Problems with Independence: one of the largest Russian car dealers does not give cars to customers. Car dealer "Independence" has stopped working Independence official dealer does not pay

Moscow. October 6. website - The Russian representative office of the Swedish automaker Volvo, Volvo Cars LLC, has decided to terminate cooperation with the Nezavisimost Group of Companies, Volvo said in a statement.

"Currently dealership"Independence (AA Nezavisimost Premier Auto LLC) does not have the ability to place orders for Volvo cars and spare parts," the company notes.

Moreover, for service, and also regarding the purchase of Volvo cars, the company recommends contacting “other official dealers Volvo Cars".

Messages about bankruptcy of "Independence"

Earlier, Gazprombank (GPB) notified of its intention to apply to the court for bankruptcy of a number of companies of the Independence group, posting 11 notifications “due to the presence of signs of bankruptcy.” The notifications concern companies of the Independence group in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Ufa.

Independence itself told Interfax that they were in the process of negotiations with the bank. “Most likely, this is the usual technical procedure of a bank when it issues a “notice of intent” to file for bankruptcy for a specific loan agreement. This does not mean immediately filing an application and starting bankruptcy proceedings,” a dealer representative said, without providing any other comment.

At the same time, in June 2015 it was reported that Independence Group of Companies restructured its debt to Gazprombank for 2.6 billion rubles. According to Kommersant, Independence's loan to the State Budgetary Enterprise was then extended until at least 2019.

At the same time, according to Interfax sources in the car dealership industry, the company is experiencing problems with financing; a number of dealership centers have already closed, including Land Rover, Volvo and Volkswagen in Moscow, as well as centers in Ufa and Yekaterinburg. “For other centers of these brands, decisions have either already been made or are in the process of being made,” the agency’s source said, adding that dealerships will be closed in October. Independence itself did not confirm this.

“The company’s shareholders decided to concentrate Audi sales in two auto centers in Moscow. We are currently completing the second stage of optimization. This is primarily due to the fact that the Nezavisimost Group of Companies is concentrating its efforts on increasing business profitability,” noted a company representative, adding that “the need to change locations is also related to the specifics of the automotive market.”

“In difficult economic conditions for dealers, we prefer to abandon unprofitable locations in favor of new, potentially more comfortable places for doing business,” he indicated, also noting that the company is “forming cluster-type dealership centers where several car brands will be represented.” . “According to the group’s new strategy, some brands will be represented only in Russian regions,” he said, without giving other details.

At the same time, another Interfax source said that the shareholder of Independence, the investment company A1, refused to finance the car dealer and would not prevent the company from going bankrupt if one of the counterparties initiates this process. "Among possible options According to the development of events, there is a sale of the company, however, most likely, this will be done in parts - there are no contenders for the entire business,” said Interfax’s interlocutor.

In turn, representative A1 noted that “although the situation in the industry is improving, the consequences of the three-year crisis are still being felt.” “Work is underway to restructure the current debt of the Independence Group. The auto dealer is working in partnership with creditor banks to implement operational and strategic initiatives aimed at stabilizing the financial position of the group. The group’s companies have positive experience in overcoming such situations,” he said.

At the same time, the company does not disclose the amount of debt being restructured, as well as the names of the banks.

According to information about collateral in the "" system, among the creditor banks of legal entities owned by the Cypriot Independence Holdings Limited are Alfa Bank, Promsvyazbank, and International Financial Club Bank.

In February 2017, it was reported that the shareholders of the Nezavisimost Group of Companies decided to provide additional financing to the company and appoint a new general director. “This decision will provide the necessary liquidity reserve to implement plans for further development and improve the quality of customer service,” the dealer’s message said. The volume of additional investments was not disclosed.

In addition, on February 1, 2017, the general director of the company changed - Elena Zhuravleva was replaced by Nikita Shchegol, who headed the Formula Kino cinema chain for four years. “The priority tasks for the new general director of Nezavisimost Group will be to increase operational efficiency, improve market positions, and take customer service to a new level,” said Roman Tchaikovsky, chairman of the board of Nezavisimost.

Independence Group was founded in 1992. The company's dealer portfolio included the brands Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Kia. The dealer network united 17 car dealerships in Moscow, three in Yekaterinburg and two in Ufa. The main shareholders are A1 (owns 49.95% of the company), the rest belongs to the founder of the group, Roman Tchaikovsky.

The Russian representative office of the German automaker BMW, BMW Group Russia, states that the Independence car dealer “faced a number of complex problems that led to the dealer’s failure to fulfill agreements and the subsequent stoppage of its work.”

