The transfer of Gazprom to St. Petersburg has been going on for about five years, but officially the company does not say anything about the progress of this process. Of the slightly less than 2,200 people who worked in Moscow's headquarters on ul. Nametkin, about 1800 employees moved to St. Petersburg (some refused and left the company), Vedomosti's interlocutors familiar with the move are aware; Several dozen people continue to work for Nametkin. While the construction of the Lakhta Center was not completed, the structure of the concern was occupied by premises in 57 business centers located throughout St. Petersburg, analysts calculated.

In St. Petersburg - work

The beginning of the move of Gazprom turned out to be a complete surprise for the office real estate market of St. Petersburg, recalls Dmitry Zolin, director of the network of business centers "Senator": "Nobody has prepared for this. Gazprom has fallen on the city like a bolt from the blue, with its wishes and corporate standards. The company began to take good, quality facilities in the right locations. In 2012, when it all began, I would estimate the entire commercial real estate market in St. Petersburg at about 3 million square meters. m. "

Over the next 4-5 years, Gazprom structures rented or purchased about 430,000 square meters of property in St. Petersburg. m class A and B offices, says Nikolai Pashkov, general director of Knight Frank St Petersburg consulting company. The peak of the company's activity was in 2016. "The share of Gazprom's transactions in the overall structure of office rental in the city in 2016 was 61%. This is the highest amount of takeover since the beginning of the relocation [of Gazprom and related companies], "says Pashkov. In 2017, the pace has significantly decreased - in the oil and gas sector, in the first three quarters of this year, 21% of high-quality leased space is accounted for.

Moving Gazprom literally saved the Petersburg office real estate market from the crisis that began in 2013, Zolin said. In all of Russia, including Moscow, there was a decrease in rates by 10-20%, in St. Petersburg, the market decline was completely compensated by the move of the concern, says Zolin: "Good business centers, thanks to the expansion into this segment of Gazprom, felt quite comfortable. Our company in St. Petersburg has 32 office buildings, and I can confirm that the collapse of demand in 2013 did not happen. Yes, in 2013-2014. rents in St. Petersburg were practically not growing, but on the general background of the country this was already good. In 2015, growth was slightly less than 5%, in 2016 - 5% and now, in 2017, will be higher. "

Moscow region - for Muscovites

Lakhta Center is being built in the north-western part of the city, but so far, Gazprom has not shown any interest in this area.

While the company's preferences are equally distributed between business centers in the Central District, on the river embankments, the Petrograd side and the Vasilievsky Island. The greatest interest is shown by Gazprom to premises in the Moscow region, where the monopoly structures now occupy slightly less than 80% of the total leased area of ​​Class A business centers. "Nine out of 10 business centers in this segment are 100% full. Vacancy in the B-class is also small - less than 5%, and the demand for the remaining vacant space is quite high, "- says Pashkov.

These same areas became leaders in St. Petersburg in terms of rental rates, Zolin said. According to the results of the first half of 2017, the average weighted rents in the Moscow region, for example, rose to 1,600 rubles. for 1 square. m class A (per month), in class B - up to 1350 rubles. for 1 square. m, they know in Knight Frank. "When on Moscow prospectus" Gazprom "wants to take away some premises, of course, the owners of real estate immediately raise the price. In conditions of limited supply of office property class A is quite reasonable, "- explains the dynamics of prices Zolin.

Several objects were rented by Gazprom in the immediate vicinity of the Pulkovo airport. "It was a good idea to create a business complex near the airport. But he was not in demand. While the rental rate on the average for the market was at 1200 rubles. for 1 square. m, there it was necessary to rent the premises much cheaper - for 700 rubles. for 1 square. m. Moving to St. Petersburg, "Gazprom" gradually took four of the five buildings standing there and began to pay for this area with adequate market money, "- says the manager of a large company that leases commercial real estate.

