Russian dairy group Wimm-Bill-Dann has indicated that it plans to fight the reported nationalisation of its subsidiary in Uzbekistan.
Reports in Russia have claimed that the Uzbek government has nationalised Wimm-Bill-Dann’s local unit following a court ruling in Tashkent, the country’s capital.
According to Russian business daily Kommersant, a conflict between Wimm-Bill-Dann and Uzbekistan’s National Security Service has led to the country’s government taking the dairy group’s local arm “in profit of state”.
A spokesperson for Wimm-Bill-Dann told just-food today (22 September) that the company had yet to receive any notification from the Uzbek government about the move. However, the spokesperson said the company would look to fight the decision.
“We haven’t received any papers on the decision. If we receive anything, we will appeal,” the spokesperson said.
The Wimm-Bill-Dann spokesperson said the Uzbek unit was “not material” to the business. The spokesperson said the company had invested around $5m in the business, which accounts for less than 1% of group revenue.
