The name of Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin is in the second hundred in the list of the richest people in Russia, according to Forbes. We know him as an investor, a businessman, in the past - the director of the Yaroslavl Tire Plant, and now - the chairman of the board of directors of the well-known Yulmart company. Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin is not hiding from society. He gives interviews without restriction, and the press writes a lot about him, whose publications are often loud and even scandalous. However, Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin of commercial nature does not care about compromising, and perhaps even pleases.
Successful businessman
It is definitely impossible to say how and on what grounds the capital belonging to him was formed, how he achieved wealth. It is difficult to determine his main specialty, even a specific area, where he put special efforts to that, prepared for him financial success. The fact is that Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin has tried a huge variety of activities - from selling jeans to translating and writing books, from managing enterprises to selling them. He did not stop at anything, but success was almost everywhere. It follows from this that as an investor and businessman Dmitry Kostygin completely took place.
Most of all from this list of occupations of a non-poor person, an interesting point about books. A mandatory detail that is present in each of his portraits is a passion for the work of the writer Alisa Zinovievna Rosenbaum, aka Ayn Rand. It is her principles that are guessed in all the interviews that he generously distributes; it is precisely on these principles that commercial operations are built that replenish Dmitry Kostygin’s fortune.
Who is Ayn Rand? Why in Russia few have heard of her? Yes, because all her ideas are much more suitable for the God-saved West, here our mentality is in the way. But the sharks of capitalism highly respect this author. There are, of course, philosophical imitators among those who are only seeking to become such sharks. Not everyone will succeed, no, not all. Here you need, in addition to the worldview, to have some features in character. Enemies call the activities of Dmitry Kostygin "a biography of a conflict manager." Few people can make money on conflicts.
The beginning of the way
In fact, the biography of Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin began in May 1972, when he was born in the city of Arzamas in the Gorky region. He grew up obedient and read a lot, he was easily given English, he managed to master a foreign language already at school, which is actually a rarity. In the 80s he began his studies at the Military Medical Academy and at the same time earned a living by excursions for foreigners. And since communication with them was close, of course, fartered.
Then he made friends from America, who were also interested in the work of the former Petersburger Ain Rand. They also contributed to the first trips to America that Dmitry Kostygin made. A photo of a young businessman presents us with an open, serious, but not without a sly face, strict clothes. In America, he raised funds to translate Ayn Rand's writings, and made many new business acquaintances.
August Meyer
Dmitry Kostygin translated the works of his beloved writer, and in the mid-nineties they managed to publish them with not too great benefit. Nevertheless, the funds from our hero appeared from somewhere in order to engage in their own business. However, the main commercial success was his acquaintance with the millionaire from the United States, August Meyer, who was also an ardent fan of Rand. At first, his new American friend was engaged in popularizing the ideas of libertarianism in Russia, but could not resist investing in a variety of business projects. And in permanent partners, he chose Dmitry Kostygin, whom he is to this day.
Stocks are bought at the same time, even the enterprises are the same, and the share that Meyer receives is always much larger. And Kostygin is looking for attractive objects, and also actively manages the acquired capital, that is, it influences the choice made by the operational management, organizes its activities and the like. Dmitry Kostygin began to engage in business much earlier than the moment when he left the hope of becoming a military doctor. These two classes did not combine in any way. And so he finished his studies in economics and finance in absentia at the University of St. Petersburg. By that time, his business was already confidently going uphill.
Personal and state property
Until 1997, Dmitry Kostygin was the managing director of Dilmakers LLC, where he was engaged in commercial operations, it was from here that the path to large business began. Then he created, together with partners, a chain of Colin's stores, where he sold jeans. Since 1996, Kostygin and his classmate at the University of Economics and Finance Vadim Gurinov owned shares in the food company, which in 2001 became known as the Petrosoyuz. In 2003, they sold their shares very profitably, and the company became owned by a large company from America. And the most interesting thing happened with Dmitry Kostygin in the same year: he began to direct at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant. This enterprise was born and spent almost all its life in the Soviet Union, and therefore the collision here was of an epic scale when a person was appointed to the director who was completely saturated with the ideology of capitalism to the core.
Now each side gives its own version of the events. Kostygin was accused not only of abuse and use of the plant in the interests of the companies belonging to the director, but also of senseless innovations. And Kostygin was outraged by the technical and organizational backwardness of this enterprise, as well as the low quality of its products. It was he who carried out the computerization of the entire enterprise, seriously reduced staff and tried to train management in new methods of doing business. It was necessary to replace the concept of “plan”, to learn the definition of “model”, to study manuals on doing business and so on. All this, of course, was perceived with hostility. The press presented this confrontation as a tragicomedy, where Dmitry Kostygin was the main character.
Yulmart and other enterprises
In 2005, the Tire Plant had to leave, work there did not seem promising to the director, the shares of the enterprise were not sold. It should be noted that the owner of the plant was Sibur, and the owners did not like that the company suffered losses. On the other hand, it was in 2004 that the expansion of Chinese tire production into the Russian markets began, our production could not compete with them, since the products of Chinese manufacturers were even less high-quality, but extremely cheap. All tire enterprises in the country very quickly lost their independence, and all of them considered losses in large numbers.