As the automaker said in a statement, due to this, the delivery deadlines for purchased cars to customers were violated. Currently, negotiations are underway with the dealer to find a way out of this situation, providing for various scenarios, “even the most drastic ones.”

At the same time, BMW asks all buyers who are faced with a delay in handing over the car to contact the company’s customer support service, or representatives of BMW Group Russia will contact the clients themselves after clarification of all the details.

"Currently, in parallel with the collection of information for security purposes, Vehicle owned by BMW Group Russia, cars are removed from the Independence DC. Only their presence in other guarded parking spaces can provide new owners with confidence in the fastest possible receipt of their car safe and sound. The interests of customers are of paramount importance for BMW Group Russia, and the company makes every effort to ensure that they are respected as much as possible,” the message emphasizes.

The day before, the Vedomosti newspaper, citing a representative of Independence, wrote that the group had suspended sales of BMW cars. According to her, the activities of two dealership centers in Moscow are blocked by the importer. BMW has disconnected Independence from the car ordering system, a representative of BMW Group Russia confirmed - according to him, some of the dealer's clients complained to the importer about the impossibility of receiving cars they had already paid for - Independence did not buy the title from the importer.

A representative of Independence confirmed that at the moment the BMW - Independence dealerships are indeed closed, “but this does not mean that we are suspending the dialogue with the importer’s representative office.” “We still intend to fully fulfill all obligations to our customers. The customer, of course, should not suffer from the current situation between the dealer and the importer. We continue to maintain a constructive dialogue with the BMW dealership in the interests of our customers. We are doing everything possible to provide customers with cars in the near future," the company said.

At the same time, according to Interfax sources in the car dealership industry, the company is experiencing problems with financing; a number of dealership centers have already closed, including Land Rover, Volvo and Volkswagen in Moscow, as well as centers in Ufa and Yekaterinburg.

“For other centers of these brands, decisions have either already been made or are in the process of being made,” the agency’s source said, adding that dealerships will be closed in October. Independence itself does not confirm this. “The company’s shareholders decided to concentrate Audi sales in two auto centers in Moscow. We are currently completing the second stage of optimization. This is primarily due to the fact that the Nezavisimost Group of Companies is concentrating its efforts on increasing business profitability,” a company representative noted. noting that “the need to change locations is also related to the specifics of the automotive market.” “In difficult economic conditions for dealers, we prefer to abandon unprofitable locations in favor of new, potentially more comfortable places for doing business,” he added, also noting that the company is “forming cluster-type dealership centers where several car brands will be represented.” . “According to the group’s new strategy, some brands will be represented only in Russian regions,” he said, without giving other details.

At the same time, another Interfax source said that the shareholder of Independence, the investment company A1, refused to finance the car dealer and will not prevent the company from going bankrupt if one of the counterparties initiates this process. “Among the possible options for the development of events is the sale of the company, however, most likely, this will be done in parts - there are no contenders for the entire business,” the Interfax interlocutor said.

In turn, representative A1 noted that “although the situation in the industry is improving, the consequences of the three-year crisis are still being felt.” “Work is underway to restructure the current debt of the Independence Group. The auto dealer is working in partnership with creditor banks to implement operational and strategic initiatives aimed at stabilizing the financial position of the group. The group’s companies have positive experience in overcoming such situations,” he said.

At the same time, the company does not disclose the amount of debt being restructured, as well as the names of the banks.

According to information about collateral in the SPARK-Interfax system, among the creditor banks of legal entities owned by the Cypriot Independence Holdings Limited are Alfa Bank, Promsvyazbank, and International Financial Club Bank.

In June 2015, it was reported that the Independence Group had restructured its debt to Gazprombank (GPB) by 2.6 billion rubles. According to Kommersant, Independence's loan to the State Budgetary Enterprise was then extended until at least 2019.

In February 2017, it was reported that the shareholders of the Nezavisimost Group of Companies decided to provide additional financing to the company and appoint a new general director. “This decision will provide the necessary liquidity reserve to implement plans for further development and improve the quality of customer service,” the dealer’s message said. The volume of additional investments was not disclosed.

In addition, on February 1, 2017, the general director of the company changed - Elena Zhuravleva was replaced by Nikita Shchegol, who headed the Formula Kino cinema chain for four years. “The priority tasks for the new general director of Nezavisimost Group will be to increase operational efficiency, improve market positions, and take customer service to a new level,” said Roman Tchaikovsky, chairman of the board of Nezavisimost.

