Dossier on Russian-Jewish oligarch Yuri Shefler
Figure 7. With wife Tatiana Kovylina and son, 2016.Biography of Yuri Chefler - biography, condition, ex and real wife
| Name | Yuri Viktorovich Shefler |
| Date of birth (age) | September 10, 1967 (now 51) |
| Place of birth | g. Orel, RSFSR, USSR |
| Nationality | a Jew |
| Nationality | Russian, British |
| Marital status, children | married, four children |
| Scope of activity | alcohol industry |
| Condition, $ | 1.5 billion (2019) |
Most of Yuri Shefler's biography is directly related to alcoholic beverages. Using the example of SPI Group, the billionaire proved how the efficiency of enterprises that have emerged from the state monopoly and fell into skillful private hands can increase. A person who has lived outside Russia for more than 13 years is now waiting here as the most honorable guest.
Summary of contents
YURI SCHEFLER'S CHILDHOOD AND PARENTS
Little is known about Yuri Shefler's childhood. He was born on September 10, 1967, and the famous Russian city of Orel became his homeland. Despite the brotherhood and equality of peoples promoted in the Soviet Union, in those years the attitude towards the Jewish nation was ambiguous, which was the reason for the repeated change of patronymic and surname of the current oligarch. In the birth certificate, he was recorded as Yuri Alekseevich Yurasov.
At the age of fourteen, Yura and his family were forced to move to Issyk-Kul. The reason was the asthma that his mother was suffering from. For health improvement, doctors recommended the woman to change the climate and situation, as a result of which the last 2 years the young man was studying in the village of Rybachy (now Balykcha) at the school №1 named after Leo Tolstoy, from which he graduated in 1984.
EDUCATION
Already in his youth, Yuri began to seriously think about private entrepreneurship, and his dreams expanded to a global scale. The failure with the private firm Dinter, which Schefler registered in the early 90s, convinced the young man of the idea that he could not see success in business from the banal trade in computers.
To receive higher education, Yuri entered the Moscow Institute of National Economy in 1991. Plekhanov, which later became an economic academy, and even later a university of economics.
Receiving higher education, Yuri did not stop his entrepreneurial activity, made valuable connections and contacts. His experience in leadership positions had a positive impact on his thesis, which marked Schefler's graduation from the academy.
YURI SHEFLER'S CAREER AND BUSINESS
In 1993, as a student, Shefler began to learn the basics of foreign business. His communication with the employees of Hopf (Switzerland) resulted in participation in two joint projects proposed by Yuri: the Sadko-Armada trading house and the Ukraine Hotel.
At the same time, the young entrepreneur became the general director of the trading house, later the corporation, which he managed until 1997.
The first tangible income and trading experience in 1995 inspired Scheefler to acquire the assets of joint-stock companies GUM, Vnukovo Airlines.
Since that time, the businessman has begun the path to a billion-dollar fortune.
One of the most significant events in Schefler's biography occurred in 1996. Among the good acquaintances of the entrepreneur was Vladimir Yamnikov, who headed the Distury "Crystal" and headed the VAO "Soyuzplodoimport".
After the collapse of the USSR, the most popular vodka brands, such as Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya, Pshenichnaya and Russkaya, turned out to be orphaned, and Yamnikov planned to become their official owner. In 1995, the director of Soyuzplodoimport received the coveted shares in licenses.
In an effort to gain full control over the trademarks, Vladimir Yamnikov involved Yuri Shefler in the case. Entrepreneurs became partners, and after the sudden death of Yamnikov, Yuri Shefler had an 80% stake in Soyuzplodoimport.
Having assessed the prospects, in 1997 Shefler got rid of the shares of Vnukovo Airlines and other securities previously owned by him. Leaving the management of the Sadko-Armada trading house, the businessman completely switched to the restoration and reorganization of VAO Soyuzplodoimport, building a base for the creation of his offspring - SPI Group.
A year later, the Schefler Distillery moves to Kaliningrad, and the VAO receives the status of a closed joint-stock company. At the same time, Schefler is committing a fraud to transfer the rights to vodka brands to the Dutch company Spirits International, registered in his own name.
The latter was the subject of litigation in 1997-2000, which arose around the Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya trademarks.
From 1998 to 2001, Shefler bought Spanish, Argentine and Australian rights to produce "Moscow" and "Stolichnaya" vodka. Patents are transferred to the asset of the S.P.I. group.
Expanding his empire, in 2001 the businessman became the owner of the largest Latvian liqueur company Latvijas Balzams.
After the importance of losing control over prestigious brands of alcoholic beverages reached the Russian authorities, in 2002 Shefler was charged with illegal exploitation of brands. Assuming imprisonment, the businessman urgently left for Latvia, and then moved to the UK, where he asked for political asylum and received citizenship.
Being detached from Russian business, Schefler intensified his activities in Europe and America. Back in 2004, SPI Group had more than $600 million in its turnover.
