Araz Agalarov, founder of "Crocus Group" company and Azerbaijani businessman, has divorced his wife Irina Agalarova. The 70-year-old businessman married 27-year-old Alyona Ivanova after the divorce.
It is also noted that the couple, who have a 43-year age difference, have already had a child.
It should be noted that Araz Agalarov and Irina were married for over 40 years. They have children named Emin and Sheyla from this marriage.
Modern.az presents Araz Agalarov's dossier.
Araz Agalarov was born on November 8, 1955, in Baku.
In 1977, he was admitted to Baku Polytechnic University, and in 1982, he graduated from the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute. In the same year, he went to Moscow and entered postgraduate studies. From 1977 to 1983, he graduated from the Scientific Research Institute. From 1983 to 1987, he was a student at the Higher School under the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions of the USSR.
He started working at the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions. In 1988, when the cooperative movement began, he established a small enterprise and engaged in exhibition activities.
In 1990, for the first time in Russia, he organized a computer technology exhibition called Comtech with partners from the USA. Just 5 years later, his exhibition ranked 3rd in the world by status, after Comdex (Las Vegas) and Cebit (Hannover) exhibitions.
Thus, he became the sole major operator for international exhibitions on various fields in the Russian Federation. In addition, in 1991, he opened his first exclusive shoe store. He then began to engage in the construction business and in 1992, completed the construction of "Agalarov House" in the center of Moscow, which is still the most elite and expensive house. In the same year, he built the first hypermarket in Russia with an area of 66,000 square meters.
This hypermarket, unparalleled in the world, sells 400,000 types of goods simultaneously. In 2000, he began the construction of the "Crocus City" complex, covering an area of 75 hectares on the Moscow Ring Road. "Crocus City," where trade, entertainment, business, and exhibition venues are combined in a single complex, is considered one of the largest and most interesting projects of the last decade.
Araz Agalarov holds a doctorate in economics. He is the president of the "Crocus International" Group of Companies, chairman of the board of "Crocus-Bank", president of the Union of Russian Manufacturers and Importers, vice-president of the Moscow International Business Association and the "Opora Rossii" public organization, and editor-in-chief of "Biznes i Vystavki" magazine.
Araz Agalarov has extensive experience in organizing and holding exhibitions. In 1985, when the cooperative movement began, he resigned from his position at the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions and opened a small enterprise. Until 1990, Moscow businessmen traveled to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and sometimes America for computers.
Suppliers were interested in the locations where computer exhibitions were held. Araz Agalarov wondered why such exhibitions shouldn't be held in Russia, and the enterprise he founded began to engage in precisely these activities, organizing the first computer technology exhibition in Russia in 1990. The exhibition was called "Comtech."
In 1995, his exhibitions gained third place in the world by status, after Comdex in Las Vegas and Cebit in Hannover. Araz Agalarov later sold his share in "Comtech" to a British company and began to implement the "Crocus City" project.
In 1991, Araz Agalarov opened his first exclusive shoe store at the intersection of Stoleshnikov Lane and Petrovka. This was a very popular store at the time.
In 1995, Araz Agalarov decided to build a residential house and completed the construction of "Agalarov House," considered Moscow's most expensive and elite residence. His first hypermarket, built in 1997 at the intersection of the Moscow Ring Road (MKAD) and Kashirskoye Highway, is also unparalleled in the world. This is because 400,000 types of goods are sold there simultaneously.
One notable aspect is that Araz Agalarov built the first objects included in "Crocus City" either on former sewage pits or in swamps. When constructing the "Your Home" shopping center, the first tractor sank in the swamp upon entering the area. It was later pulled out with a crane. To drain these swamps, a drainage system was installed, and a large amount of gravel and sand was poured onto the area.
He is the founder of the non-commercial organization "Muslim Magomayev Cultural and Musical Heritage Foundation." The organization supports talented children and young musicians and has developed a scholarship program for final-year students of state higher music schools.
Araz Agalarov's personal contributions in this field are invaluable. He provides assistance to orphanages in the Krasnogorsk district, where his company is located, and participates in charity events. He also considers it his duty to help talented Azerbaijanis study abroad.
Araz Agalarov is the author of over 50 scientific works and the monograph "Russia on the Path to the Market." In 2012, Araz Agalarov ranked second in Forbes magazine's rating of Russia's "real estate kings." The "Crocus" company, which he heads, generated 700 million dollars in real estate rental income in 2011.
Awards
On March 13, 2006, by order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, he was awarded the "Taraggi" Medal for his activities in the field of solidarity of world Azerbaijanis. In 2013, he was awarded the "Sharaf" Order.
