Gerhard Schröder has joined the board of Hyperglobus, the company operating the Russian supermarkets spun off from Globus

Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder has joined the supervisory board of Hyperglobus, the Russian company operating the supermarket chain spun off from the German Globus group, RBC reported on Friday, citing Reuters.

The company announced that Schröder would support the business’s strategic development. Hyperglobus separated from Globus Holding in 2025 and is owned by Thomas Bruch, the former head of the German group. The stores in Russia continue to use the Globus brand.

Globus Holding said it had fully separated its Russian operations, which are legally and operationally independent. Hyperglobus and Schröder did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.

The appointment comes amid mounting pressure on German companies operating in Russia. Four days earlier, Moscow placed the local assets of German retailer Metro AG under “temporary administration.”

Schröder had close ties with Vladimir Putin during his tenure as German chancellor, from 1998 to 2005, and subsequently held positions at Russian state-owned companies. At the beginning of this year, Putin identified him as his preferred interlocutor for talks on new security arrangements in Europe, a proposal rejected by the European Union.