional tranche of share value appreciation rights (SVARs) was granted 
to certain members of top management as part of management long-term incentive plan.

The weighted average remaining contractual life for the SVARs outstanding as at 31 December 2016 was 1.76 years 
(31 December 2015: 2.3 years).

The weighted average exercise price for options outstanding as at 31 December 2016 is RUB 1,562 thousand  
(31 December 2015: RUB 1,516 thousand).

The weighted average fair value of options outstanding as at 31 December 2016 is RUB 0.89 thousand (year ended 
31 December 2015: RUB 0.86 thousand).

The expense recognised for the services received from the employees covered by SVARs plan during the year is shown  
in the following table:

Expense arising from the equity-settled SVARs transaction

Year ended
31 December
 2016
190,828

Year ended
31 December 
2015
155,199

The fair value of the management SVARs is estimated at the grant date using the Black Scholes option pricing model, 
taking into account the terms and conditions upon which the SVARs were granted.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
  133

29.  COMMITMENTS

Capital expenditure commitments
At 31 December 2016 the Group has contractual capital expenditure commitments in respect of property, plant and 
equipment and intangible assets totalling RUB 21,055,701 thousand net of VAT (31 December 2015: RUB 19,370,442 
thousand net of VAT).

Operating lease commitments
Where the Group is the lessee, the future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases are as follows:

Not later than 1 year
Later than 1 year and not later than 5 years
Later than 5 years
Total operating lease commitments

30. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

Categories of financial instruments

Financial assets
Cash
Trade and other receivables
Cash flow hedging instruments

Financial liabilities
Cash flow hedging instruments

At amortised cost
Floating rate long-term borrowings
Fixed rate long-term borrowings and bonds
Fixed rate short-term borrowings 
Floating rate short-term borrowings
Trade and other payables
Obligations under finance leases
Total financial liabilities at amortised cost

31 December
 2016
4,353,739
17,616,198
32,311,175
54,281,112

31 December 
2015
3,786,074
14,664,366
33,247,702
51,698,142

31 December
 2016

31 December 
2015

13,037,767
17,035,789
372,210

22,455,945
13,646,894
794,464

48,725

124,128

33,869,700
34,636,564
30,420,871
3,273,916
56,171,598
–
158,372,649

45,238,576
20,395,179
10,288,619
–
47,058,158
18,577
122,999,109

Fair values
The following table provides the fair value measurement hierarchy of the Group’s financial assets and liabilities. Quantitative 
disclosures of fair value measurement hierarchy for financial assets and financial liabilities as at 31 December 2016:

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Financial assets measured at fair value
Cash flow hedging instruments

Financial liabilities measured at fair value
Cash flow hedging instruments

31 December 
2016

372,210

48,725

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

–

–

372,210

48,725

Financial liabilities for which fair values are disclosed
Fixed rate bonds
Floating rate borrowings
Fixed rate borrowings

18,260,825
37,143,616
47,002,207

18,260,825
–
–

–
37,143,616
47,002,207

–

–

–
–
–

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
134

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

30. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)

Fair values (continued)

Financial assets measured at fair value
Cash flow hedging instruments

Financial liabilities measured at fair value
Cash flow hedging instruments

31 December 
2015

794,464

124,128

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

–

–

794,464

124,128

–

–

–
–
–
–

Financial liabilities for which fair values are disclosed
Fixed rate bonds
Floating rate borrowings
Fixed rate borrowings
Obligations under finance leases

20,632,997
45,238,576
9,479,907
18,577

20,632,997
–
–
–

–
45,238,576
9,479,907
18,577

During the year ending 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, there are no transfers between Level 1, Level 2 and 
Level 3 of fair value measurements.