Independence Group was founded in 1992. The company's dealer portfolio includes the brands Audi, Volkswagen, BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Kia. The dealer network united 17 car dealerships in Moscow, three in Yekaterinburg and two in Ufa. The main shareholders are A1 (owns 49.95% of the company), the rest belongs to the founder of the group, Roman Tchaikovsky.

November 24, 2017 Arbitration courts of Moscow and Sverdlovsk region registered claims by Gazprombank for the bankruptcy of a number of dealership centers that are part of the Nezavisimost Group of Companies. Previously, the Bank announced its intentions in relation to a dozen dealers of the Group of Companies (among them were dealers of Volvo, Audi and Peugeot). The Group's total debt is estimated at approximately 6 billion rubles...

Let us recall that in July 2017, the Group closed its Land Rover Center on Leningradskoye Shosse and the KIA and Volvo centers in Yekaterinburg. In September, BMW disconnected Nezavisimost from the car ordering system (and in November it became known that the place of the former BMW dealership on Belaya Dacha of the Nezavisimost Group of Companies would be taken by the Avilon car dealer). In October, Volvo Car Russia terminated the contract with the group. In mid-November, “Independence” disappeared from the list of official Mazda dealers in Russia (on the official website of the Mazda distributor in Russia “Mazda Motor Rus”).

However, the process of the fall of the auto giant began much earlier than 2017...

Heyday

In, released by the analytical agency "AUTOSTAT" in 2016, a separate block is devoted to the Independence Group, which for a long time was one of the five largest automobile holdings in Russia. And from chapter to chapter, you can clearly see how beautifully the group began (June 12, 1992), how it gradually developed even during the 2008 crisis, and how it expanded its portfolio of brands.

It sold Volvo (since 1992), Audi (since 1998), Ford (since 2000), Land Rover (since 2002), Volkswagen (since 2002), Jaguar (since 2003) ), Mazda (since 2004), Peugeot (since 2007), BMW (since 2008), Porsche (in 2010, but not for long), KIA (since 2011). And having launched its, at that time the largest in Europe, center body repair, was able to take on service not only its “own” brands, but also Chevrolet, Opel, Skoda.

IN best years The network of dealer centers of this group included 18 car dealerships in Moscow and the Moscow region, 9 in Yekaterinburg and the Sverdlovsk region, 4 in Ufa and Bashkortostan. At the same time, the image of “Independence” was reinforced not only financial indicators owners (in 2006, one of the owners, Roman Tchaikovsky, was included in the ranking of Russian billionaires for the first time), but also by sales volumes (for example, in 2012, the Group sold about 42 thousand new cars, in 2013 - about 36 thousand units), revenue ( 2011 - 44.5 billion rubles, 2012 - 57 billion rubles, 2013 - 51 billion rubles, 2014 - 47 billion rubles, 2015 - 33.4 billion rubles) and more than 150 prestigious industry awards and prizes confirming leadership Group of Companies in the field of service and sales.

The company was among the first on the market to begin working with used cars. Thus, already in 2009, Independence managed to sell 2.1 thousand used cars and even separated work with them into a separate business direction, Independence-Intrade. At first, this division had 11 technically equipped small sites around Moscow, but after a couple of years, on the territory of the MEGA-Belaya Dacha shopping center, a large multi-brand center was opened separately for it, designed for 250 parking spaces, and construction began on an even larger site as part of the one under construction "dealer village" on Kievskoe highway.

Meanwhile, on the basis of the body center, a new direction "AutoMarin" was opened - a repair line for owners of yachts, boats and jet skis, and for the broader development of its own financial services (crediting, insurance, leasing, valuation and fleet management), the company created a separate division "Independence -Finservice" (in 2011, the turnover of this division alone exceeded 1,700 million rubles).

All this taken together allowed the group to survive the crisis years better than the auto retail market as a whole. Together with other leaders, “Independence increased its share...

The beginning of the fall

Just five years ago, in 2012, in terms of revenue (57 billion rubles), Independence was one of the five largest auto retailers on the Russian market. But already in 2013, despite a number of efforts made to reorganize the business, a 10% reduction in staff, and the promotion and development of auto service and financial services related to sales, it took only sixth place in terms of revenue in the rating table of auto retailers and seventh in sales.

In 2014, GK is still in the top ten (it is in 7th place). However, sales of new cars fell by almost a quarter (despite the fact that the market as a whole decreased by only 10%). Experts suggested that the holding has too large a share of brands, which fell by 20-40% (Ford, Peugeot, Volkswagen, BMW).