In 2015, the entrepreneur's assets expanded with a controlling stake in the Mexican company Fabrica De Tequilas Finos, the largest tequila producer. In addition, Shefler became the owner of a 54.4% stake in the American rum producer - Louisiana Spirits Company.
Subsequently, the entrepreneur appeared in several other major criminal cases brought by the Russian prosecutor's office. In an attempt to whitewash his name in world society, Shefler spent about $200 million on legal costs and was fully amnestied only in 2016.
In 2004, Yuri Shefler tried himself in the political field, but the attempt to become a State Duma deputy from the "Union of Right Forces" was unsuccessful.
YURI SCHEFLER'S CONDITION
Yuri Shefler's ambition made it possible to fulfill his long-standing dreams, expressed in his participation in global business. The billionaire's photo is often present on the pages of world financial publications. The main capital of the entrepreneur is contained in the shares of the SPI Group corporation he created.
Based on the information of Forbes magazine, it is possible to trace the dynamics of changes in the financial condition of Schefler over the past few years (g. - $, billion/place in the rating of the richest Russians):
-
- 2011 - 0.5/200;
- 2014 - 0,7/154;
- 2015 - 1,75/-;
- 2016 - 1,9/-;
- 2017 - 1,6/-.
By 2018, the businessman's fortune was estimated at $1.5 billion, which corresponded to the 67th place in the list of the 200 richest people in Russia.
Yuri Viktorovich's wealth can be judged by the following facts. In 2015, he sold his seven-deck megayacht "Serene" to the deputy heir to the King of Saudi Arabia. This deal brought Schefler $500 million. Instead of a houseboat, in 2016 the businessman got real estate in Scotland.
The Tulchan hunting estate, once owned by the English aristocracy, covers an area of 8.5 thousand hectares, and Schefler got it for more than £25 million.
Shefler owns a grand building located in the Latvian capital. It is represented by two skyscraper towers (123 and 117 m), which house commercial elite residential and office premises.
PRIVATE LIFE OF YURI SHEFLER
Yuri Shefler's personal life is no less interesting than the rest of his biography. It is full of scandals, which are joyfully discussed by the media, accompanied by undeniable evidence and denials. Three times the oligarch was in legal marriages, in which he got four heirs.
One of Schefler's wives was Elena Litueva, who gave the entrepreneur a daughter (born in 1987) and a son Alexei (2001). With the formation of Yuri Sergeyevich as an oligarch, the happy life of the spouses was overshadowed and ended in divorce. And Elena went to prison on charges of drug possession, and his father took the minor Alyosha to Great Britain.
The fate of another wife remains a mystery, sometimes you can hear terms such as "violent death" and "missing".
The current wife of the oligarch Tatiana Kovylina is well known in the world of models. The woman began her career by winning the "Elite Model Look Tatarstan" contest in 1998. Then she advertised the products of prestigious brands and even starred in the video of the popular British band Duran Duran. Since 2007, she has been involved in her husband's business and owns three Latvian enterprises specializing in the production and sale of alcoholic beverages. This marriage brought Yuri Shefler a son, and according to some data, the couple have two common children from living together.
Along with his entrepreneurial activities, Yuri Shefler is actively involved in charity. The Children's Fund he created together with Latvijas Balzams constantly allocates large funds to children's and sports organizations in Latvia.
The billionaire's main hobby is hunting. Having become the owner of Scottish hunting grounds, Yuri Schefler can now devote his hobby in places where the English and Belgian kings once hunted, as well as United States President Roosevelt.
YURI SHEFLER TODAY
According to experts, the excommunication of Yuri Shefler from Russian business caused damage to the domestic economy. Now, in 2018, the oligarch's enterprises are successfully selling their products in the EU and American markets.
After a full amnesty for Scheffler, the issue of returning the businessman to Russia is increasingly rising in the media.
The entrepreneur himself does not think about retirement at all and treats his business as a hobby that brings huge income.
Alcohol business: the success story of Yuri Shefler, the owner of the Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya trademarks
Yuri Shefler dreamed of creating a global business back in the early 90s. But the sale of computers turned out to be unprofitable, and the management of the shopping center quickly bored him. He found his niche in the "live, dynamic, creative" alcohol industry. In 1997, having gained control over the Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya brands, he won not only the Russian but also the world market in a few years. Judicial proceedings regarding the misappropriation of trademarks, which lasted 15 years, ended with the amnesty of the businessman. In 2017, the billionaire took the 56th place in the rating of "The Richest Businessmen of Russia" with a fortune of $1.6 billion.
BRIEF INFORMATION:
- Name: Shefler Yuri Viktorovich.
- Date of birth: September 10, 1967.
- Education: Russian Economic University. G. B. Plekhanov (1996).
- Date of commencement of entrepreneurial activity / age: 1993 / 26 years.
- Type of activity at the start: trade, hotel business.
