Natura Siberica changes ownership after two years of inheritance and corporate conflicts

The deal to acquire cosmetics group Natura Siberica by AFK Sistema is almost complete, a source close to one of the parties said. Felix Lieb, CEO of Natura Siberica, confirmed this information in an interview with Vedomosti. A representative of AFK Sistema said that the deal would be closed in the near future. The interlocutors of Vedomosti do not disclose its conditions. Lieb said only that the corporation becomes the owner of 100% of Natura Siberica.

The deal became possible after the completion of corporate and inheritance conflicts in the cosmetics group. They began immediately after the death of the company’s founder Andrei Trubnikov in January 2021. The businessman’s children, Dmitry and Ekaterina Trubnikov from their first marriage and Elizaveta from their second, as well as his widow Anastasia, claimed shares in the group’s structures. The latter at the time of the death of the businessman was in divorce proceedings with him. At the same time, the heirs challenged the appointments and actions of several temporary managers, and the management challenged a number of decisions by Trubnikov’s first wife, Irina, which caused the production and operation of stores to be suspended. AFK Sistema has clearly indicated that it is ready to consider the acquisition of Natura Siberica only after the completion of all disputes, Lieb said in an interview with Vedomosti.