MOSCOW, October 11 (RIA Novosti) - The Luxadvor company, controlled by Sergei Pugachyov, senator of the Russian Republic of Tuva, has bought the French luxury food chain Hediard, the French Les Echos newspaper said on Thursday.

The newspaper did not disclose the sum that Pugachyov, who is also said to control Mezhprombank and the United Industrial Corporation, paid to Hediard's former owner, a businessman from Monaco, Michel Pastor.

Agence France-Presse said a spokesman in Hediard had confirmed the information.

The origins of the chain date from 1854, when Ferdinand Hediard, believed to have given Alexandre Dumas his first pineapple to taste, opened his first shop in Place de la Madelaine, Paris. Hediard has since grown into a symbol of French good taste, having 400 boutiques in 30 countries.

The company sells natural jams, exotic fruit, high-quality cheeses, as well as more than 40 varieties of coffee, about 300 blends of tea, and other luxury products.