- Current activity: production of alcoholic beverages, real estate.
- Current status (2017, Forbes): $1.6 billion
In 2015, he sold his mega-yacht Serene for $485 million to the Prince of Saudi Arabia, and in 2016 he purchased Scotland's most expensive hunting farm for £25 million. Who is he, this fabulously rich businessman capable of conducting such large-scale transactions?
Yuri Viktorovich Shefler - President of the P.S.I. Group of Companies. Group, a Russian entrepreneur who was forced to leave Russia and take his business abroad because of accusations of illegal use of the trademark. He started with the sale of computer components in the Russian Federation, and now he is a British citizen, owns the P.S.I. corporation. Group and is a monetary shareholder of the elite Italian winery Tenute di Toscana. In 2017, he took 56th place in the rating of "The Richest Businessmen of Russia", according to Forbes, with a fortune of $1.6 billion.
Figure 1. Dynamics of Shefler Yu.V.'s state in 2013-2017, million dollars
Source: Forbes
Yuri Shefler is far from being a spoiler of fate, he was born in the city of Orel in an ordinary Soviet family. Unable to continue his education immediately after school, he worked part-time in production, tried to sell computers and bought vouchers.
"I myself didn't understand what industry I liked, where I could find a use, so I tried everything."
The story of his success began with the organization of the Sadko-Armada trading house, the financing of which Yuri Shefler managed to negotiate with the Swiss company Hopf. This was followed by the actions of GUM and Vnukovsky Airlines and, finally, the creation of the alcoholic concern S.P.I. Group, which specialized in the production of vodkas under the well-known brands "Stolichnaya", "Moskovskaya" and others since the Soviet era.
During his ascent to the business Olympus, Yuri Shefler held key positions in many companies:
- 1990 - Director of a small trading company "Dinter";
- 1993 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sadko-Armada trading house;
- 1995 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vnukovo Airlines;
- 1997 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of VZAO Soyuzplodoimport;
Since 1998, the billionaire has owned a central stake in S.P.I. Group, and since 2015 the company has come under its sole control.
| № | Type of asset | Asset structure |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Companies | SPI Group, Spirits International, Latvijas Balzams |
| 2 | Shares | Fabrica de Tequila Finos (Mexico) - 72.5%, Louisiana Spirits Company (USA) - 54.4%, Tenute di Toscana (Italy) - 18%. |
| 3 | Intellectual property | Trademarks "Moskovskaya", "Capital", "Rigas Melnais Balzams". |
| 4 | Real estate | House in London, apartment in Miami, villa on the Cote d'Azur, mansion in Jurmala, residence of the governor of the Russian emperor in Latvia, hunting estate Tulchan in Scotland (Spey River Valley). |
Figure 2. The famous mega-yacht Serene, which is among the TOP 3 such structures in the world.
Source: "Water World" website
In 2002, a criminal case was initiated against Yuri Shefler under the article "Illegal use of a trademark" (Art. 180 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) - it was about vodka brands "Moskovskaya" and "Stolichnaya". Later, other articles were added to the accusation. The billionaire refused to admit his guilt and left Russia. The persecution of the entrepreneur was stopped only in 2016 - the Constitutional Court announced his amnesty.
Now the business of the alcoholic tycoon is functioning steadily in the EU. The lion's share of its S.P.I. products The Group exports to the United States. The Latvijas Balzams Scheffler plant operates in Latvia.
Figure 3. At the presentation of Latvijas Balzams, 2012.
Source: Financial Newspaper
"Yury is a wonderful manager, with whose departure from the country, the Russian business has lost a lot," Artem Kuznetsov, co-owner of the Guta group, once said in an interview. The businessman managed to achieve heights in his business thanks to perseverance, patience, entrepreneurial acumen and favorable coincidence. The secrets of the success of alcohol tycoon Yuri Shefler are revealed in his brief but very fascinating biography.
HOW DID THE BILLIONAIRE START HIS BUSINESS FROM THE 90S?
On September 10, 1967, Yuri Yurasov, the future billionaire Shefler, was born in the city of Orel (later the businessman changed his surname). Soviet childhood determined the aspirations of the young man: he dreamed of succeeding in a business that would captivate and motivate him.
"I've always wanted to own a global company."
In 1990, he tried to create his own small company selling PC components Dinter. However, the business turned out to be unprofitable and existed for less than 1 year. Yuri learned a useful lesson from failure - without knowledge of the basics of marketing and economics, he will not be able to succeed. As a result, in 1991 he entered the University of Economics. G. B. Plekhanov.
In 1993, a young entrepreneur got acquainted with representatives of the Swiss company Hopf and offered two business projects: the creation of the Sadko-Armada trading house and the Ukraine hotel. The business seemed promising to investors and soon Schefler took the place of CEO of his first brainchild.