Set out below, is a comparison by class of the carrying amounts and fair value of the Group’s financial instruments,  
other than those with carrying amounts are reasonable approximations of fair values:

Financial assets
Cash flow hedging instruments

Financial liabilities
Interest-bearing loans and borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Floating rate borrowings
Fixed rate borrowings and bonds

Derivative liabilities
Cash flow hedging instruments
Total financial liabilities

31 December 2016

31 December 2015

Carrying
amount

Fair value

Carrying 
amount

Fair value

372,210

372,210

794,464

794,464

–
37,143,616
65,057,435

–
37,143,616
65,263,032

18,577
45,238,576
30,683,798

18,577
45,238,576
30,112,904

48,725
102,249,776

48,725
102,455,373

124,128
76,065,079

124,128
75,494,185

The management assessed that the carrying amounts of cash and short-term deposits, trade receivables, trade payables 
and other current liabilities approximate their fair values largely due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

The fair value of the financial assets and liabilities is included at the amount at which the instrument could be exchanged 
in a current transaction between willing parties, other than in a forced or liquidation sale.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
  135

30. FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)

Fair values (continued)
The following methods and assumptions are used to estimate the fair values:

•  Fair values of the Group’s interest-bearing borrowings and loans are determined by using DCF method using discount 
rate that reflects the issuer’s borrowing rate as at the end of the reporting period. The own non-performance risk as 
at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015 is assessed to be insignificant. 

•  The fair value of bonds is based on the price quotations at the reporting date at Moscow exchange where transactions 

with bonds take place with sufficient frequency and volume.

•  The Group enters into derivative financial instruments with financial institutions with investment grade credit ratings. 

Derivatives valued using valuation techniques with market observable inputs are interest rate swaps and caps. The most 
frequently applied valuation techniques include swap models, using present value calculations, and option pricing model 
for caps. The models incorporate various inputs including the credit quality of counterparties and interest rate curves.  
As at 31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015, the marked-to-market value of derivative positions is net of a credit 
valuation adjustment attributable to derivative counterparty default risk. The changes in counterparty credit risk had no 
material effect on the hedge effectiveness assessment for derivatives designated in hedge relationships and other financial 
instruments recognised at fair value.

31.  HEDGE AND HEDGING INSTRUMENTS
The Group entered into interest rate swaps and caps provided by VTB Bank PJSC to mitigate the risk of a rising MosPrime 
interest rate. Caps provide security for 4 quarters during the full periods of the agreement, so the termination date would the 
earlier of the expiry date or the fourth settlement date for the floating amounts paid by VTB Bank PJSC to the Group.

As at period end the Group had the following interest rate financial instruments:

Type of instrument
Interest rate swap
Interest rate swap
Interest rate swap
Interest rate cap
Interest rate cap

Notional 
amount
2016
12,500,000
900,000
–
10,000,000
900,000

Notional 
amount
2015
12,500,000
900,000
1,000,000
10,000,000
900,000

Fixed 
interest
rate
7.64%
7.54%
15.35%
12.00%
12.00%

Fixed
 commission
n/a
n/a
n/a

Effective 
date
31 March 2015
31 December 2013
31 December 2014
0.54% 31 December 2014
0.45% 31 December 2013

Expiry 
date
12 April 2018
12 November 2018
31 December 2016
12 April 2018
12 November 2018

Derivative financial instruments are classified in the statement of financial position as follows:

Non-current asset
Current assets
Non-current liability
Current liability
Net derivative asset

31 December
 2016
62,618
309,592
(2,137)
(46,588)
323,485

31 December 
2015
355,414
439,050
(24,564)
(99,564)
670,336

The Group performs fair value assessment of the fair values of swaps and caps at the reporting date:

Swaps
Caps
Net derivative asset

31 December
 2016
372,210
(48,725)
323,485

31 December 
2015
755,481
(85,145)
670,336

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136

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

31.  HEDGE AND HEDGING INSTRUMENTS (CONTINUED)
Starting 1 July 2013 the Group applied cash flow hedge accounting of swaps and caps that meet prescribed criteria, 
including preparation of all necessary documentation. Hedge accounting was applied prospectively from designation.

Retrospective and prospective effectiveness of cash flow hedges (swaps and caps) was measured by the Group 
using the “dollar offset” method. The effective portion of the gain on or loss from the hedging instrument was recognised 
in other comprehensive income in hedging reserve.

