Ukrainian Insurance Group and Globus Insurance Company (both based in Kyiv), that are members of Vienna Insurance Group, plan to complete the merger and become a single legal entity at the end of 2021, Head of Ukrainian Insurance Group Pavlo Nelha has said at a press conference.
“In fact, the process of merger, taking into account the peculiarities of Ukrainian legislation, is not fast, not easy, and we are ready for it. Our plan is to have one legal entity and unite the balance sheets of the insurance companies by the end of 2021,” he said.
He said that one of the reasons for such a long period of consolidation is different organizational forms of the companies as Ukrainian Insurance Group is a joint-stock company, while Globus is an additional liability company.
“To date, the stage of combining the networks and offices has already been completed. We approached the second stage – a legal merger of the two companies, in fact, the merger of the balance sheets,” Nelha noted.
Ukrainian Insurance Group has been operating in the market for over 18 years. It has 30 licenses for voluntary and compulsory types of insurance. The regional network has more than 80 offices throughout Ukraine. The company employs more than 500 people.
Globus insurer has been operating in the market for more than 24 years. It HAS 19 licenses for different types of insurance.
The Nova Poshta Group (Kyiv), operating in the express delivery segment, opened 49 new depots in August 2018.
According to a company press release, the total number of depots across the country grew to 2,440.
“In August, 49 depots were opened: 13 mini departments accepting parcels weighing up to 15 kg, 23 depots for sending parcels weighing up to 30 kg, and 13 depots unlimited by weight,” the company said.
New branches appeared in Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Kharkiv and other large cities, as well as in smaller towns – in Nadvirna, Bakhmut, Enerhodar, Ichnia, Baturin and others.
In addition, the company has changed the locations of 18 already operating branches to more convenient ones in different cities of Ukraine in order to reduce the load on the branches.
Nova Poshta also continued its partnership with retail supermarket networks.
The Auchan Ukraine network has four pick-up and drop-off points in Kyiv and it is planned to expand into all 23 stores.
Nova Poshta opens new depots in the Leroy Merlin network in Kyiv; the Lotok network has more than 10 pick-up and drop-off points around the city.
According to the company’s report, in January-July 2018, Nova Poshta customers in the e-commerce market sent 19.2 million items, which is almost 27% more than in the same period of 2017.
The Public Investment Fund (PIF), a sovereign wealth fund owned by Saudi Arabia and a global leader in the volume of investment in agriculture, with the acquisition of the Mriya farming company has made the largest investment in the Ukrainian agricultural sector over the entire period of Ukraine’s independence and plans to additionally invest large funds in the company, Head of Office of the National Investment Council of Ukraine Yulia Kovaliv has said.
“With acquiring Mriya’s assets, the PIF plans additional investments in the technology park and assets of the holding over the next two years in the amount of up to $150 million,” she told Interfax-Ukraine.
“We assume that the next step will be investment in transport and port infrastructure,” Kovaliv said.
In this regard, she pointed out the importance of adopting a new concession law, which is waiting for second reading in parliament. It can become a tool to attract this and other strategic investors to the transport sector.
“Potentially, the PIF is ready to consider projects in the energy and real estate sectors,” the head of Office of the National Investment Council also said.
As reported, Mriya Farming Plc (the U.K.) and SALIC UK Ltd. (Saudi Agricultural & Livestock Investment Company, the U.K.) entered into a share purchase agreement for the sale to SALIC of the Mriya group’s Ukrainian farming assets, including infrastructure facilities, machinery, and companies owning land lease agreements.
©Source: Interfax-Ukraine
The cities of Lloydminster in the province of Alberta, Canada, and Nikopol in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast of Ukraine yesterday announced a historic sister-city agreement. Mayor Gerald Aalbers signed on behalf of Lloydminster and Mayor Andriy Fisak will be signing on behalf of Nikopol.
This agreement is the first major announcement of non-military cooperation between Canada and Ukraine in 35 years. It recognizes the long history and close relationship between Western Canada and Ukraine and will serve as the starting point for a renewal of goodwill as both cities invest in each other, through increased trade, commerce, education, athletics, and cultural exchanges.
