OREANDA-NEWS  The German company Henkel, which produces products under the Persil and Schwarzkopf brands, will operate in Russia as an independent organization called Lab Industries from January 1, 2023, the Kommersant newspaper writes with reference to a letter from the general director of the Henkel representative office in the country Sergey Bykovskikh to suppliers. In October of this year, the company submitted to Rospatent an application for registration of the trademark "L.A.B. Industries", follows from the database of the department.

According to the newspaper's source in investment circles, Henkel failed to sell the Russian business, which may be due to a high valuation of more than €500 million. At the same time, those wishing to acquire assets turned out to be associated with persons who fell under Western sanctions, according to the interlocutor of Kommersant.

In mid-April, the manufacturer announced its decision to withdraw from the Russian market. Since then, according to Bykovsky, Henkel "has been working on the implementation of this decision, which implies the transfer of ownership rights." The company must isolate the local business. Until the beginning of 2023, the Russian representative office will continue to operate under the name of Henkel Rus LLC. The company did not respond to the publication's request.

Henkel has been working in Russia for more than 30 years. The company has 11 factories and 12 offices. Henkel produces products under such brands as Bref, Fa, Gliss Kur, Losk, Persil, Schwarzkopf, Vernel, Laska, Moment, Pemolux.

In March, the company stopped all investments in Russian business, and in August put up its assets in Russia and Belarus for sale, Vedomosti wrote. In November, the manufacturer announced that it was going to finally leave Russia before the end of this year.