The effect from changes in fair value of financial instruments is recognised as follows:

Profit or loss
Ineffective portion of the change in the fair value of cash flow hedging instruments
Reclassification from hedge reserve into interest expense

Other comprehensive income
Effective portion of the change in the fair value of cash flow hedging instruments
Reclassification from hedge reserve into interest expense

Year ended
31 December
 2016

Year ended
31 December 
2015

–
410,581
410,581

6,308
1,800,556
1,806,864

44,241
(410,581)
(366,340)

(525,963)
(1,800,556)
(2,326,519)

32. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT
The Group’s principal financial liabilities, other than derivatives, comprise of loans and borrowings, trade and other payables. 
The main purpose of these financial liabilities is to finance the Group’s operations and to provide guarantees to support its 
operations. The Group’s principal financial assets include loans, trade and other receivables, and cash and short-term 
deposits that derive directly from its operations. The Group also enters into derivative transactions.

The Group is exposed to market risk, credit risk and liquidity risk. The Group’s senior management oversees the management 
of these risks. The Group’s financial risk activities are governed by appropriate policies and procedures and financial risks 
are identified, measured and managed in accordance with the Group’s policies and risk objectives. All derivative activities 
for risk management purposes are carried out by specialists that have the appropriate skills, experience and supervision.  
It is the Group’s policy that no trading in derivatives for speculative purposes may be undertaken. 

The Board of Directors reviews and agrees policies for managing each of these risks, which are summarised below.

Market risk
Market risk is the risk that the fair value of future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because of changes in 
market prices. Market risk comprises the following types of risk: interest rate risk, currency risk, and other price risk, such as 
equity price risk. Financial instruments affected by market risk include loans and borrowings, cash equivalents and derivative 
financial instruments.

Foreign currency risk
Foreign currency risk is the risk that the fair value or future cash flows of a financial instrument will fluctuate because 
of changes in foreign exchange rates.

During the year ended 31 December 2016 and year ended 31 December 2015, the Group does not attract any amounts 
of foreign currency denominated borrowings, and as a consequence is not materially exposed to foreign currency risk. 
The only balances that are exposed to foreign currency risk are accounts payable to several foreign suppliers. 

At 31 December 2016 and at 31 December 2015 there are no significant amounts in foreign currencies.

Whenever possible, the Group tries to mitigate the exposure to foreign currency risk by matching the statement 
of financial position, and revenue and expense items in the relevant currency.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016  137

32. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED)

Foreign currency sensitivity
The following table demonstrates the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in the US dollar exchange rate, with all other 
variables held constant. 

Year ended 2016

Year ended 2015

Change in 
USD rate
20.00%
-20.00%
40.00%
-13.00%

Effect on 
profit before tax
(83,682)
83,682
(49,033)
15,936

The following table demonstrates the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in the EUR exchange rate, with all other 
variables held constant.

Year ended 2016

Year ended 2015

Change in 
EUR rate
20.00%
-20.00%
43.00%
-15.00%

Effect on 
profit before tax
(33,195)
33,195
(40,846)
14,249

Foreign currency exchange rate reasonable possible change range was prepared for the purpose of market risk disclosures 
in accordance with IFRS 7 and is derived from statistical data, in particular time series analysis.

Interest rate risk
Interest rate risk is the risk that the fair value of future cash flows of the financial instrument will fluctuate because of 
changes in market interest rates. 

The Group’s exposure to the risk of changes in market interest rates relates primarily to the Group’s long-term debt obligations 
with floating interest rates. As at 31 December 2016 these obligations are represented with long-term borrowing (Note 21), 
which bears interest of MosPrime 1-3m plus margin. In order to hedge the risk of rising MosPrime interest rate, the Group 
entered into interest rate swaps and caps (Note 31).