Instead of implementing plans for previously announced further development by opening centers in the regions, the Group is beginning to optimize its business. A number of Mitsubishi and Peugeot centers are closed. As for Peugeot, sales of new cars have even been suspended in Moscow, leaving only a service contract. In the capital, the Group of Companies begins to form cluster-type dealer centers, deciding to represent several brands in one building (on Entuziastov Highway, on Yaroslavskoye Shosse, on Leningradskoye Shosse).

In the spring of 2015, the Group incurred its first serious debts to banks, but at first we somehow managed to negotiate. In terms of revenue in 2015, the company dropped to 11th place, and in terms of sales of new cars - to 18th. In 2015, Independence stopped working with Mitsubishi (closing all brand centers in the cities of its presence); in February 2016, two of six Ford centers suffered the same fate...

At the end of 2016, the company sold a total of 9.1 thousand new cars - 27.5% less than a year earlier. Sales of used cars through the holding's car dealerships amounted to 5.3 thousand units (-14.8%).

What will happen?

In September 2017, information leaked to the media that the Independence Group of Companies was negotiating debt restructuring with major creditors, the process was in an active stage, consultants and auditors were involved in it. In rare comments made to journalists, there was hope that acceptable solutions would be found. “The Independence Group of Companies is optimizing its business,” commented the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Roman Tchaikovsky, “It will allow us to concentrate on working with the most successful brands - Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, Mazda, etc.”

However, in the same September it became known about Independence’s delays in issuing paid BMW and Volvo cars to customers. And soon BMW representatives admitted that they had disconnected Independence from the ordering system and began removing cars from the center’s territory.

Peugeot, as Kommersant journalists told us at the end of September, explained to them that there had been no complaints from buyers regarding the delivery of cars by Independence, but then added that the contract with the dealer expires at the end of the year, and the issue of its extension is under consideration. Jaguar Land Rover “Kommersant” only noted that “Independence” is an official dealer, but currently does not sell cars.

As for Volvo, since August 2017, having switched to prepayment in settlements with the dealer, the manufacturer made a statement in October: “Taking into account the reputational and other losses that Volvo Cars is suffering due to the current situation, we do not see an opportunity to continue cooperation with the company "Independence".

In mid-November, the distributor of Mazda cars in Russia, Mazda Motor Rus, suspended cooperation with the Independence car dealer in terms of sales of new cars to the latter Mazda brands. On its website, Independence is no longer listed as an official dealer.

Gazprombank filed bankruptcy claims against the companies of the Nezavisimost group of car dealerships, Interfax reported, citing materials from a file of arbitration cases. And then Vedomosti reported that on November 24, the Arbitration Court of the Sverdlovsk Region registered the bank’s claims for bankruptcy of Independence Real Estate Ural LLC, Independence Ekaterinburg M LLC, Independence Ekaterinburg K LLC and on the same day the Moscow Arbitration Court registered the claims on the bankruptcy of Independence MC LLC, Masterpromtorg LLC, Independence - Used Cars LLC, Independence - Khimki LLC.

That in addition to Gazprombank, which filed a lawsuit against Nezavismost, the Group of Companies has another major creditor - Sberbank.

Car dealer "Independence" has stopped selling cars in its showrooms in the capital. The group, against which a bankruptcy claim was filed, still has several centers in the regions

The Nezavisimost auto dealer group has closed its last car sales points in Moscow. A source close to the group told RBC about this and was confirmed by a company partner. A representative of Independence confirmed to RBC the closure of all Moscow salons of the group.

The car dealer's website and car dealership phone numbers are not working. According to the official websites of Audi and Volkswagen (the last two brands with which Independence had dealer agreements), the company is no longer their official dealer. A representative of Volkswagen (which includes the brands Volkswagen, Audi, and others) said that there have been no “changes in the status” of Independence: the company remains a dealer of its brands.

GC Independence bankruptcy 2017, sale of property

In Moscow, car dealerships "Independence" have stopped selling cars completely. There may be a loss of funds for customers who purchased a car on an advance payment basis. Several car dealerships in the regions continue to operate.

The Independence website is currently not working and the phones at points of sale in the capital are silent. The Nezavisimost company is no longer listed as an official dealer on Russian websites Volkswagen brands and Audi.

While the Ford dealership is operating in Yekaterinburg and Ufa, the Peugeot dealership is operating in Yekaterinburg.

"Independence", bankruptcy

Gazprombank (GPB) filed bankruptcy claims for a number of companies in the Independence group of auto dealer enterprises, according to the materials of the file of arbitration cases.

Thus, on November 24, GPB filed claims for the bankruptcy of Independence Real Estate Ural LLC, Independence Ekaterinburg M LLC, Independence Ekaterinburg K LLC in the Arbitration Court of the Sverdlovsk Region, as well as for the bankruptcy of Independence MC LLC, Masterpromtorg LLC. , LLC "Independence - Used Cars", LLC "Independence - Khimki" to the Moscow Arbitration Court.