Help! TD "Sadko-Armada" was a complex structure that owned restaurants, branded clothing boutiques, food supermarkets. Until 1997, Yuri Shefler was a member of the Board of Directors of the corporation.
Figure 4. General Director of Sadko-Armada Trading House, 1996.
Source: BizBilla website
In 1995, the entrepreneur directs his first income to the purchase of shares of GUM, Nafta-Moscow and Vnukovo Airlines. He embarks on the path of a businessman - an investor aimed at billions of profits.
Interesting fact! Yuri reflected his rich managerial experience in his thesis. She managed to surprise even the famous professors of the State University. Plekhanov: in their opinion, the study "clearly expressed the practical application of capitalism."
HISTORY OF THE TAKEOFF OF THE "ALCOHOL BUSINESS"
In 1996, fate brings together Yuri Shefler with the director of the distillery "Crystal" Vladimir Yamnikov, who had a very tempting idea: to get ownership of well-known brands of Soviet vodka: "Moskovskaya", "Pshenichnaya", "Russkaya", "Stolichnaya", etc.
Help! In 1991, the State Patent Service of the USSR deprived the brands "Moscow", "Wheat", "Russian", "Capital" and other legal protection on the territory of the Soviet Union. Until 1995, it was not even necessary to obtain a license to sell alcohol. As a result, they had the right to use all distilleries. In 1993, Vladimir Yamnikov, a shareholder, director of VAO Soyuzplodoimport, and his CEO Evgeny Sorochkin, obtained through the court the transfer of the brands listed above to the ownership of Soyuzplodoimport.
Yamnikov had his own plans for the world-famous brands of Russian vodka: he offered his new partner Yuri Shefler to gradually buy out the shares of Soyuzplodoimport and gain control over the brands. By 1997, the latter had 80% of WAO's shares in his hands: he bought out some of it himself, and part went to him from Yamnikov, who died suddenly due to illness. Yuri understood: his star hour has come.
Figure 5. "I focused on the alcohol business, finally realized: this is exactly what I like. It's interesting, dynamic, lively, creative," 1999.
Source: "Gossip" website
In 1997, he sells his shares in JSC Vnukovo Airlines, Nafta-Moscow, TSUM and GUM to Suleiman Kerimov, and also leaves the ranks of the founders of the Sadko-Armada Trading House. He directs the proceeds to repay the debts of Soyuzplodoimport and the creation of S.P.I. on its basis. Группа.
"Schefler is lucky! Having got this business, he didn't even realize what kind of treasure he got." (Evgeny Sorochkin)
In the following years, the businessman is taking steps to strengthen his position in the Russian and international market:
- 1998 - transfers the vodka production plant to Kaliningrad and transforms WAO into CJSC, transfers the rights to well-known vodka brands to its company Spirits International, registered in the Netherlands;
- 1997-2000 - participates in court proceedings with companies illegally using the Moskovskaya, Stolichnaya brands, etc. ;
- 1998-2001 - buys and re-registers Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya brands in Australia, Spain, Argentina on S.P.I. Group, on which it spends about $45 million. ;
- 2001 - acquires the company for the production of alcoholic beverages Latvijas Balzams in Latvia.
By the end of 2001, Yuri Shefler managed to create an international business that brought the owner a solid income: the Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya brands were known all over the world.
LITIGATION AND THEIR OUTCOME - "DARK" PAGE IN SCHEFLER'S BIOGRAPHY
Since 1999, S.P.I. The Group has increasingly been accused of appropriating the national heritage - the Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya trademarks. Inspections were carried out at the holding's enterprises more than once, and in 2000 the acting Russian President Vladimir Putin received letters from Interior Minister Vladimir Rushailo and Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov: they insisted that privatization took place with mistakes, in connection with which the primordially state property was in private hands.
"This was the first case of open deprivatization. Even then, it was quite obvious that if they came for me, they could come for both oilmen and metallurgists.
In 2002, Yuri Shefer, as well as the CEO of S.P.I. Group Andrey Skurikhin was charged with illegal use of the trademark. Later, threats to the director of the state enterprise "Soyuzplodoimport" Vladimir Loginov were added to it.
Figure 6. "Even if the privatization was carried out with violations, I could not know about it, as I bought up shares of WAO many years after corporatization," 2009.
Source: RBC
Yuri Shefler understood that his arguments would not decide the trial in his favor, and went abroad: first to Latvia, and then to Great Britain. As a result of the court proceedings, the trademarks "Moskovskaya" and "Stolichnaya" were transferred to the balance sheet of the Ministry of Agriculture, and the businessman himself was put on the international wanted list.
In 2007, the organization of a criminal association, illegal business activities and money laundering were added to the list of Shefler's crimes. Only the participation of experienced lawyers allowed several times to postpone the entry into force of the court decision of the Basmanny Court of Moscow.
Help! The billionaire spent more than $200 million on trials that lasted from 2002 to 2016.