But the Lenta retail chain, although with much larger scandals and a more high-profile war with other shareholders, has clearly developed in the direction Kostygin needs and at the right pace. August Meyer and Dmitry Kostygin opposed the other two owners, and this confrontation lasted for ten years, until 2011. Kostygin's share was not too large, but Meyer supported all his undertakings. In addition, Kostygin owned shares of RosTech Group of Companies (selling linen by such stores as Defile, Bustier, Wild Orchid; Beloved Territory, Optoklub Ryady, Smile of the Rainbow, Rive Gauche). But the most famous businessman’s project today is, of course, Yulmart. Dmitry Kostygin most appreciated this Internet portal, which sold digital and other non-food products.
The personal state of the entrepreneur, according to ratings, has been falling somewhat in recent years. If in 2015 it amounted to $ 750 million, and in 2016 - $ 700 million, then this year it is estimated at $ 550 million. The businessman is clearly getting poorer, but it’s not scary, it always happens if the whole state is invested in the assets of enterprises. The jumps depend on stock prices, but they always fluctuate.
Strokes to the portrait
Almost all businessmen hide their personal lives behind seven seals, and they are certainly right in this. The general public should not know what Dmitry Kostygin’s wife looks like. Here you need to remember how terribly frequent cases of kidnapping in Russia. Abduct the closest people, especially often - children. Therefore, Dmitry Kostygin's wife and children are not public figures. And he has four children, we know that. The wife of Dmitry Kostygin is Svetlana Kostygin. Family photos on the Internet are also missing. The next touch, and one of the most striking, to the portrait of a businessman will be a word about his citizenship. Both Dmitry Kostygin and August Meyer managed to choose a country where the most friendly tax legislation is for millionaires, and it is the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. These are small islands in the pirate Caribbean, and in this country both entrepreneurs are citizens.
But what about in our rather unpredictable time, the favorite company of Dmitry Valentinovich Kostygin - Yulmart? In recent years, street protests have become more frequent in Russia. Who just does not rally and against what just do not rally! These are deceived investors, and currency mortgages, and truckers, and minor opposition … The situation does not exclude the possibility that the next will be employees of large companies. And the very first can start a protest rally the staff of the leading online store, which is Yulmart. Dmitry Kostygin in the photo does not show his alarm with a single muscle of his face, although he has just threatened Sberbank. He promised a rally of ten thousand at the door of the main office of this financial organization.
What is the argument
The fact is that Kostygin owes a lot to the bank, and now he is waiting for steps towards him to settle this debt. And he needed to settle the conflict before the May holidays of 2016, otherwise the deal with investors from abroad was broken. Sberbank usually takes a tough stance, and therefore threatened the debtor with bankruptcy. If this would happen, most of the employees would be on the street. Then, not only Sberbank would have to endure a crowd of angry people at the main entrance, but the co-owners of Yulmart would also have a hard time, because it was they who brought the company to a debt hole.
For a very long time, Yulmart walked among the leaders of the Russian online trade in digital content and other non-food items. From 2009 to 2015, the turnover grew almost twenty times - it was 3.3 billion rubles, it became 62.7 billion. The business was expanding rapidly, so borrowed funds were extremely important. Sberbank walked towards, opening a billion-ruble credit renewable line to Yulmart until September 2017. Meanwhile, in Yulmart, the conflict between the shareholders that had never faded away was especially bright, and therefore the company could not service the debt load. Sberbank, as always, went to court for early repayment of the loan.
Disputes in a dispute
The co-owners of Yulmart have roughly the same disposition: Kostygin and Meyer together control 61.5%, and Mikhail Vasinkevich - 38.5% of the company. Fierce debate continued throughout the past year. The debate was about how the business should develop. Kostygin - for the aggressive expansion of the company through financial pumping, and Vasinkevich - for increasing efficiency and gaining profitability. The company's performance as a result of this dispute plummeted. At the end of 2016, Wildberries won the lead, confidently squeezing Yulmart. And this circumstance also affected the arrears. Sberbank is merciless to the stragglers. Problem borrowers will always be bankrupt, especially if they have good assets. And, of course, Dmitry Kostygin could not have known all this.
The lender will always demand the repayment of debts in any circumstances that overtake the client. Kostygin almost faced a choice: either give him part of the capital, or hit the run. None of the banks will believe the client. Moreover, Kostygin did not take steps towards Sberbank. On the contrary, a counterclaim was filed, where there was an attempt to challenge the loan agreement itself.
Arbitration court
In November 2016, in St. Petersburg, the arbitration court did not consider the claim of Oleg Morozov regarding the bankruptcy of Yulmart, and this information was placed in a file cabinet. A lot of lawsuits were brought against the retailer in 2016: two from the Bank of St. Petersburg, four from Sberbank. And the problem in this company began precisely when Yulmart, due to the lack of agreement among shareholders, began to work without a general director.
But the court of Cyprus in the fall still arrested all accounts of Ulmart Holding Limited in the suit of Ledaro, which indicates certain wrong actions of Kostygin and his partners. Dmitry Valentinovich, in the opinion of many of his colleagues, inadequately evaluates his own abilities and considers himself "chosen." He often quotes read from books, and expresses homegrown philosophical thoughts - mainly about personal effectiveness in business. He wrote a book on this subject for a long time. Kostygin seriously considers himself a Russian Warren Buffett (an American millionaire who loved to give advice). But those own theories voiced by Kostygin, those who know economics and business theory cause uncontrolled laughter.
