OREANDA-NEWS  The deal on the sale of plants of the Swedish retailer IKEA in Russia is planned to be closed in the first half of 2023. The deadline for the sale of assets was called in the international division of the company, Izvestia reports.

"Our goal is to complete the sale in the first half of 2023. According to the rules and regulations, the transaction is subject to agreement with the government," IKEA said. The company did not specify who is claiming the assets.

In July, the governor of the Novgorod Region, Andrey Nikitin, said that several Russian companies were applying for IKEA plants. Among them there are both serious organizations and non-core investors. Nikitin noted that the retailer's factories are two enterprises with a deep and serious production cycle, so the authorities expect that the new owner will have the appropriate experience.

Earlier, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade Viktor Yevtukhov admitted that IKEA could sell factories in Russia at a discount of 50-60 percent. According to him, it is unlikely to be possible to sell the production at the market price, which was relevant before the start of the special operation.