Federal Tax Service Files Lawsuit Against 'Know-How' Network, Demands Bankruptcy Declaration

In mid-April, the Federal Tax Service filed a lawsuit against LLC «Mobuland» (operating under the brand «Know-How») demanding to declare it bankrupt, according to court records. Several stores of the network in Moscow have been closed since the beginning of the year. In particular, these are points in the Columbus shopping center on Kirovogradskaya Street, «Krug» on Starokachalovskaya Street, and «Yerevan Plaza» on Bolshaya Tulskaya Street, as discovered by an RBC correspondent. Currently, according to Yandex Maps, the network has 47 stores remaining. Earlier in February, MTS Bank filed a lawsuit against «Mobuland» and several other companies for joint recovery of debt in the amount of 308.96 million rubles. It was not possible to reach the «Know-How» hotline by phone. An MTS Bank representative declined to comment.



The development of «Know-How»
Initially, stores under the «Know-How» brand were opened in 2012 by the mobile operator VimpelCom (operating under the brand Beeline). In 2013, the operator entered into a partnership agreement with the electronics store network «ION» to transfer all of its points under the «Know-How» brand at its own expense. The company hoped that the launch of this network would increase the number of subscribers. The network was developed by the management of «ION» (this brand belongs to Mobilesowet). It was assumed that in 2017, if the network reached certain KPIs, VimpelCom would receive a controlling stake in it. A representative of VimpelCom told RBC that the network has been developing under a franchise agreement until now. He noted that the company is aware of the closure of some trading points, attributing it to «organizational difficulties in the partner’s work». The representative of VimpelCom did not clarify what specific difficulties were being referred to. «At the moment, we are carefully analyzing the situation and studying the prospects for the development of this brand. Final decisions on possible changes in the network have not yet been made», - he said. According to him, «Know-How» salons continue to operate in Moscow and other regions.