"Gazprom" often gets those premises that they want, even if they are already occupied, the manager continues: "Sometimes business centers settle existing tenants. It so happened with Pulkovo Sky, of which three buildings at least two have been completely reset and transferred to Gazprom. When they were interested in the concern, they were the only decent buildings near the already moved to the same area, Gazprom Investor. Any normal owner organizes resettlement, if he is offered to pay 1500 rubles. for 1 square. m instead of 800-900 rubles. "

"Of course, they were not immediately expelled, but eventually all were transported," the Vedomosti interlocutor adds, adding that this is not the only case of resettlement under Gazprom.

Skyscraper of all will not contain

The construction of the Lahta Center is planned to be completed in the autumn of 2018. Its total area will be about 400,000 square meters. The project's business card is a 462-meter skyscraper (87 floors), which is to become the tallest building in Europe. For comparison: the height of the 35-story head office of Gazprom in Moscow is 150 m. The useful area of ​​office space in the new Gazprom skyscraper is about 130,000 sq. M. m, according to the presentation materials "Lahta Center."

"Less than 45% of all areas are reserved for office functions [Lakhta Center], the rest refer to public spaces and functions, including recreation," the architect of the Lakhta Center, Filipp Nikandrov, told Vedomosti. "Gazprom has next to it another 7 hectare site, they will build a second phase, where there will be more office space."

Which parts of the company, in which structure and when will move to the new headquarters, the representative of Gazprom declined to comment. Tenants will themselves arrange the interior space outside the common areas of the center, told the "Fontanka" in August, the project's executive director Alexander Bobkov. The design is already underway, during 2019 the main relocation of Gazprom structures to the complex will probably be completed, Bobkov specified.

Deferred crisis associated with the release of a large number of office space to the market in St. Petersburg will not happen, even when the skyscraper is completed, analysts say. "Lakhta Center" does not cover a quarter of requests for office space from "Gazprom", which are in the city today. It is absolutely certain that a number of structures will remain in those business centers that they now rent or have purchased. They occupy buildings entirely, have already significantly invested in their repair, "- says Pashkov. Some of the areas can be freed, but now there are practically no new business centers being built and with a high probability they will be filled quite quickly due to the existing demand, Pashkov assumes.

Much of the office space is now rented by Gazprom's subsidiaries, Maxim Fortep, managing partner of Fort Group, recalls. "As far as I know, departments of the parent organization are planned to be transported to Lakhta Center. Subsidiary companies will not go there, not so much space, "Levchenko said. Those offices that will be vacated will be occupied by the continuing structure of Gazprom, which continues to move to St. Petersburg, Levchenko supposes. "There will not be a crisis, rather, on the contrary, there will be a deficit of quality areas. They are not so many, but there is a need for them, "Levchenko said.

Life for Two Cities

Significant impact on the residential real estate market in St. Petersburg, Gazprom has not yet moved and it is unlikely that this will happen in the future, says Levchenko. "If there were any high expectations, it was for the segment of elite housing. But for some of the top management of Gazprom, this is not a move from Moscow, but a return to St. Petersburg. Apartments and country houses here they already have. Therefore, I do not observe an excessive demand, "Levchenko said. As an example, the businessman leads the project of a residential complex Brilliant House, which his company built on the Krestovsky Island. "Everyone hoped: Gazprom is moving, now will buy ..." No one from Gazprom has bought anything from us, even there were no negotiations, "Levchenko said.

The lack of an agiot demand for elite housing is associated with a long-distance move-the demand is there, but people had time to assess the market without haste, says Igor Onokov, the general director of Leontyevsky Cape company. In February 2017, the company completed the construction of an elite residential complex in the center of the Petrogradsky district, and its website reports on the conclusion of joint loyalty programs with Gazprombank for Gazprom employees. The cost of the project is just under 10 billion rubles., Onokov told Vedomosti. "At some point, the expectation" now come, everyone will buy up "was at all. It literally hovered in the air, but it did not come true. The market of elite housing fluctuates at the level of 10% of the total amount of transactions, and most of them account for the share of St. Petersburg buyers, "- says Onokov. The cost of an apartment on the first line of the complex on average starts from 100 million rubles. Some of them have already been acquired by Gazprom employees, Onokov said. In total, the company expects that the share of relocated Gazprom will have up to 40 apartments in the complex (about 10%).