Source: Forbes
The prosecution by Interpol and the accusation under 6 articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation did not become a barrier to the development of Schefler's business: he lost the Russian market, but strengthened his position in the American and European markets. In 2004, the turnover of S.P.I. The Group reached $600 million. Stoli vodka is one of the most popular drinks in the United States. In 2015, an elite version of this drink was released at a cost of $60 per bottle.
In 2015, the billionaire acquired a 72.5% stake from tequila producer Fabrica de Tequila Finos (Mexico) and 54.4% shares from rum producer Louisiana Spirits Company (USA).
In 2016, the Constitutional Court of Russia announced an amnesty for the owner of a large alcohol holding; the criminal prosecution of the businessman was terminated.
INTERESTING FACTS BIOGRAPHY OF YURI SCHEFLER
- The entrepreneur has been married three times and has four children. His current wife is model Tatiana Kovylina.
Figure 7. With wife Tatiana Kovylina and son, 2016.
Source: "Gossip" website - Since Latvijas Balzams is the general sponsor of the New Wave festival, the billionaire is his guest of honor, along with Peter Aven, Oleg Boyko, Mikhail Fridman, etc.
- In 2003, the businessman took part in the parliamentary elections from the SPS party, but he did not get into politics.
- The Yuri Shefler Children's Charitable Foundation, organized in Latvia, has invested more than 150 thousand euros in support of education and sports.
- In 2017, the construction of a skyscraper known as the "Schefler Tower" was completed in Riga. The grandiose building (the height of the towers is 123 and 117 meters) is a complex of residential and commercial luxury real estate.
Figure 8. "Shefler Towers" in Riga, 2017.
Source: FullHouse website
Shefler Yuri | Faces | RUCOMPROMAT
Shefler Yuri Viktorovich (Yurasov Yuri Alekseevich, Shabalin Yuri Anatolyevich; born September 10, 1967, Orel, RSFSR, USSR) is a Russian and British businessman, owner of SPI Group. Since 2002, he has been permanently residing in the UK and has British citizenship.
In 1996 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of National Economy named after G. B. Plekhanov. Since 1990, he has been the director of the small enterprise Dinter. In 1993, together with his partners, he became a co-founder of the Sadko-Arkada trading house. Later he met Evgeny Sorochkin, General Director of WAO Soyuzplodoimport, who inherited vodka brands from the USSR, including Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya. Schefler consolidated 80% of Soyuzplodoimport, spent about $45 million to buy out and re-register brand rights around the world, and then sold the trademark rights to his company Spirits International.
Since 1995 - President of the company "Shefler", then co-founder and CEO of CJSC Vorobyevo. Since 1995 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Vnukovo Airlines. In 1997-1998 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of WAO Soyuzplodoimport. Since 1998, he has been managing and owning 80% of the shares of the SPI Group (which included CJSC Soyuzplodimport). On July 30, 2002, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation opened a case against Yuri Shefler under Art. 119 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Murder threat") according to the statement of the general director of "Soyuzplodoimport" Vladimir Loginov. Since 2002, Shefler has been living in the UK (obtained her citizenship). He changed three surnames, three patronymics: Yuri Alekseevich Yurasov was born, then Yuri Anatolyevich Shabalin, now Yuri Viktorovich Shefler was born. In July 2007, Yuri Shefler was charged in absentia with smuggling alcoholic beverages, organizing a criminal association and illegal use of trademarks, the right to issue which belongs to the Russian Federation.
Schefler S.P.I. owns the Latvijas balzams plant. Export versions of Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya vodkas are produced in Riga. His business's annual turnover in 2015 amounted to about $460 million. Shefler owned one of the world's longest and most expensive yachts Serene (133.9 meters) - № 14 in the Super Yachts rating of 2016. In 2011, 2014-2017, he was included in the rating of "200 richest businessmen in Russia" according to Forbes magazine. In 2017, he took 56th place with a capital of $1.6 billion.
He was married three times and has a son.
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Shefler Yuri Viktorovich - biography and family
Yuri Shefler is the president of the S.P.I. group of companies. Group, which are mainly engaged in the production and sale of alcoholic beverages, as well as real estate and agriculture.
ASSETS
Yuri Shefler manages and owns 80% of the shares of the S.P.I. group of companies. Group (which included CJSC Soyuzplodimport, which received the rights to the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya vodka brands from Soyuzplodoimport VAO in the late 90s).
In 2001, Yuri Shefler acquired Latvijas Balzams.
In 2003, Yuri Shefler bought a 32% stake in City, a company building a new business quarter in Moscow, but two years later, due to a conflict with other shareholders, he preferred to go out of business.
In 2006, Yuri Shefler acquired a stake in the Italian holding Tenute di Toscana and became a minority shareholder of one of the most elite wineries Achaval-Ferrer. [1]
STATE
It occupies the two hundredth place in the rating of the Russian-language version of Forbes "The Richest Businessmen of Russia - 2011". Yuri Shefler's fortune is estimated at $500 million. [2]
BIOGRAPHY
EDUCATION
In 1996 he graduated from the Moscow Institute of National Economy. G. B. Plekhanov.