Previously, the bank notified about its intention to file a bankruptcy petition for about 20 companies included in the Independence structure. The notifications concerned the companies of the Independence group in Moscow, Yekaterinburg and Ufa, as well as those controlled by the Cypriot Independence German Motors Limited and Independence Holdings Limited. In particular, among them were the Volkswagen dealer Auto Hansa LLC, as well as Audi and Peugeot dealers.

Car dealership "Independence", scandal

In February, Independence shareholders further financed the company (the volume was not specified) and replaced top management. In 2015, Nezavisimost restructured its debt to Gazprombank for 2.6 billion rubles. (As Kommersant reported, the loan was extended at least until 2019). A1 “Kommersant” noted that they are in the process of negotiations with banks, and “it will be possible to talk about additional investments only after their completion.” Previously, Interfax sources claimed that A1 refused to finance the dealer and would not interfere with its bankruptcy if one of the counterparties initiates this process.

A1 told Kommersant that “they were historically a financial investor in the Independence Group and were not involved in the operating activities of the company.”

At the end of last year, the dealer’s management reported a difficult financial situation in the company and requested financial support, which was provided, A1 claims. “A1 actively supported management in the process of negotiations with creditor banks, but, unfortunately, as we see, the situation did not normalize,” the shareholders reported.

Russian representative office of the German automaker BMW- "BMW Group Russia" has suspended cooperation with its official dealer "Independence". TOThe company learned that the agent did not give buyers paid and delivered cars. Now the Independence dealership is closed, and BMW is removing its cars from retail chain showrooms. “360” learned how deceived customers can get their money back from the supplier.

BMW announced that it would stop supplying its cars to the largest official dealer in Russia, Independence, according to the company’s official press release. BMW suspended cooperation with the center because the German concern began to receive complaints from buyers who could not receive paid cars within the specified time frame.

BMW Group Russia confirms that the Independence dealership encountered a number of complex problems that led to the dealer’s failure to fulfill agreements and the subsequent stoppage of its work. Because of this, the delivery deadlines for purchased cars to customers were violated.

Message from BMW.

BMW 360 said that it does not recommend buying cars from this center because it “faced financial difficulties” and also advises contacting an alternative dealer. On the website, the German concern has already removed “Independence” from the map of its official dealership centers. It turned out that in recent months the BMW representative office has not received Money from “Independence” for the delivered vehicles. All vehicles that were previously shipped to the dealer are removed.

According to international practice, importers work with dealers according to two schemes. The first involves 100% redemption of the car, and the second gives the opportunity to pay for the goods in installments. For BMW, this period is 15 days: when it ends, the dealer pays the cost of the car, even if he did not manage to sell it.

In Nezavisimost, the editorial staff of 360 stated that “at the moment, technical reasons The dealership is closed and car sales have been suspended.” However, on the voiceover the center is still presented as official dealer BMW in Russia.

Meanwhile, over 25 complaints have already appeared on the BMW Club forum from buyers deceived by the fraudulent center. Some users cannot receive their car, although they paid in full for the cars at the end of August. According to the agreement, buyers were required to pick up the car within three days after completion of pre-sale preparation.

In a conversation with the editors of “360”, lawyer, auto lawyer Timur Marshani said that if the dealer does not return the paid car within the specified time frame, then it is necessary to immediately demand a refund.

The delivery time of the car is stipulated in the contract; if there is no such clause in the document, then upon the first request of the consumer, his money will be returned. If the dealer does not return the funds received, then interest will be charged on this amount for using someone else’s money

Timur Marshani.

The expert added that according to the law on the protection of consumer rights, the seller, if the delivery time of the car is violated, is not only obliged to return the money to the buyer, but also must pay a contractual penalty. “The amount of the penalty is determined at 1% of the cost of the car for each day of delay. It would also be a good idea to go to court with a request to seize the dealer’s accounts, so that if the company is closed, you can increase your chances of getting your money back,” commented Timur Marshani.

Independence was founded in 1992. The company's dealer portfolio also included the brands Audi, Volkswagen, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo, Ford, Mazda, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Kia. The network united 17 car dealerships in Moscow, three in Yekaterinburg and two in Ufa. Since 2008, the company has been one of the top three sales of BMW cars in Russian market. In total, since the beginning of this year, about 19 thousand BMW cars have been sold in Russia, which is more than 4% higher than last year, according to data from the analytical agency Autostat.