The president of the International Boxing Association (IBA), Umar Kremlev, became the new owner of the “Rolf” dealer holding. This is reported on the company's website.
The holding expects that the new strategic investor will allow the company to expand its range of activities, as well as focus on improving efficiency and attracting new partners and customers.
“Umar Nazarovich has already announced the company's intention to enter the federal level, expressing confidence that these changes will become a new impetus in development and will not only preserve, but also increase its leadership positions,” - the press release says.
The current agreements and obligations to partners and customers will continue to be fulfilled in full, the holding assured.
“Rolf” Holding was founded in 1991 and is now one of the largest Russian car sellers. By the end of 2022, the company took the first place in the top car dealers in terms of revenue (234.3 billion rubles) and the second in terms of the number of new cars sold (25,478 units). “Rolf”-'s dealer network includes 51 showrooms and three mega-malls of used cars in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
According to “AvtoBusinessRevue”, by the end of 2023, “Rolf” was the fourth in the ranking of dealers in the sale of new cars (28.73 thousand units) and the first in the sale of used cars (102.22 thousand units). “Rolf”-'s revenue in 2023 increased by 39.84%, to 323.85 billion rubles, profit decreased 2.5 times, to 5.2 billion rubles, according to the reports.
Until December 22, 2023, the group was owned by the Cyprus company Delance Ltd., which belongs to the family of “Rolf” founder and ex-State Duma deputy Sergei Petrov. In 2019, criminal cases were opened against the entrepreneur and a number of other top managers of the holding company on suspicion of withdrawing funds abroad. At the end of December 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the transfer of “Rolf”-'s assets to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency. In February 2024, the Moscow District Court of St. Petersburg granted the claim of the Prosecutor General's Office to recover the assets of the “Rolf” car dealer in favor of the state.
This is the first case in Russia when a Russian businessman's company is transferred to state management – previously, only businesses of foreign owners were nationalized.
After the nationalization, it became known that “Rolf” was headed by Roman Antonov, a business partner of Umar Kremlev, but officially the Kremlev's role in the company was not reported. The Insider, as well as “The Project”, however, claimed that it was he who got the company.
Recall that Umar Kremlev is a native of Hissar – his family is from the village of Gulkhona jamoat Gornaya Khanaka, which is located in the Almasy gorge. During the celebration of Navruz last year, at the request of his father, he visited his historical homeland and promised to improve the gorge, reconstruct the road, build a large shopping complex and a boxing school.
Umar Kremlev has been the President of the International Boxing Association since December 12, 2020.