Interest rate sensitivity
The following tables demonstrate the sensitivity to a reasonably possible change in MosPrime rates, on that portion of 
loans and borrowings affected, after the impact of hedge accounting. With all other variables held constant, the Group’s 
profit before tax and OCI are affected through the impact on floating rate borrowings, as follows:

2016
Variable rate instruments
Interest rate swaps and caps
Cash flow sensitivity (net)

2015
Variable rate instruments
Interest rate swaps and caps
Cash flow sensitivity (net)

Profit or loss

OCI

200 bp increase

400 bp decrease

200 bp increase

400 bp decrease

(775,287)
337,619
(437,668)

1,550,574
(576,600)
973,974

–
313,312
313,312

–
(647,145)
(647,145)

Profit or loss

OCI

600 bp increase

500 bp decrease

600 bp increase

500 bp decrease

(2,647,200)
1,519,500
(1,127,700)

2,647,200
(855,009)
1,792,191

–
1,761,327
1,761,327

–
(1,358,130)
(1,358,130)

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138

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

32. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED)

Interest rate sensitivity (continued)
The range of reasonable possible changes in MosPrime rate was prepared for the purpose of market risk disclosures in 
accordance with IFRS 7 and is based on risk metrics that are derived from statistical data, in particular time series analysis.

The Group is exposed to cash flow interest rate risk as it borrows funds at floating interest rates. During the year ended 
31 December 2016 all of the Group’s borrowings are denominated in Russian roubles. The Group evaluates its interest rate 
exposure and hedging activities on a regular basis and acts accordingly in order to align with the defined risk limits set by the 
executive board. To ensure optimal hedging strategies various scenarios are simulated taking into consideration refinancing, 
renewal of existing positions, alternative financing and financial hedging instruments.

The Group manages its cash flow interest rate risk by the use of floating to fixed interest rate swaps and caps. Such financial 
instruments have the economic benefit of converting borrowings issued at variable rates to fixed interest rates. The Group’s 
hedging instruments as at the reporting date are detailed in Note 30 of these financial statements. The sensitivity analyses 
below have been determined based on the net exposure of interest bearing borrowings. The net exposure of the Group to 
interest rate fluctuations as at 31 December 2016 is as follows:

Total floating rate borrowings (gross of direct issue costs)
Less notional amount of interest rate financial instruments (Note 32)
Net exposure to interest rate fluctuations
% of floating rate borrowings exposed to interest rate fluctuations

31 December 
2016
36,928,571
(24,300,000)
12,628,571
34%

Credit risk
Credit risk is the risk that a counterparty may default or not meet its obligations to the Group on a timely basis, leading to 
financial loss to the Group. Financial assets, which are potentially subject to credit risk, consist principally of cash in bank 
accounts and cash in transit, loans and receivables.

In determining the recoverability of receivables the Group performs a risk analysis considering the credit quality of the 
counterparty, the ageing of the outstanding amount and any past default experience.

Trade receivables
The Group has no significant concentrations of credit risk. Concentration of credit risk with respect to receivables is limited 
due to the Company’s customer and vendor base being large and unrelated. Credit is only extended to counterparties subject 
to strict approval procedures. The Group trades only with recognised, creditworthy third parties who are registered in the 
Russian Federation. It is the Group’s policy that all customers who are granted credit terms have a history of purchases from 
the Group. The Group also requires these customers to provide certain documents such as incorporation documents and 
financial statements. In addition, receivable balances are monitored on an ongoing basis with the result that the Group’s 
exposure to bad debts is not significant. Sales to retail customers are made in cash, debit cards or via major credit cards.

Cash and cash equivalents
Credit risk from investing activities is managed by the Group’s treasury department in accordance with the Group’s policy. 
Investments of surplus funds are made only with approved counterparties. Cash is placed in financial institutions, which are 
considered at time of deposit to have minimal risk of default. 

The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date of trade receivables is the carrying value as presented in the 
statement of financial position. The maximum exposure to credit risk at the reporting date of cash and cash equivalents 
is RUB 12,853,791 thousand (31 December 2015: RUB 22,317,167 thousand). 

