“Anderson” cafe chain sold to “Vkusvilla”

Food retailer “Vkusville” bought the brand and main assets of the chain of family cafes “Anderson”, founded by Anastasia Tatulova. This was reported by Tatulova herself.

“Our two brands worked a lot as partners. VkusVill really supported us during the pandemic and was the first to believe in our product and put it on its shelf,” the former ombudswoman for the protection of small and medium-sized businesses wrote in a telegram.

According to “Kommersant” with reference to sources in “Vkusville”, the deal has already been closed. The assets of the “Anderson” network, which the retailer purchased, are estimated at 600–800 million rubles.

According to sources of the publication, “Vkusville” has long been looking for assets in the restaurant market for acquisition, and Tatulova might want to leave the business due to “administrative pressure”.

A year ago, the “Anderson” cafe chain underwent massive tax inspections and seizure of documents. Tatulova then stated that, in her opinion, this is how the authorities are trying to force her to leave Russia.

Prior to that, State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fedorov sent a request to the Prosecutor General’s Office with a request to check its activities, as well as Tatulova’s statements on the subject of extremism and “fakes” about the Russian army.

• Anastasia Tatulova founded the “Anderson” cafe chain in 2009. From July 2020 to May 2022, she held the post of public ombudsman for the protection of entrepreneurs. According to her, she resigned from this post because she “differed in views with the state”, got tired of solving businessmen’s issues manually and faced pressure on herself and her family.
• In March 2020, at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and business representatives, Tatulova reacted critically to the support measures promised by the president during the coronavirus pandemic, urged “not to frighten business with the prosecutor’s office” and suggested replacing promises of tax deferrals with tax holidays.
• In May 2021, Tatulova reported that she was offered to speak at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which will be attended by Vladimir Putin, and paid 960,000 rubles for her speech. “That’s what we need. If you want to express your opinion, pay a million, help the country,” the businesswoman summed up sarcastically.