CAREERS
- 1990 - Director of the small enterprise Dinter.
- 1995 - 1997 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC Vnukovo Airlines.
- 1993 - 1997 - Member of the Board of Directors of Sadko-Arkad Trading House.
- 1997 - Chairman of the Board of Directors of VZAO Soyuzplodoimport, which later became the core of the S.P.I. formation. Group (Soyuzplodimport CJSC).
- since 1998 - manages the S.P.I. group of companies. Group as a shareholder (he owns 80% of the shares).
CHARITY
In the past 5 years, Latvijas Balzams, together with the Yuri Shefler Children's Fund, has donated 200 thousand lats to support children and the development of sports.
PROBLEMS WITH THE LAW
In 2002, against Yuri Shefler and the CEO of S.P.I. Andrey Skurikhin's Group initiated criminal cases under Art. 180 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Illegal use of trademarks"). Soon, Shefler was charged with death threats against Vladimir Loginov, the head of the federal state enterprise Soyuzplodoimport, to whom the Ministry of Agriculture handed over the newly found vodka stamps. The entreptor denied the guilt, but left the country. First to Latvia, where S.P.I. had production.
He has been living in the UK since 2002.
In July 2007. Yuri Shefler was charged under six articles of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation: organization of a criminal association, death threat, smuggling, illegal business activities, violation of the right to a trademark, laundering and money laundering. In particular, the investigation accused Schefler of illegal use of the trademarks of vodka "Stolichnaya" and "Moskovskaya".
In mid-August 2007, the Basmanny Court of Moscow issued a sanction for the arrest of Scheffler in absentia, but his lawyers immediately filed a complaint against the judge's decision to arrest their client in absentia.
In March 2011. Yuri Shefler was not invyy to Latvia. He was blacklisted back in 2008. Now the owner of Latvijas Balzams is wanted by Interpol and is charged with: organization of a criminal association, illegal use of trademarks and smuggling.
INTERESTING FACTS
In 2003, Yuri Shefler took part in the parliamentary elections from the SFOR party. Shefler's candidacy ranked 3rd on the Western Regional SFOR List.
During his life, Yuri Shefler changed three surnames, three patronymics: Born as Yurasov Yuri Alekseevich.
Then he became Shabalin Yuri Anatolyevich.
He is now known as Shefler Yuri Viktorovich. [3]
In August 2011. Yuri Shefler's Serena superyacht was noted in the top list of the largest yachts[4].
MARITAL STATUS
Married, has a daughter (1987) and a son (2001).
- Son: Alexey Yurievich Shefler
- Ex-wife: Elena Litueva
NOTES
- ↑ Head of SPI Group Yuri Shefler acquired a stake in the Argentine winery
- ↑ The richest businessmen of Russia - 2011
- ↑ Agency of Federal Investigations
- ↑ Italian superyacht Serene entered the top 10
Will Yuri Shefler return to Russia?
The Investigative Committee closed the criminal case against the businessman last week. Schefler's main property is the Stolichnaya vodka brand, and its main market is the United States. What is an entrepreneur known for and what can forgiveness turn out in Russia?
Yuri Shefler. Photo: TASSShortly before the amnesty, Yuri Shefler turned from a disgraced businessman into almost his own: he was on the "Kremlin list" of the United States. The document, however, just copied the list of billionaires, but by chance or not - a few weeks later the vodka king came under amnesty, and the case against him was closed.
All claims have been withdrawn, the international investigation has been terminated. Will Schefler return to Russia now? This decision will be announced by the businessman's representatives later. His lawyer Alexander Asnis told Business FM about Shefler's reaction:
Alexander Asnis, lawyer
Shefler is one of the living heroes of the 90s. Berezovsky's friend, the owner of the legendary Sadko restaurant. Several stories from that era were included in Peter Aven's book "Berezovsky's Time." Schefler's restaurant gathered bandits with whom he was familiar. Knowing this, Berezovsky asked his friend to kill the editor-in-chief of Izvestia Igor Golembiovsky.
"He says to me: "You have to help me. You have to kill Golembiovsky." Of course, I was speechless. I say: "Let's do this: I won't kill Golembiovsky. Let me try to make you friends with him."And indeed, soon Berezovsky and Golembiovsky created "New News". And he helped them to make friends, according to the story of Shefler Oleg Mitvol, who became the owner of a controlling stake in the newspaper. The politician told Business FM that he last saw a businessman a few years ago in Europe. As for the entrepreneurial qualities of Yuri Viktorovich, Mitvol replied the following:
Oleg Mitvol politician, former prefect of the Northern Administrative District of Moscow
The main claim against Shefler is the illegal privatization of Soyuzplodoimport, whose main asset is the vodka brands Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya. At the beginning of the zeros, Shefler realized that it was time to leave the country urgently. In Avena's book, he says that he was waiting near the office, he caught a taxi through the fence. It's right to the Kremlin, where they advised me to leave, from there to the airport.