Middle-level managers who move to St. Petersburg, consider the possibility of purchasing housing, not even business, but comfort-class, Levchenko supposes. "This is a mass market, about 3 million square meters. m per year. The appearance of even a few thousand employees of Gazprom can not exert any significant influence, "Levchenko said.

The company offers employees corporate mortgage lending programs, preferential terms, but they are not yet used by all, a person close to the Gazprom group told Vedomosti: "Many people prefer to rent apartments in St. Petersburg, but return to Moscow for two days, live for two cities".

Demand for rental of apartments is growing in the same areas where Gazprom rents offices. "The number of requests for rent of quality housing in the Moscow region has significantly increased. Actively rented apartments in new residential complexes, for example, in the Obvodny Canal area and along Moscow Avenue. But the Petrogradsky and Central districts are also in demand, "says Ekaterina Nemchenko, director of elite residential real estate at Knight Frank St Petersburg. If the possibility of buying a home is considered, it is, as a rule, elite housing and business class housing, notes Nemchenko. Most of the inquiries are related to the constructed new objects already ready for living, she specifies.

Small Business Pending

The local market of office real estate, to which Gazprom actually helped, is the exception, Levchenko said. Retail, for example, did not notice the move of Gazprom, he adds: "The attendance of our TRC is about 60 million people a year. Moving one company to this picture can not affect. On the expansion of the spectrum of trademarks due to the luxury segment, too, there is no question. In Gazprom there are not so many people focused on luxury. Moreover, they are not limited to St. Petersburg, the purchases are made mainly in Moscow and abroad. "

The rate for moving Gazprom is for the time being mostly small and medium-sized businesses, says Marina Puzanova, head of commercial real estate at Knight Frank St Petersburg. "There have been requests from small players and private investors who are trying to create the same atmosphere, to open similar institutions that were in the points of concentration of Gazprom in Moscow. For example, they are looking for premises for opening small shops with the same set of premium products. Also looking for premises for beauty salons, massage, fitness centers, "- says Puzanova. But such investors are oriented first of all to the location where the company's existing offices or elite residential buildings are located: Moscow Avenue in the area of ​​Elektrosila metro station, Krestovsky Island, Parade Quarter, Puzanova specifies.

Restaurant business in St. Petersburg is steadily growing, says Vadim Lapin, co-owner of the Ginza Project network (in St. Petersburg, a network of 49 restaurants). But there is no direct connection with the move of Gazprom and its subsidiaries - St. Petersburg is primarily a tourist city, says the restaurateur. "The only example where we really felt a significant influx of customers from Gazprom, - the restaurant" Spices & Joys "in the Moscow region. And that is only because several business centers are located nearby, which the company rents, "Lapin said. Build a restaurant near the Lakhta Center, ahead of demand, Ginza Project does not plan, but is already exploring the possibility of presence on the territory of the business complex, including in a skyscraper, says Lapin. "If there is a competition or an offer to make a beautiful restaurant, we will be interested. It's difficult, but we already have a similar experience [Sixty in Moscow]. We will be pleased to apply it, "Lapin said.

The flagship while without a fleet

"Now Lakhta Center as a new social and business cluster is the flagship of the agglomeration practically in the center of the ring of the Gulf of Finland's lagoon, surrounded by a ring highway, in the orbit of which Big St. Petersburg will develop in the 21st century," Nikandrov said.

But no one is in a hurry to build the infrastructure next to the future headquarters of Gazprom, Puzanova said: potential investors will wait with a decision until it becomes clear how the route flows will be distributed in the Lakhta center area.

There will be no advance development in the area of ​​the future headquarters of Gazprom, agreed Onokov. "While several thousand employees are scattered around the business centers of St. Petersburg, a critical mass of money around Lakhta Center has not been achieved. As soon as there is a real demand, there will be investments. I would not be surprised if in the long term the center of the city shifts there. Rather, the center of business activity and business, "- says Onokov.