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IKEA decided to close its shops in Russia after Moscow sent tens
of thousands of troops to Ukraine in February in what it said
was a 'special military operation'. Many other western companies
- from energy producers to food and clothing chains - have left
Russia.
Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said negotiations
were ongoing, but declined to do disclose who the potential
buyers were.
"IKEA aims to reach an agreement in principle with the buyer or
buyers by the end of this year," Manturov said in an interview
with the TASS news agency, published on Wednesday.
IKEA, the world's biggest furniture brand, shut down its Russian
stores in March and said it would sell factories, close offices
and reduce its 15,000-strong workforce in Russia. It reopened
for a brief online fire sale during the summer.
"The sales activities of our factories in Russia are proceeding
according to plan," IKEA said in a statement. "We have agreed
with potential buyers not to share any details with respect to
them and the integrity of the sales process."
IKEA earlier this year said it expected the process of finding
new ownership to be finalised in 2023.
(Reporting by Alexander Marrow and Olga Popova, additional
reporting by Anna Ringstrom in Stockholm; Editing by Emelia
Sithole-Matarise)
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