Many years later, Schefler compensated for the damage twice. We must not forget the merits of Shefler to Russian vodka. He's pouring it in the Baltics. But alcohol - in this you can feel the procedural irony - Tambov. Vadim Drobiz, Director of the Federal and Regional Alcohol Market Research Center, continues:
Vadim Drobiz Director of the Center for Research on Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRRA)
The criminal case is closed, but Russia continues to sue vodka stamps. Three years ago, it was possible to win, and now the state has the right to use them in the Benelux countries. However, nothing works out in the United States. This is Schefler's main market, where more than half of his vodka goes. And this market is now under threat due to possible sanctions.
The businessman, according to RBC, recently hired American lobbyists. The paradox is that Russian forgiveness can put an end to his main business. Anyway, welcome home.
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Vodka King Yuri Shefler | CRIMINAL AUTHORITIES OF THIEVES IN LAW |
Yuri Shefler
In 2001, the Russian Federation illegally sold some brands to Mr. Yuri Shefler. Businessman Yuri Shefler received the rights to 43 Soviet vodka brands in 1997, acquiring them from the state Air Defense Minister Soyuzplodoimport. It was reported that the amount of the transaction amounted to 300 thousand dollars.
At the same time, the future oligarch is seen in the company of Kurgan scumbags. What exactly they decided together is unknown, and why did such a large businessman need to be in the company of killers? This still remains a question.
After the privatization of the brands, Schefler achieved their international registration around the world - in the companies belonging to Spirits International B.V. (SPI Group). The state-owned enterprise began lawsuits against SPI in different countries of the world to prevent the company from selling Moskovskaya and Stolichnaya vodka.
From left to right: authority of the Kurgan organized criminal group Oleg Nelyubin, Anatoly Gusev, fourth - Andrey Koligov, Criminal authority of Cherkas, Yuri Shefler, Kurgan leader Vitaly Ignatov
The lawsuit in the Netherlands against SPI Group, registered as the owner of the right to disputed brands in the Benelux countries, began in February 2003. In June 2006, VVO "Soyuzplodoimport" reported that the District Court of Rotterdam made a decision in favor of the Russian Federation: it was specified that the privatization of trademarks took place with violations. The court de facto recognized that the rights to the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya trademarks in the Benelux countries belong to the Russian Federation. SPI Group did not, however, admit its defeat and even decided to challenge the court's decision. But it failed: 6 years later, the court of appeal in The Hague confirmed the decision of the first instance. The Dutch court found that Mr. Shefler had acquired trademarks in an unfair way, and the Russian Federation remains the rightful owner of the stamps. Thus, the copyright holder has the full right to seek a ban on the sale of Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya vodka by Spirits.
The court in The Hague also ruled that Spirits has no right to use the expressions Russian vodka ("Russian vodka") or Made in Russia ("made in Russia") on bottles, as it has been proved that SPI Group vodka under these brands is produced at the company's factory in Latvia and has nothing to do with Russia. "For the first time, a European court recognized the fact of unfair actions in trademark transactions by Yuri Shefler's company," says Konstantin Suvorov, partner of the law office Korelsky, Ishchuk, Astafyev and Partners. In his opinion, this decision will be considered as an important precedent in litigation between Soyuzplodoimport and SPI Group in other European countries.
The lawyer recalled that Soyuzplodoimport has international registration for the Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya trademarks, but the state-owned company received refusals to register them in the EU due to the fact that they had already been registered to another person. "Now the court has freed up Soyuzplodoimport space in the Benelux countries, and the company can quickly obtain the rights to work with disputed signs in this territory," said Mr. Suvorov.
Russian billionaire and owner of Latvijas balzams Yuri Shefler arrived in Latvia in 2012, fleeing the international search in Russia. Latvia has all the rights to extradite a disgraced oligarch. According to an anonymous informant, Latvia immediately notified Russia of Schefler's arrival.
In Latvia, the millionaire was never included in the so-called "black list", which means that he was able to cross the border of Latvia without problems. Schefler did not hide, and even vice versa - immediately after his arrival in Latvia, he himself appealed to the police, which in turn took "all the necessary criminal proceedings". It is admitted that as soon as Russia demands the extradition of a millionaire, Shefler will ask Latvia for political asylum. And this will mean that Latvia will have to make an unfavorable political decision and aggravate relations with the neighboring friendly state.
Another high-profile scandal linked Schefler's name to American citizens of non-traditional sexual orientation. The latter call on the world LGBT communities to boycott Russian vodka because of the "last attacks of Putin's regime." The reason for the boycott is the detention of Dutch gay activists in the Murmansk region for promoting homosexuality among schoolchildren. The boycott was called for by the radical human rights organization "Queer Nation", which in 23 years has seriously ruined the business of a number of "intolerant" restaurant chains.
