'Kupets, the supermarket chain store operating in Yekaterinburg, is willing to sell up to 50% of its shares to a portfolio investor,’ Falcon Advisers’ Managing Partner Igor Kovanov said to UrBC.

'We intend to find the potential buyer before the end of March 2008, while the transaction we believe is likely to go through by the end of June 2008,’ he added.

'We cannot come up with any precise evaluation of the share price yet, but I’d say something between $150-$220 sounds pretty close,’ Mr. Kovanov observed.