Sergei Studennikov’s net worth over time
Only dates with a published estimate are shown. Nothing is filled in between. Tap or hover a bar to see the source.
See the numbers as a table
| Date | Estimate | Source |
| 2020 | $1 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2020 |
| 2021 | $1.8 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2021 |
| 2023 | $1.5 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2023 |
| 2024 | $3.2 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024 |
| 2025 | $2.1 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2025 |
| 2026 | $2.2 billion | Forbes World's Billionaires List 2026 |
| Oct 2026 | $2.2 billion | Forbes Real-Time Billionaires · Forbes real-time estimate |
Where the money comes from
These are the main sources of wealth named in the reporting we cite. No published source breaks the total into exact amounts, so we do not show percentages.
Sergei Studennikov’s fortune in real-life terms
Based on the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimate above. Median full-time U.S. pay is $65,416 a year ($1,258 a week, BLS, Q2 2026), before taxes. Typical (median) U.S. family net worth is $216,100 (Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances).
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Sergei Studennikov has an estimated net worth of $2.2 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Sergei Studennikov profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $1 billion in 2020.
Sergei Studennikov is a Russian businessman and the founder of Krasnoye & Beloye, known in English as Red & White, the largest liquor retail chain in Russia. He was born on March 24, 1967, in the village of Levokumskoye in Stavropol Krai, and Forbes describes him as self-made.
His family moved to the small town of Bakal in the Chelyabinsk region when he was young. After school he studied a technical specialty at the Mining and Ceramics College in Satka, worked in the mining industry and then served in the army. When he moved to Chelyabinsk afterward, he had no money or connections, and he has said he lived at the train station for a couple of weeks one winter while working as a loader at a market.
He has said he dreamed of being a salesman since childhood. He does not have a higher education, and he built his business from the ground up in the Urals.
How Sergei Studennikov made his money
Studennikov started out in the 1990s selling alcohol, tobacco and building materials. In 2006 he opened the first Red & White store in Kopeysk, a town ten kilometers from Chelyabinsk. The chain grew quickly, reaching 6,700 stores by October 2018 and 8,141 stores in 56 regions by September 2019.
In 2019 he merged Red & White with the Dixy supermarket chain and the Bristol chain, owned by Igor Kesaev and Sergei Katsiev, to form what became Mercury Retail Group. Forbes says he and his wife hold a 49% stake. In 2021 the partners sold Dixy stores to Magnit and focused on Red & White and Bristol.
Red & White kept expanding. It had 13,000 stores in 72 regions at the end of 2022, and Forbes now describes Mercury Retail as the leading alcohol retailer in Russia with 15,000 stores. The company postponed a planned IPO after Russia invaded Ukraine.
How Forbes has valued Sergei Studennikov
Forbes first counted Studennikov as a billionaire in 2020, at $1 billion. His figure rose to $1.8 billion in 2021 and stood at $1.5 billion in 2023.
It more than doubled to $3.2 billion in 2024, his highest figure, then settled at $2.1 billion in 2025 and $2.2 billion on the 2026 World's Billionaires List. As of October 20, 2026, the Forbes real-time billionaires tracker also showed $2.2 billion.
Career and money timeline
- 1967
Born in Levokumskoye, Stavropol Krai.
- 2006
Opened the first Red & White store in Kopeysk.
- 2019
Merged Red & White with Dixy and Bristol.
- 2020
Forbes valued him at $1 billion.
- 2024
Forbes valued him at $3.2 billion.
- 2026
Forbes valued him at $2.2 billion.
Sergei Studennikov net worth FAQ
What is Sergei Studennikov's net worth?
Sergei Studennikov's net worth is an estimated $2.2 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Sergei Studennikov profile (October 20, 2026). It is an estimate, not an official figure.
How did Sergei Studennikov get so rich?
The main sources named in the reporting we cite are: Liquor stores, supermarkets.
Is Sergei Studennikov a billionaire?
Yes. Forbes Real-Time Billionaires estimates Sergei Studennikov is worth $2.2 billion.
How has Sergei Studennikov's net worth changed?
The earliest published estimate we track is $1 billion (2020, Forbes World's Billionaires List 2020). The latest is $2.2 billion (October 20, 2026).
What does Red & White sell besides alcohol?
Studennikov has said the chain works more like a convenience store, with food, drinks, tobacco and everyday goods making up most of its sales.
Sources
- Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Sergei Studennikov profile (October 20, 2026)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2020, Sergei Studennikov profile (April 7, 2020)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2021, Sergei Studennikov profile (April 6, 2021)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2023, Sergei Studennikov profile (April 4, 2023)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2024, Sergei Studennikov profile (April 2, 2024)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2025, Sergei Studennikov profile (April 2025)
- Forbes World's Billionaires List 2026, Sergei Studennikov profile (March 10, 2026)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Usual Weekly Earnings (Q2 2026) (July 2026)
- Federal Reserve, 2025 Survey of Consumer Finances (median family net worth, Table 4) (October 2026)
- Background facts: Wikipedia, Sergei Studennikov (accessed October 31, 2026). Used for career facts only, never for figures.
Every number on this page is an estimate published by the source named next to it. We never fill in years with our own guesses. How we handle estimates.