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S

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  139

32. FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT (CONTINUED)

Liquidity risk
The Group monitors its risk to a shortage of funds using a recurring liquidity planning tool. This tool considers the maturity 
of its financial assets and liabilities and projected cash flows from operations. The Group objective is to maintain a continuity 
of funding and flexibility through the use of bank overdrafts and bank loans. Each year the Group analyses its funding needs 
and anticipated cash flows, so that it can determine its funding needs.

The table below summarises the maturity profile of the Group’s financial liabilities at 31 December 2016, 31 December 2015 
bases on contractual undiscounted cash flows of the financial liabilities based on the earliest date on which the Group is 
required to pay. The table includes both interest and principal cash flows. When the amount payable is not fixed for the entire 
term of the instrument, such as variable rate interest payments, the amount disclosed in the table is determined by reference 
to the conditions (e.g. MosPrime index) existing at the reporting date:

31 December 2016

Borrowings
Trade and other payables
Amounts payable under swaps and caps
Total

31 December 2015

Borrowings
Trade and other payables
Amounts payable under swaps and caps
Finance leasing
Total

Less than 
12 months
43,797,302
56,171,598
58,106
100,027,006

1–5 years
68,974,211
–
16,238
68,990,449

Less than 
12 months
19,945,156
47,058,158
100,216
19,850
67,123,380

1–5 years
72,189,546
–
74,344
–
72,263,890

Over 
5 years
14,415,411
–
–
14,415,411

Over 
5 years
15,328,782
–
–
–
15,328,782

Total
127,186,924
56,171,598
74,344
183,432,866

Total
107,463,484
47,058,158
174,560
19,850
154,716,052

Capital management
The Group manages its capital to ensure that entities in the Group will be able to continue as a going concern while 
maximising the return to stakeholders through the optimisation of the debt and equity balance. 

The Group reviews its capital needs periodically to determine actions to balance its overall capital structure through 
shareholders’ capital contributions or new share issues, return of capital to shareholders as well as the issue of new debt 
or the redemption of existing debt. The Group is guided in its decisions by an established financing policy, which stipulates 
leverage ratios, interest coverage, covenants compliance, appropriateness of balance between long-term and short-term 
debt, requirements to diversification of funding sources. Dividends are to be declared based on the capital requirements  
of the business and with reference to continuing compliance with the financial policy. 

The capital structure of the Group consists of debt, which includes the borrowings disclosed in Note 21, obligations under 
finance leases less cash and cash equivalents and equity attributable to equity holders of the parent, comprising issued 
capital, reserves and retained earnings as disclosed in Note 18.

Net debt of the Group is comprised of the following:

Borrowings
Obligations under finance leases
Cash and cash equivalents (Note 17)
Net debt

31 December
 2016
102,201,051
–
(13,037,767)
89,163,284

31 December 
2015
75,922,374
18,577
(22,455,945)
53,485,006

Net debt is a non-IFRS indicator and, therefore, its calculation may differ between companies, however it is one of the 
key indicators that are commonly used by investors and other users of financial statements in order to evaluate the financial 
condition of the Group.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
140

Notes to the consolidated financial statements (continued)
for the year ended 31 December 2016 (in thousands of Russian roubles)

33. CONTINGENCIES

Operating environment of the Group
The Group sells products that are sensitive to changes in general economic conditions that impact consumer spending. 
Future economic conditions and other factors, including sanctions imposed, consumer confidence, employment levels, 
interest rates, consumer debt levels and availability of consumer credit could reduce consumer spending or change consumer 
purchasing habits. A general slowdown in the Russian economy or in the global economy, or an uncertain economic outlook, 
could adversely affect consumer spending habits and the Group’s operating results.

Russia continues economic reforms and development of its legal, tax and regulatory frameworks as required by a market 
economy. The future stability of the Russian economy is largely dependent upon these reforms and developments and 
the effectiveness of economic, financial and monetary measures undertaken by the government.

