Gazprombank has reportedly reached an agreement to acquire the Mega shopping mall chain in Russia, with the development to be confirmed by standards of the bank’s public communications. A Russian news agency quoted the bank on the deal, signaling a major shift in the nation’s retail property landscape.
The Mega centers were previously owned and managed by Ingka Centers in Sweden, the entity known for overseeing IKEA operations and the Mega portfolio in Russia. The total footprint across these centers is substantial, totaling about 2.3 million square meters of retail space.
The agreement encompasses fourteen Mega shopping centers located in diverse regions, including Moscow, the Moscow region, the Leningrad region, Omsk, Ufa, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Adygea, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Nizhny Novgorod. The precise financial terms and structure of the transaction were not disclosed by the bank’s press service.
The news emerged around mid-September, when Ingka Centers reportedly engaged in talks with Gazprombank regarding the sale of the fourteen Mega malls in Russia. While it was suggested that preliminary agreements might have been reached, no specific details were shared about which Gazprombank division would handle the purchase. Background notes indicate that Gazprombank subsidiaries have previously invested in central Moscow and other cities, including the Boulevard Ring business center in 2022 and property acquisitions in St. Petersburg, suggesting a broader strategy of expanding retail and commercial holdings. Ingka Centers indicated that it was evaluating multiple options for the Mega portfolio in Russia, emphasizing that the decision would require careful consideration and time. Gazprombank did not offer public comments at that time.
In related developments, there were reports in June that Stockmann, a Finnish retailer, would maintain a presence within Mega shopping centers, aligning with ongoing plans to anchor these spaces with diverse retail brands and services. The overall trajectory signals continued interest from major financial and retail players in Russia’s large-format shopping center ecosystem, with potential implications for tenants, residential catchment areas, and regional commerce patterns.