MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Chinese carmaker Chery for the first time took the first place in the Forbes rating of the largest foreign companies in Russia for 2023 with the company's revenue reaching 590.3 bln rubles ($6.78 bln).

Japanese tobacco manufacturer JT Group with the revenue of 480 bln rubles ($5.5 bln) came in second and the top three leaders were rounded off by US tobacco company Philip Morris International with a total revenue of 440.2 bln rubles ($5.05 bln). The top ten companies also include PepsiCo, Great Wall Motor, Auchan Retail/Elo, Raiffeisen Bank International, Metro, Nestle, and Geely Automobile.

The rating includes companies that are more than 50% owned by foreign companies or individuals as of August 23, 2024. They are ranked according to their total revenues in 2023. The total revenue includes data from the main Russian divisions of a foreign company. Revenue for banks is given as the amount of net profit for 2023.

Last year's leader in the rating, French home goods retailer Leroy Merlin, dropped from the list as its parent company, the Adeo Group, transferred control of its Russian assets to local management, Forbes added.

The number of companies headquartered in China increased to 11 over the year, surpassing the previous leader in the number of participating companies, the United States (seven companies). The number of Belarusian companies also increased in the rating to four companies.