The Russian economy has been negatively impacted by a decline in oil prices and sanctions imposed on Russia by a 
number of countries. The rouble interest rates remained high. The combination of the above resulted in reduced access 
to capital, a higher cost of capital and uncertainty regarding economic growth, which could negatively affect the Group’s 
future financial position, results of operations and business prospects. Management believes it is taking appropriate 
measures to support the sustainability of the Group’s business in the current circumstances. 

Legal contingencies
Group companies are involved in a number of lawsuits and disputes that arise in the normal course of business. 
Management assesses the maximum exposure relating to such lawsuits and disputes to be RUB 511,656 thousand as 
at 31 December 2016 (31 December 2015: RUB 6,449 thousand). Management believes there is no exceptional event 
or litigation likely to affect materially the business, financial performance, net assets or financial position of the Group, 
which have not been disclosed in these consolidated financial statements.

Russian Federation tax and regulatory environment
The government of the Russian Federation continues to reform the business and commercial infrastructure in its transition 
to a market economy. As a result the laws and regulations affecting businesses continue to change rapidly. These changes 
are characterised by poor drafting, different interpretations and arbitrary application by the authorities. In particular taxes 
are subject to review and investigation by a number of authorities who are enabled by law to impose fines and penalties. 
While the Group believes it has provided adequately for all tax liabilities based on its understanding of the tax legislation, 
the above facts may create tax risks for the Group. Management also assesses the maximum exposure from possible tax 
risks to be RUB 288,582 thousand (31 December 2015: RUB 126,793 thousand). No tax provisions are recorded as at 
31 December 2016 and 31 December 2015. Management continues to monitor closely any developments related to these 
risks and regularly reassesses the risk and related liabilities, provisions and disclosures.

Land leases
Certain lease agreements for land plots containing a short lease term expired prior to the date of these financial statements. 
The Group initiated the process of renewal of the lease agreements for 49 years and believes that the risks relating to the 
operations of the respective stores are insignificant. No provisions in this respect are accrued as at 31 December 2016 
and 31 December 2015.

Environmental matters
The enforcement of environmental regulation in the Russian Federation is evolving and the enforcement posture 
of government authorities is continually being reconsidered. The Group periodically evaluates its obligations under 
environmental regulations. As obligations are determined, they are recognised immediately. Potential liabilities, which 
might arise as a result of changes in existing regulations, civil litigation or legislation, cannot be estimated but could be 
material. In the current enforcement climate under existing legislation, management believes that there are no significant 
liabilities for environmental damage.

34. EVENTS OCCURRING AFTER THE REPORTING PERIOD
There were no significant events after the reporting date other than disclosed elsewhere in the consolidated 
financial statements.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
  141

APPENDICES

142   List of cities as of  

31 December, 2016 

144  Glossary
145  Further information
146  Cautionary statements

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142

Lenta  Annual Report and Accounts 2016

List of cities as of 31 December 2016

Number  
on the map

  1

  2

 3

  4

 5

  6

  7

  8

 9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

Cities1

Almetyevsk

Armavir

Astrakhan

Balakovo

Barnaul

Belgorod

Biysk

Bryansk

Cheboksary

Chelyabinsk

Cherepovets

Dimitrovgrad

Ekaterinburg

Engels

Grozny

Irkutsk

Ivanovo

Izhevsk

Kaluga

Kazan

Kemerovo

Khanty-Mansiysk

Kostroma

Krasnodar

Krasnoyarsk

Kursk

Lipetsk

Magnitogorsk

Moscow

Murmansk

Naberezhnye Chelny

Nizhnekamsk

Nizhniy Novgorod

Nizhniy Tagil

Novocherkassk

Novokuznetsk

Novorossiysk

Novoshakhtinsk

Novosibirsk

Number of 
hypermarkets

Number of 
supermarkets

Number of  
distribution centres

1

1

1

1

3

2

1

1

1

5

2

1

2

1

1

2

3

1

1

1

3

1

1

3

4

1

1

2

13

1

1

1

3

2

1

5

2

1

7

3

34

1

2

1

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016S
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Lenta  Annual Report and Accounts 2016

