The gas industry of the Russian Gazprom broke through through delivery stops and EU sanctions. The Multi -Company is therefore forced to change its export strategy and is now investing in a completely different industry. Surprise: Two household appliances must be produced this year.
After Gazprom lost almost 60 percent of his export with Europe after the gas war and could not be closed with China, the company decided to start the production of household appliances for Russians.
Bosch Comeback in Russia?
However, this is not a coincidence, but has a history with a background. The German manufacturer of home and kitchen equipment Bosch had set up production in Russia in the spring of 2022 – after the Russian attack on Ukraine. A year later, the company sold part of its facilities to the Russian holding S8 Capital. However, the two most important works in the neighborhood of St. Petersburg remained in the possession of the Bosch group.
In April 2024, these works were placed by decree by Russian President Vladimir Putin under the provisional administration of the Gazprom subsidiary Gazprom Bytovye Sistemy (German: Gazprom Household appliances)-a measure that was actually equivalent to exproprise, even as the rights of property
Now it becomes clear that the production of household appliances in Bosch in Russia could start again in 2025. According to the Russian business newspaper “Kommersant”, the Gazprom daughter prepares the restart of the works in Strelna near St. Petersburg. The production of refrigerators and washing machines is planned – possibly again under the established German brand name.
The preparations are already underway, as the “Berliner Zeitung” has already reported. The complete resumption of production is planned for the summer. The capacity should gradually increase by 2035.
Russian own brands without an opportunity
The Russian industry experts who were interviewed by “Komern” emphasized that production would only be economically viable if the devices were still sold under the Bosch brand name. Gazprom is already represented on the market with its own brands such as Darina and initiated the first test productions under his own label in 2024 – but a new Russian brand name would have little chance against established players such as LG, Samsung or Haier. Bosch products are still imported into Russia via so-called parallel import and are still very popular there.
According to analysts from the industry, the reactivation of works can require investments between $ 20 and $ 50 million, other things for new press forms, software licenses and automation technology. After the withdrawal, Bosch had also withdrawn the licenses for the production software, which required extensive re-engineering.
Legal obstacles
The use of the Bosch brand name by the Gazprom daughter can also be legally problematic. Although surgical control over the works of the presidential decision lies with the Russian company, trademarks remain with Deutsche Robert Bosch GmbH. So far, the Bosch headquarters in Stuttgart have not yet officially responded to a possible comeback in Russia.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
