Azbuka Vkusa, translated in English as Alphabet of Taste, is a supermarket chain founded by Maxim Koscheenko and Oleg Lytkin. The first store was opened in Moscow in 1997. As of 2015, it operates 90 stores in Moscow, Petersburg and its suburbs. It is one of Russia's 50 largest retailers.
Ownership
The founders, Maxim Koshcheenko and Oleg Lytkin control more than 50% of Gorodskoi Supermarket Ltd, a company which operates the chain. 6.9% of the company belongs to the top 14 network managers. Much of the rest of the company is in the hands of VMHY Holdings Limited, owned by the former owners of "Expobank" - Andrey Vdovin, Cyril Jakubowski, Paul and Peter Maslowski Hambro, who gradually acquired control from the other two co-founders of the network - Oleg and Sergey Vereshchagin Trykin. As of 2011 Oleg and Sergey Vereshchagin Trykin ceased being shareholders in VMHY Holdings. As of 2013 more than 12% of the network owned by the sons Paul Maslovskoye - Yuri and Alexei.
Business Facts
Revenue has never contracted since Azbuka Vkusa's founding.
Azbuka Vkusa's finances are regularly audited by Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four auditing companies.
Private Labels
Azbuka Vkusa launched their store brands in 2011. These now account for 15% of the goods that Azbuka Vkusa sells. All dishes are created under the direction of chef Michael Chevais. The growing culinary division has a daily output of 16 tons. It occupies 7000 square metres and produces over 350 different kinds of products. These fall into five categories.
"Just Azbuka"
These are upmarket everyday products allegedly of a superior quality to their competitors.
"Our Farm"
These 'organic' farm products are marketed as produced fresh from the retailer's own farms, that follow "international standards of eco-agriculture".
"Almost Ready"
These are ready-made meals that need only to be heated.
"Ready-to-eat"
Those meals are ready for consumption.
"Selection"
This collection of imported products recommended by the retailer.
"Enoteca"
In 2011, Azbuka Vkusa opened Enoteca, a series of shop-in-shops and three boutiques in Moscow. These stores specialise in alcoholic beverages, and in particular wine, of which Enoteca stocks 1 500 different varieties. These wines, from both the Old World and the New World, are chosen by sommeliers trained at the company's own Wine Academy. They help customers choose the finest wines and create the best epicurean combinations.
History
The first store registered to the shareholders was opened on Kutuzovsky Prospekt in 1991-1992. It was called simply "Delicatessen". Only in 1997 did they open their first supermarket under the brand name "Azbuka Vkusa". In 2002, four of the supermarkets were united by the common concept of branding, including corporate identity, interior design and an updated approach to the maintenance of a wide stock. In 2009-2010, the company's corporate identity was modernised and stores were redesigned. In 2014, after lengthy negotiations, the company acquired a suburbanestate sales network, operating under the brand "Spar" This compromised 5 hypermarkets and 3 supermarkets a total storage surface area of about 10 000 m ² and production area of about 6 000 m ². The value of the acquired network is estimated at $85–105 million, and the size of the transaction was about half the amount. Azbuka Vkusa has expanded steadily since 1997, balancing external acquisitions and internal growth. The table below charts that growth using figures provided courtesy of the company.