  143
  143

Number of 
hypermarkets

Number of 
supermarkets

Number of  
distribution centres

1

2

1

6

1

2

1

2

1

2

1

1

3

2

2

1

2

1

35

12

2

2

2

2

1

2

3

1

1

4

4

2

2

1

4

1

1

2

3

1

1

1

Number  
on the map

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

Cities1

Omsk

Orel

Orenburg

Orsk

Penza

Perm

Petrozavodsk

Prokopievsk

Pskov

Rostov-on-Don

Ryazan

Samara

Saransk

Saratov

Smolensk

St. Petersburg

Stavropol

Surgut

Syktyvkar

Taganrog

Tobolsk

Togliatti

Tomsk

Tula

Tver

Tyumen

Ufa

Ulyanovsk

Velikiy Novgorod

Vladimir

Volgograd

Vologda

Volzhskiy

Voronezh

Yaroslavl

Yoshkar Ola

Yurga

Zheleznovodsk 

1    From 1 May 2015, all stores located in Moscow city and the Moscow Region are shown as ‘Moscow’;  

all stores located in the Leningrad Region and St. Petersburg are shown as ‘St. Petersburg’.

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
144
144

Lenta  Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Glossary

Unless otherwise specified, the terms ‘we’, ‘us’, and ‘our’ refer to Lenta Ltd., or where the context allows,  
to the Lenta business more generally.

the 2014 Offering 

active cardholder

the initial public offering of our Shares, in the form of GDRs, admitted to trading on 
the London Stock Exchange and the Moscow Stock Exchange on 5 March 2014

a customer who has purchased goods at one of our stores at least twice in the past 
12 months using our loyalty card

average sales density

total sales during the relevant year divided by the average selling space for that year

average ticket

the figure calculated by dividing total sales, net of VAT, at all stores during the relevant 
year by the number of tickets in that year

the Board

the board of directors of Lenta Ltd

BVI

Capex

CAGR

EGAIS

FMCG

gamification

GDRs

in-store availability

LFL

P&L 

SG&A

Shares

SKU

sq.m

ticket

total selling space

the British Virgin Islands

capital expenditure

Compounded annual rate of growth 

national automated information system for the control of alcohol production 
and distribution

fast-moving consumer goods – products that are sold quickly and at relatively low cost

the application of game-design elements and game principles in non-game contexts. 
Gamification commonly employs game design elements which are used in non-game 
contexts to improve user engagement, organisational productivity, flow, learning, 
crowdsourcing, employee recruitment and evaluation, ease of use, usefulness of 
systems, physical exercise, traffic violations, voter apathy, and more. 

global depositary receipts

the number of SKUs in-store with a positive stock value as a proportion of the total 
number of active SKUs for sale, calculated based on the average daily in-store 
availability of all open stores

like-for-like

profit and loss statement

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses, which is a major non-production cost 
presented in the Income statement

our ordinary shares

a ‘stock keeping unit’, or a number assigned to a particular product to identify the 
price, product options and manufacturer of the merchandise

square metre(s)

the receipt issued to a customer for his/her basket (the amount spent by a customer 
on a shopping trip)

the area inside our stores used to sell products, excluding areas rented out to third 
parties, own-production areas, storage areas and the space between store entry 
and the cash desk line

traffic

the number of tickets issued for the period under review

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Further information

Lenta  Annual Report and Accounts 2016

  145
  145

In this annual report, we present certain operating and financial information regarding our hypermarkets and supermarkets, 
which we define as follows:

Adjusted EBITDA

EBITDA adjusted for non-recurring one-off items such as changes in accounting 
estimates and one-off non-operating costs

Adjusted EBITDA margin

Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of sales

Adjusted EBITDAR

Adjusted EBITDA before rent paid on land, equipment and premises leases

Adjusted EBITDAR margin

Adjusted EBITDAR as a percentage of sales

EBITDA

like-for-like sales

Other metrics

Profit for the period before foreign exchange gains/losses, revaluation of financial 
instruments at fair value through profit or loss, reversal of impairment of non-financial 
assets, other expenses, depreciation and amortisation, interest and tax. The 
reconciliation of EBITDA to IFRS profit is presented in tabular format in note 6 
to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

