Business news from Ukraine

IRISH RYANAIR TO LAUNCH FLIGHT FROM KYIV TO POLAND’S BYDGOSZCZ IN OCTOBER

Ryanair, the largest European low-cost airline, will launch a new flight from Kyiv to Bydgoszcz, the administrative center of Poland’s Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, on October 31.
“+1 Ryanair flight from Boryspil to Poland as soon as this fall. In total, there are 17 directions handled by this company between Ukraine and the EU, and this fall there will be pleasant surprises from Europe’s No. 1 carrier!” Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure Volodymyr Omelyan wrote on Facebook on June 26.
According to Ryanair’s booking system, flights to Bydgoszcz will be carried out twice a week – on Wednesdays and Sundays. Currently, prices start from EUR22 (one way).
Taking into account this route, Ryanair offers flights from Kyiv to six Polish cities and one destination to Germany, Spain, Lithuania, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and Sweden each, as well as two routes from Lviv to Germany and Poland each, and one to the United Kingdom.

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PEUGEOT CITROEN UKRAINE TO LAUNCH DISTRIBUTION OF OPEL CARS IN UKRAINE FROM 2019

The centralized operational management of sales and servicing of Opel cars in Ukraine from January 1, 2019 will be transferred to the official importer of the PSA group in Ukraine – Peugeot Citroen Ukraine LLC.
Ukraine will be the first market in Eastern Europe where Opel will launch activities “under the wing” of the PSA, the importer said in a press release on Monday, June 25.
The company notes that after the acquisition of the Opel brand in 2017, the PSA group began implementing a new strategy for the development of the brand in the European and world markets. The new stage of development of Opel in Ukraine corresponds to the strategic “PACE!” plan, which will restore the financial framework of the brand, improve competitiveness indicators and accelerate the growth of the Opel company.
“The automotive market of Ukraine retains a high potential for further growth, which makes it a good platform for a new stage in the development of the Opel brand. With the new competitive products, offers in after-sales service and a competently built car dealership network, we intend not only to retain existing customers of the brand, but also to win new ones,” the press service quoted CEO at Peugeot Citroen Ukraine Viktor Kordylevsky as saying.
General Auto Group, part of the UkrAVTO corporation, was engaged in the official distribution of Opel cars in Ukraine since 2003.
Currently, the PSA’s brand portfolio includes Peugeot, Citroёn, DS, Opel and Vauxhall, and also the Free2Move car sharing trademark.
In 2018, PSA plans to boost its share on the market of new passenger cars and commercial vehicles in Ukraine to 6.2% against 4.63% in 2017. The share of Peugeot alone is expected to be 3.75%, and that of Citroёn 2.45% (2.75% and 1.88% in 2017, respectively).

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THERE IS POTENTIAL FOR POPULARIZING SQUASH IN UKRAINE – WORLD SQUASH FEDERATION CEO

The development and popularization of squash in Ukraine is promising, CEO of the World Squash Federation Andrew Shelley has stated.
“There are good squash courts in Ukraine and new ones are coming in. Your young squash federation is doing a good job, therefore you have everything. Squash in Ukraine is moving forward,” he said during his visit to Ukraine.
Shelley noted squash does not require large financial resources.
“This is a great sport, and the more people try to play it, the more will be involved,” he said.
Multiple world squash champion Ramy Ashour and six-time European champion Camille Serme visited Ukraine within the worldwide program for squash development “Ambassador WSF 2018” on June 23-24.
Coach and referee seminars, demonstration matches, thematic conferences, the sparring and training of the Ukrainian men’s and women’s squash teams with the leading world players, trainings for children from the children’s squash academy were held in Kyiv within the framework of this program.
“More than 20 million people play squash all over the world. In Ukraine their number amounts to thousands. We have room for improvement, and we really are developing. Squash is appreciated as an entertaining sport and an excellent relaxation for amateur sportsmen. We are grateful to the World Squash Federation for including our country in the program of squash popularization and teamwork,” the program coordinator, Vice President of the Ukrainian Squash Federation Maksim Urakin said.
Squash is a sport with a ball and a racket played indoors. The game is conducted by special rackets on a court surrounded by walls from four sides. In 2003 the Forbes magazine recognized squash as one of the most “healthy sports” both in terms of injury rate and the most energy-consuming sport in the world by the number of calories burned. More than 20 million people around the world play squash.

photo by Larisa Okhtienko

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ROLLED STEEL MARKET IN UKRAINE EXPANDS BY 11% IN 2018

Ukrainian enterprises in January-May 2018 boosted rolled steel consumption by 10.9% year-over-year, to 1.842 million tonnes (1.661 million tonnes in January-May 2017). In January-May 2018, some 545,800 tonnes of rolled products were imported, which was 29.6% of domestic consumption, the Ukrmetprom Association has said.
In the same period of 2017, imports of rolled steel totaled 453,000 tonnes (27.3%).
“Thus, the share of the import component grew by 20.5% in the five months of 2018 amid an increase in the consumption of rolled metal in the domestic market by 10.9% compared to January-May 2017,” the association said in a press release.
Bars and rods are still prevalent the structure of the imports in the five months compared to flat-rolled products in contrast to the same period in 2017: the share of flat-rolled goods in January-May-2017 was 61.8% versus 47.2% the same period of 2018, while the share of bars and rods was 37% and 49.6%, respectively.
“First and foremost, this is due to the loss of PJSC Yenakiyeve Metallurgical Plant [in Russian-occupied Donbas], and the deficit is offset by imports,” the press release said.
Ukrainian metal companies produced 7.72 million tonnes of rolled metal in the five months of 2018 (105% compared to the same period in 2017, taking into account production in occupied Donbas in January-February-2017, or 111% without taking that territory into account), Ukrmetprom said. Of the output, about 6.43 million tonnes, or 83.2%, was exported, according to the State enterprise Information-Analytic Agency (StateAnalitInform). This roughly corresponds to the same period in 2017, when the share of exports was 83.6% (6.17 million tonnes with total rolled metal production being 7.39 million tonnes).
The share of semi-finished products in export shipments was 42.2%, which also corresponds to the period January-May 2017 (42.1%). The share of flat products (34% and 33.4%, respectively) and bars and rods (23.8% and 24.5%, respectively) are comparable with the same period of 2017.
The main export markets for Ukrainian steel products in January-May 2018, according to StateAnalitInform, were the countries of the European Union (34.8%), Africa (15.8%), other European countries, including Turkey (13.1% ), as well as countries in the Middle East (11.4%).
The main importers of metal products in the five months of 2018 were the CIS (59.6%), Asia (19.1%) and the EU’s 28 member states (15.9%).

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