Kommersant: Bosch factories near St. Petersburg can be bought by Chinese Hisense

The buyer of two Bosch enterprises near St. Petersburg may be the Chinese manufacturer of household appliances Hisense. About it informed Kommersant, citing sources.

The Russian structure of the German company Bosch (LLC BSH Household Appliances) said that the enterprises had not yet been sold, and declined to comment, since the final decision had not yet been made. At the same time, according to one of the newspaper’s sources, Hisense has already acquired the company’s assets.

According to the publication, Bosch announced an internal tender at the beginning of this year, during which the main circle of applicants was determined – Chinese Hisense and Midea, as well as an unknown Turkish investor. According to one of the sources, Midea offered an insufficient amount, while the Turkish investor, on the contrary, offered a large one. “But it was Hisense that was developing joint projects with Bosch around the world,” one of the sources added, adding that Hisense also offered “the most convenient buyback terms.”

Two Bosch factories near St. Petersburg produce refrigerators and washing machines. It is specified that the Russian division received most of the components from the EU. That the company may sell two plants, in mid-August 2022. wrote “Kommersant”. According to the source of the newspaper, in working condition, the factories can be sold for 65-75 million euros, but now the enterprises do not produce products, therefore they cost “many times less”.

After the start of the special operation, the largest manufacturers of electronics and household appliances suspended their activities in Russia and limited supplies. In particular, this decision was made by LG, Samsung, Bosch, Panasonic, Electrolux, Apple, etc. In total, Bosch had seven production facilities in the Russian Federation – in the Leningrad, Saratov and Samara regions. Factories near St. Petersburg have been idle since March 2022.