After the sale of Euroset, Timur Artemyev, like his partner Yevgeny Chichvarkin, moved to London. In an interview with MarketMedia, when asked whether he regretted that the brand was killed, he replied: “It wasn't killed. The brand is alive. It lives in our hearts, souls, and minds.” According to Artemyev, the retail business was for him “a period of initial capital accumulation,” and the next stage is “to be yourself” and to realize the dreams laid down since childhood.
The entrepreneur noted that he has projects in biotechnology, the production of unicycles, and even mining on the Moon, but retail, according to him, is perfectly handled by other people. “I already have money,” he said, answering the question why he does not return to trade.
On Digital Markets and Retail
Artemyev believes that the modern world allows one to depend less and less on physical needs and to satisfy them more and more through digital services. At the same time, the need for offline communication, in his opinion, has not disappeared: “The need for offline is not killed: it exists.” However, the next generation, he believes, will handle business matters primarily online.
Speaking about the risks of investing in traditional retail and shopping centers, Artemyev noted that it is “all very individual” and depends on the location of the properties and the competitive environment. He also expressed the opinion that marketplaces connect people directly, and rating systems like the one used in Uber take on the functions of bureaucracy.
On the Restaurant Business and Investments
Artemyev confirmed that he is a “sleeping investor” in the London restaurant Hide, whose second partner is Yevgeny Chichvarkin. According to him, in the absence of coronavirus, Hide is a profitable project, and the level of the restaurant allows it to aim for a second Michelin star.
Commenting on the investment climate, Artemyev stated that until 2014 it was “very good,” and since 2014 there has been no external investment climate in Russia. The internal one, in his assessment, allows for growth and development, but administrative resource plays an important role. He also spoke about a businessman's survival tactic: “equal distance” from all law enforcement agencies, which he figuratively called “cannibals.”
1
