Although the
Armenian Constitution prohibits members of the National Assembly from engaging in business activities, Aleksanyan owns several large companies. In the 2013 "Declaration of Assets by High-Ranking Officials" published by the Ethics Commission of High-Ranking Officials, Aleksanyan declared assets totaling 4,123,000,000 drams, while his wife declared 15,103,450,000 drams in registered property. Some newspapers have questioned these figures, suggesting they are significantly understated. Aleksanyan is also
Armenia's "sugar oligarch" who controls the import of this staple. In addition to being one of the largest food importers, he also owns a large supermarket chain. Aleksanyan's economic interests are said to be one of the major obstacles for Carrefour's operations in
Armenia. One of the most recent news analyses indicates that "the key concern of Armenian oligarchs is that Carrefour is an importer of some goods and can undermine their monopolies by selling goods at low prices".
"Yerevan City" chain of supermarkets Aleksanyan owns "Yerevan City" and "Kaiser" supermarket chain, which is considered a subsidiary of the latter. The supermarket chains owned by Samvel Aleksanyan caused the closure of shops and kiosks considered small and medium businesses, as a result of which the level of unemployment and, consequently, poverty in
Armenia increased, which in turn affected the increase in emigration of the country's population.
"Vodka" production and false labelling Aleksanyan is also known for the production of low-quality
vodka and the counterfeiting of internationally recognized vodka brands. He allegedly conducts these activities through "A and G" LLC, an unregistered company that has nonetheless received tax benefits from the
Armenian government.
"Alex Grieg" company The company "Alex Grig" holds a near-monopoly on the import of essential food products into
Armenia, including sugar, butter, oil, and other goods. "Alex Grig" accounts for 99.9% of
Armenia's sugar imports. This was confirmed by then-President
Serzh Sargsyan during a January 29, 2014, meeting with the Armenian community in
Prague, where he reportedly stated, "What do you want, ten people importing sugar in a small country?" ==Charities==