Mayor of Lloydminster Gerald Aalbers: “I am pleased to announce that the City of Lloydminster will be partnering with Nikopol as sister cities. Council approved a motion at the July 16, 2018 council meeting for the sister city agreement. I look forward with great anticipation to building this relationship. I am eager to welcome a delegation from Nikopol in the coming months. Ukrainian heritage runs strong in Alberta, and especially in Lloydminster, and I’m honoured to witness this historic sister city agreement.”
“Canada and Ukraine enjoy close bilateral relations and the historic ties of friendship between our two countries were forged through generations of Ukrainian migration to Canada”, said Mayor Fisak. “Today, these historic bonds are reinforced by shared values and interests to produce a mature, balanced and mutually beneficial partnership for the 21st Century.” Mayor Fisak said: “I trust a Sister City Agreement between Lloydminster, Canada, and Nikopol, Ukraine, will create an environment conducive to the development of both of our communities, and will offer the possibility to strengthen our social and cultural relations – as well as improve the welfare of the residents of our two cities.”
Today’s announcement has been widely celebrated by Ukrainian-Canadians. Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz, President of Ukrainian Canadian Congress – Alberta Provincial Council said, “We are thrilled with the new twinning of the Ukrainian city of Nikopol with our own Alberta city of Lloydminster. Being the first Alberta city twinned with a city in Ukraine, this will be a great opportunity to develop trade and commerce between these two municipalities. UCC-APC looks forward to working cooperatively in a variety of sectors including education, arts and culture, economic cooperation and governance.”
A key motivation for this agreement is the historic undertaking in Nikopol by Calgary-based investment firm Refraction Asset Management through its subsidiary, TIU Canada, a renewable energy company. On January 26, 2018, TIU Canada opened a 10.5-megawatt solar power plant in Nikopol with a total investment of €10.5 million (approx. CAD$16.1 million). This investment is the first investment from Canada under the 2017 Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.
Refraction Asset Management’s President, Michael Yurkovich said, “We at Refraction Asset Management are pleased to play a role in bringing together Lloydminster and Nikopol. This is the first sister city agreement in Alberta with a Ukraine city, and it’s an indicator of both the strong ties between Canada and Ukraine, as well as the success of the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement.”
The text of the agreement is attached separately to this release.
For more information, please contact:
(inquiries in Ukrainian should be sent via email only)
Shayne Saskiw
Principal, Alberta Counsel
780-652-1311
ss@albertacounsel.com
CANADA, HISTORIC AGREEMENT, LLOYDMINSTER, NIKOPOL, SISTER-CITY
Sweden’s IKEA, the largest furniture and household goods retailer in the world, plans to expand its network in Kyiv and other cities of Ukraine after testing the first store in Kyiv-based Ocean Mall, which will be opened in summer 2019. “We want to study and understand the market with the first store, and then, when we feel that we understand the market, we will open other stores in Kyiv and other cities. One year is ideal for studying to get a full cycle… Also we are working to ensure the introduction of online sales as fast as possible,” IKEA Southeast Europe CEO Stefan Vanoverbeke said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the area of the first IKEA store in Kyiv will be about 6,000 square meters, the range of goods will include furniture and accessories.
“The store will be divided into locations. We call them room sets. It is a kind of room where we show solutions for home. In addition, there will be a concept for small household solutions. There will be all the components. We will collect the maximum number of products to provide the full and best experience for buyers,” Vanoverbeke said.
According to him, the range of items in the Ukrainian store will include products that the company sells in other countries. The company intends to develop retail outlets that will be smaller in size than traditional ones for IKEA.
“The idea to build one big shopping center in one part of the city is no longer working. For example, residents of the left bank area of Kyiv, to get to the store on the right bank, have to spend one or two hours. It is not so convenient. First, this will be downtown, and later, perhaps, we will add a food outlet, and further, probably, we will develop the concept of smaller outlets in less accessible places in the residential areas,” he said.
At the same time, Vanoverbeke said that the company does not rule out the expansion in retail space in Ukraine.
“Our colleagues have analyzed the market of large shopping centers and, indeed, in Ukraine, in comparison with the countries of Western Europe, there is an opportunity to increase the space of IKEA. Our achievements with large shopping centers are more typical for countries like China. But we are still analyzing it for Ukraine. Let’s see how the market will develop,” he said.