We distinguish between sales attributable to new stores and sales attributable 
to existing stores. We consider the sales generated by stores until the end of the 
12th full calendar month of their operation to be sales attributable to new stores. 
Accordingly, like-for-like sales begin with the comparison of the 13th full calendar 
month of operations of a store to its first full calendar month of operations, assuming 
the store has not subsequently closed, expanded or down sized. The number of stores 
in our like-for-like panel as of 31 December 2016 and 2015 was 152 (125 hypermarkets 
and 27 supermarkets) and 109 (91 hypermarkets and 18 supermarkets) respectively. 
‘Like-for-like average ticket growth’, ‘like-for-like average price growth per article’, 
‘like-for-like traffic growth’, and ‘like-for-like average sales density’ are calculated 
using the same methodology as like-for-like sales.

Net debt is calculated as the sum of short-term and long-term debt (including 
borrowings and obligations under finance leases, capitalised fees and accrued 
interest) minus cash and cash equivalents. The ratio of net debt to Adjusted EBITDA 
is net debt divided by Adjusted EBITDA. The ratio of Adjusted EBITDA to net interest 
expense is Adjusted EBITDA divided by net interest expense, which is calculated as 
interest expense less interest income. The ratio of Adjusted EBITDAR to net interest 
expense plus rental expense ratio is Adjusted EBITDAR divided by the sum of net 
interest expense and rental expenses. CROCI is defined as Adjusted EBITDA over 
average capital invested. Average capital invested is the average of the book value 
of gross non-current assets plus net working capital as of the beginning of the year 
and the book value of gross non-current assets plus net working capital as of the 
end of the year. Adjusted SG&A/Sales is SG&A, excluding expenses on land and 
equipment leases, premises leases, depreciation and amortisation and one-off 
expenses as a proportion of sales. 

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 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016 
 
 
 
 
 
 
146
146

Lenta  Annual Report and Accounts 2016

Cautionary statements

Forward-looking statements
This document contains certain ‘forward-looking statements’ which include all statements other than those of historical facts 
that relate to our plans, financial position, objectives, goals, strategies, future operations and performance, together with the 
assumptions underlying such matters.

We generally use words such as ‘estimates’, ‘expects’, ‘believes’, ‘intends’, ‘plans’, ‘may’, ‘will’, ‘should’, ‘projects’, ‘anticipates’, 
‘targets’, ‘aims’, ‘would’, ‘could’, ‘continues’ and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. We have 
based these forward-looking statements on the current views of our management with regard to future events and 
performance. These views reflect management’s best judgement, but involve uncertainties and are subject to certain known 
and unknown risks together with other important factors outside our control, the occurrence of which could cause actual 
results to differ materially from those expressed in our forward-looking statements.

Market and industry data
Statements referring to our competitive position and the Russian retail food sector reflect our beliefs and, in some cases, 
private and publicly available information and statistics, including annual reports, industry publications, market research, press 
releases, filings under various securities laws, official data published by Russian governmental entities and data published by 
international organisations and other third-party sources.

Rounding
Certain figures in this document have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, figures shown for the same 
category presented in different tables may vary slightly, and figures shown as totals in certain tables may not be an arithmetic 
aggregation of the figures that precede them.

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Notes

  147

 Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016148

Notes

Lenta Annual Report and Accounts 2016Designed and produced by Instinctif Partners www.creative.instinctif.com

Lenta Ltd  
Registered Office 
P.O. Box 3340  
Road Town  
Tortola  
British Virgin Islands

Lenta Headquarters  
112 Savushkina Street  
St. Petersburg  
Russia 197374  
Phone: +7 (812) 363-28-53  
Fax: +7 (812) 380-61-50 
www.lentainvestor.com

To see the report online go to: 
www.lentainvestor.com/en/
investors/annual-reports