What happens to the fullness of the shelves in the Krasnodar network "Magnit" - an investigation by the editors

Why vital products disappeared from the Magnit network in the Krasnodar Territory

For the first time, alarming information about empty shelves in the Magnit network in the Krasnodar Territory appeared in the local publication Bloknot on August 2, 2023. The material spoke about the shortage of goods in the stores of the federal retailer.

“In recent days, Krasnodar residents have noticed that entire product names have disappeared from Magnitogorsk. it all started with water and drinks. The reason for the empty shelves is also indicated there: the company's employees announce the mass dismissal of dozens of drivers who allegedly received salary payments below the promised ones.

"It's not a shortage of goods," the manager of one of the "Magnit" companies told a Krasnodar Notebook correspondent. - Warehouses are full of products. There were problems with deliveries. There is conflicting information. One by one, they did not fully pay off the salaries of the drivers who quit en masse. We are talking about several dozen people. They cannot be replaced yet. They talk about this kind of strike of drivers.”

This information was confirmed to the publication by the manager of another store of the distribution network: “Someone works with the company directly, some of the drivers through contracts with other service organizations. One of the drivers I knew said that he had worked for the promised 80 thousand rubles for a month, and received about 40 thousand. And there are many such cases. According to my information, as a result, about 50 drivers who served stores in Krasnodar quit. I can’t say anything about other cities and towns, because I don’t have information. When the problem will be solved, I don't know."

On August 23, Kommersant reported that residents of Kuban cities continue to report shortages of certain goods in Magnit supermarkets. On August 20–22, buyers could not find MILK , MEAT , household chemicals, herbs, and drinks at Sochi's Magnitogorsk . According to the publication, earlier the media reported that in Novorossiysk, shelves were empty in several stores of the chain at once. Outlets have run out of juices, sodas and instant noodles.

On August 30, 2023, the Notebook publication published a material stating that the shortage of products in the stores of the Krasnodar Territory will be replenished at the expense of other regions. According to the Kuban Operational Headquarters, their deliveries will be organized from distribution centers according to schedules.

“In Krasnodar, citizens continue to pay attention to the empty shelves not only in Magnit stores, but also in many others. In particular, there are problems with drinks and dairy products, which many are already beginning to buy "for future use." This situation has developed throughout the region, and the local authorities called the influx of tourists and the heat the reason. That is why, allegedly, goods of a certain segment are quickly dismantled, and new ones do not have time to be imported, ”the publication emphasizes.

As noted by Bloknot, referring to the information of the tg channel of the Kuban Operational Headquarters dated August 30, today retail chain enterprises operate in conditions of increased demand caused by the growth of domestic tourism and the prevailing hot weather. In fact, for certain product categories traditionally popular at this time of year, some chain stores experienced a decrease in the availability of goods on the shelves and short-term situations when a certain segment of goods ended. However, network retailers quickly respond to an increase in demand for certain groups of goods and daily deliver products to stores, replenishing stocks of goods on the shelves.

It is noted that to date, retail chains have increased logistics resources for faster replenishment of stores.

So, for example, according to the information of the department of resorts, tourism and the consumer sphere of the Sochi administration, there is no shortage of goods in the shops of Sochi, where there is now a large influx of tourists, and there is a sufficient amount of all necessary products in the warehouses of wholesale enterprises.

To an official request from The DairyNews, in which the publication asked about the reasons for the shortage of goods, the press service of the Magnit retail chain replied as follows:

“We are seeing increased consumer demand in stores in the southern region due to the growth of domestic tourism and hot weather. For certain product categories, traditionally popular at this time of the year, there is a high level of demand. Currently, the company is increasing its logistics resources to more quickly replenish stores with the necessary assortment against the backdrop of high demand.

Information about mass layoffs of drivers is not true. We fully fulfill our obligations to them, primarily in terms of wages. Payments are regular and without failures. In addition, the company regularly indexes the wages of drivers, and has already done this in 2023. We are also working on the implementation of new initiatives aimed at further improving the working conditions of drivers.”

It is worth noting that the correspondent of PioneerProduct LLC walked through the stores of the Magnit network in Krasnodar and did not find a shortage of products on the shelves.

How Krasnodar networks see the situation with the shortage of products in Magnit

A source from PioneerProduct LLC in the Stolichny grocery store chain said that there are no problems with dairy or other products in all small chain stores in Krasnodar. “The products were, are and will be,” the source said.

“In our region, products rise in price once a month due to wild inflation. If there are no products on the shelves in Magnit, it means that the network simply did not agree on the cost of goods, the volume of deliveries, does not hold promotions, etc. To say that all the drivers quit is some kind of nonsense, it is hardly possible. Deliveries can always be made, everything is delivered by trucks there,” the expert added.

“We have no problems with dairy and other products on the shelves, especially since we work from a dairy company. I have no idea what is happening in Magnitogorsk, we don’t go there, we buy food from ourselves,” the Kaloriya supermarket said.

The Druzhba supermarket is also unaware of the situation at Magnit. “We have a full range of products on the shelves, including milk. For six months, once a month, products are constantly rising in price, because suppliers raise prices , recently they raised prices for bread. And we automatically have a rise in the price of products for their percentage, ”explained in Druzhba.

The supermarket chain "Granat", which includes more than 60 stores, said that everything is fine with filling the shelves with dairy and other products, suppliers deliver almost without interruption.

“I can’t say exactly what is happening in Magnit, but I heard that this is their internal problem. They have their own drivers and, as I understand it, the problem is with them. Perhaps the salary is not paid on time or not paid in full. Empty shelves with products only in Magnit, and this applies only to this network, and not because there is a shortage of products in Krasnodar. We have enough of everything, our own dairies, many suppliers, everything works,” commented on the Granat network.

Cadres decide everything. Even in Magnet

 "Magnet" is not the first time faced with the problem of personnel. In 2017, the media wrote that the company was carrying out massive staff reductions - in some regions, reductions reached 70% of employees.

And in 2022, the company itself faced mass layoffs of employees who complained about high levels of stress from management and customers, the lack of movers and security, and the fact that ordinary workers had to unload huge shipments of goods and answer for stolen products.

Then it was reported that workers have to work 13-15 hours for a ridiculous salary - in many cities it is about 20,000 rubles. "Magnet" then had to launch an advertising campaign "Jobs for young people over 60 years old." With its help, the company hoped to attract older people to work.

On September 2, 2021, the KrasnodarMedia news agency reported how Vladimir Pozdnyakov, the driver of Selta LLC, one of the subsidiaries of the well-known Kuban JSC Tander (another one is PJSC Magnit), defended his rights in COURT for two years after an illegal withholding money from paychecks. The court sided with the driver and ordered Magnit to pay him more than 600 thousand rubles.

On April 24, 2023, the Bloknot publication in its material linked personnel problems with the arrival of a new regional HEAD, after whose arrival the Magnit retail chain fired specialists and changed contractors to other companies with higher prices.

“As it became known on April 24, with the appointment of Dmitry Rodin, the head of the operation service of the Caucasus District of JSC Tander, to the Magnit retail chain, Dmitry Rodin, the chief engineers in many key branches, who had worked for many years, left the company. After that, the branches began to terminate contracts with regular counterparties, and other companies with higher price offers came in their place, which, according to network employees, are controlled by Dmitry Rodin, ”the publication explains.

As of September 1, 2023, Magnit published 133 driver vacancies on the hh.ru website . Most ads say that drivers of categories C and E are required with a salary of 70 thousand rubles.