In Russia, it is believed that gays do not relie on vodka. But vodka oligarchs Yuri Shefler and Rustam Tariko conquered the American market through gay marketing. The boycott of vodka brands by the American LGBT community can be a real problem for producers and sellers of vodka in the United States. As numerous studies show, homosexuals in general drink more and more often consumers with a traditional orientation.
The main target of Queer Nation was Stolichnaya vodka, a well-known vodka brand in the United States of Russian origin. SPI Group immediately hurried to disown the initiatives of the Russian state, pointing out that the company is registered in Luxembourg, vodka is produced in Latvia, and the product is not directly related to Russia and the political processes taking place there. Moreover, the SPI Group website for some time was even painted in the rainbow colors of the international LGBT movement, and it posted an appeal from the company's CEO Val Mendeleev, who declared full support for the defenders of sex minorities and rejection of the laws adopted in Russia. The ban on promoting homosexuality among minors in the Russian Federation forced Yuri Shefler to become the largest patron of the Russian LGBT movement. After the scandalous law led to a boycott of Russian vodka in the United States and European countries, the vodka producer Stolichnaya donated 300 thousand dollars to an international program to educate gay leaders. And another 150 thousand dollars will go to the Russian Freedom Fund, created to support Russian gay activists.
It became known that the funds will go to the account of the gay lesbian center in Los Angeles as part of a 3-year partnership between the gay organization and Stoli Group. This California LGBT center has special programs called "Learn. Act. To create." According to SPI Group Marketing Director Marco Ferrari, the boycott of the products did not affect the company's global operating results.
Large donations from vodka producer Stolichnaya to the LGBT movement are expected.
Published On July 22, 2014 | Denis Artemov Compromise
Tatiana Kovylina and Yuri Shefler | Blogger escoste at SPLETNIK.RU May 6, 2015
HE
Yuri Shefler - Chairman of the Board of Directors of S.P.I. Group, 47 years old. Born in Orel. Graduated from the Russian University of Economics. G. B. Plekhanov (1996). Married, has 4 children. Forbes estimates his fortune at $1.75 billion. In some other sources on the Internet, I found that the fortune of some 500 million people.
A little information from Forbes:
First business In the mid-1990s, he met Evgeny Sorochkin, General Director of VAO Soyuzplodoimport, who inherited vodka brands from the USSR, including Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya. Scheffler re-registered the registration of all trademarks to his company SPI.
Capital Controlling stake of SPI Group (100%).
Statistics S. P. I. The Group produces and sells alcoholic beverages under 380 brands in 170 countries.
Brand Vodka Stolichnaya.
British citizenship.
Toys Yuri Shefler owns one of the world's longest and most expensive yachts Serene (133.9 m) - №12 in the Super Yachts 2014 rating. The cost of a week of renting a vessel is estimated at $5 million. In the summer of 2014, Serene was rented by Bill Gates, who spent his family on vacation in Sardinia.
By the way, the well-known Lada Schefler is none other than Yuri's daughter.
SHE
Tatiana Kovylina (born November 4, 1981) is a Russian model.
Tatiana Kovylina was born on November 4, 1981 in Kazan, Tatarstan.
Tatiana began her modeling career with participation in model competitions. Thus, in 1998, she became the winner of the regional competition "Elite Model Look Tatarstan", which gave her the right to participate in the international final of this competition, which was then held in Nice. Tatiana could not win then, but this participation served as an impetus for the further development of her modeling career.
Tatiana's professional career started in 2002. The first show with her participation was a show of the spring-summer collection of the young Belgian designer Bernhard Willhelm. At the same time, she first appeared on the cover of the French magazine Madame Figaro. However, there was no successful continuation of the career. During 2002-2003, she is not filmed almost anywhere and her participation in fashion shows is limited to a few (sometimes 1-2) appearances per season for not the most top brands.
The breakthrough happened in 2004, when the number of fashion shows with the participation of Kovylina sharply increased to 30 per season. She began to appear much more often on the pages of fashion magazines (Vogue Italia, Glamour, Flair, ELLE). She was invited to shoot in advertising campaigns: Calvin Klein Jeans, Ann Taylor, Cole Naan and Givenchy.
In 2005 and 2009. Tatiana took part in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
Photo from Instagram (loves yoga very much):
In 2007, Tatiana Kovylina bought 3 Latvian companies specializing in the alcohol trade and took 159th place in the list of foreign investors.
He is friends with Oksana Lavrentyeva and Masha Nevskaya (also a model, former editor-in-chief of L'officiel).
Famous photos of Oksana and Tatiana, which the gossip girls liked so much.
It is not known whether they are married or not, but the couple (Tatiana and Yuri, not Oksana) have two (according to some reports, one son) children.
