Today the “Magnit” grocery chain is one of the largest in its segment, and its owner, Sergei Galitsky, is one of the richest Russian entrepreneurs. But, despite the rather large personal capital and financial capabilities, the businessman is recognized by journalists as not quite typical for Russia. Take, for example, the fact that Galitsky does not seek to live and accumulate his capital in Moscow, preferring the province to the capital.
A little about the chain of retail outlets "Magnit"
According to the positioning of the company operating the chain, “Magnit” supermarkets are places of sale of food and non-food products at affordable prices, targeted at customers with an average income.
In the grocery retail niche, Pyaterochka from the X5 retail group, which is considered the main competitor of Sergei Galitsky's Magnit, is working with a similar concept.
As of the end of 2013, the network included 8,093 outlets. Of these, 7,200 are in the "near home" supermarket, 161 "Magnit" hypermarkets, 46 "family" stores and 686 outlets under the name "Magnet Cosmetic". The coverage geography is also quite large - from Pskov in the west of Russia to Nizhnevartovsk in the east of the country, as well as from northern Arkhangelsk to southern Vladikavkaz.
Who is Sergey Galitsky?
Sergey Nikolaevich was born on August 14, 1967 in the village of Lazarevskoye, Krasnodar Territory, and before marriage he had a different surname - Harutyunyan.
In addition to Magnit, the businessman also owns the Krasnodar football club. Under the leadership of Sergei Galitsky, he made significant progress, reaching the Premier League in 2011.
The entrepreneur, as a typical representative of the Soviet generations, served in the army from 1985 to 1987, and then, having already entered the Kuban State University, got a job at one of the Kuban commercial banks. In 1993, Sergei Galitsky graduated from the Faculty of Economics and National Economy Planning and received a diploma in finance and credit.
Then the career of a businessman developed very rapidly and already in 1994 he became a deputy bank manager, where he came only in his second year of study.
The company "Tander", which is the manager of the "Magnit" chain, began its existence in 1995, and by 2001, the network of Sergei Galitsky had reached the number of 250 outlets and became the largest in Russia.
According to the "Finance" magazine, the personal fortune of Sergei Galitsky in February 2010 was estimated at $ 2.65 billion. Then, in 2011, the businessman took 24th place in the Forbes TOP of the 200 richest businessmen in Russia.
Galitsky's company developed very rapidly, and already in 2006, Magnit's shares began to be traded on the RTS and MICEX. The merits of the businessman were also appreciated by the regional Kuban authorities: in 2011, the Governor of the Krasnodar Territory issued a decree conferring the title of Hero of Labor of the Kuban on the owner of Magnit.
Currently, the businessman is also building the Krasnodar stadium, which, after completion, will become the largest structure of its kind in the Southern Federal District.
