In December 2024, Ukraine imported 8 tons of cattle in live weight worth $57 thousand, which is 73% less than in December 2023, the Association of Milk Producers (AMP) reported, citing preliminary data from the State Customs Service.
The industry association noted that Ukraine also reduced imports of chilled beef by 26% to 17 tons and frozen beef by 9% to 203 tons compared to November 2024. Compared to December 2023, imports of chilled beef increased by 57%, and imports of frozen red meat increased by 1%.
In general, in 2024, Ukraine reduced imports of cattle by 25% to 478 tons, increased imports of chilled beef by 13% to 154 tons and 17% of frozen beef to 2.54 thousand tons.
Anna Gorkun, the founder of the premium Ukrainian wine brand 46 Parallel, has signed the first M&A agreement in the Ukrainian wine industry in the last 15 years and attracted an investor – the international group of companies Vinos de La Luz, which is known for its wineries in the USA, Argentina, Spain and Italy.
“A little less than a month ago we signed an agreement under which all 100% passed to the new owners – Vinos de La Luz, a group of companies that owns production facilities in the USA, Argentina, Spain and Italy. This is a significant event not only for the company itself, but also for the Ukrainian economy as a whole. The very fact that during the war a foreign investor acquires Ukrainian business and intends to develop it exactly in Ukraine, with a Ukrainian team and supporting the philosophy of the brand to remain Proudly Ukrainian is a victory and a huge achievement,” Gorkun wrote on Facebook.
She noted that thanks to the agreement, the trademarks of 46 Parallel Wine Group (in particular, Grand Admiral, El Capitan and Apostrophe) are now part of the global portfolio of Vinos de La Luz, which has more than 100 years of history of wine production.
46 Parallel Wine Group is incorporated in 2019 in Kiev. Under Gorkun’s leadership, the company’s wines have won more than 115 medals at reputable international and national competitions. The company also represents Ukraine on the world stage, in particular at the Wine Museum in Bordeaux (France). At the time of signing the agreement, the company’s products were represented on the markets of Ukraine and Japan.
According to Opendatabot, the company’s revenue in 2023 amounted to UAH 5.473 million, which is 1.8 times less than in 2022 and 3.4 times less than pre-war 2021. Net loss in 2023 amounted to UAH 698.3 thousand compared to UAH 2.64 million net profit in 2022. The company’s assets in 2023 decreased by 23.3% to UAH 9.464 mln, and debt obligations by 33.3% to UAH 4.35 mln. The authorized capital is UAH 845 thousand.
The beneficiary of the company since December 2014 is Natalia Burlachenko through Big Wines LLC, which owns 100% of shares of Parallel Wine Group LLC 46.
Vinos de La Luz is an international group of companies with its own wineries in the United States, Argentina, Spain and Italy, with more than a century of experience in winemaking. The group actively develops wine brands of different origins and is present in numerous global markets.
In December 2024, Ukraine exported 4 thousand tons of cattle in live weight, which is 68% more than in November 2024 and 165% more than in December 2023, the Association of Milk Producers (AMP) reported.
The industry association noted that revenue from animals supplied to foreign markets amounted to $8.61 million, which is 41% more than in November 2024 and 277% more than in December last year.
In general, in 2024, Ukraine exported 18.12 thousand tons of cattle (+3%) for $ 35.46 million (+22%), the USBA stated.
In December 2024, Ukrainian exporters supplied 1 ton of fresh or chilled beef to foreign markets worth $ 11 thousand. Natural export volumes increased by 64% compared to November this year, but decreased by 97% compared to December last year. Export revenue increased by 37% compared to November this year, but decreased by 90% compared to December 2023.
In 2024, Ukraine exported 889 tons (+71%) of chilled red meat worth $5.59 million (+83%), the industry association said.
Exports of frozen beef in December 2024 amounted to 1.8 thousand tons, which is 11% less than in November 2024 and 0.4% less than in December last year. Cash proceeds for the delivered meat amounted to $6.59 million, which is 26% less than in November 2024 and 15% less than in December 2023. In 2024, Ukraine exported 18.55 thousand tons of frozen beef (-14%) for $73.36 million (-16%).
“Amid high demand for beef in the US and China, prices for beef cattle in export markets increased in November-December, which probably became the basis for the intensification of Ukrainian exporters,” said APM analyst Giorgi Kukhaleishvili.
He referred to the information of Brenny Gant, executive director of the Canadian consulting company Canfax, who said that cattle prices have increased by 45-65% compared to five years ago. The driver of demand for beef was the growth of population and the number of middle class in the world.
World central banks in November, according to preliminary estimates by the World Gold Council (WGC), increased the amount of gold in their foreign exchange reserves by 53.4 tons.
“Looking to the end of 2024, central banks around the world continued to play a leading role in gold demand,” said WGC analyst Krishan Gopaul. – “November was another month of gold purchases, with central banks adding a total of 53 tons to official reserves, according to available data. This continues the trend observed throughout the year: central banks, mostly from emerging markets, remained active buyers of gold, driven by a desire to find a stable and reliable asset in the face of global economic uncertainty.”
The largest buyers of gold in November were Poland (21 tons), Uzbekistan (9 tons), India (8.4 tons), and Kazakhstan (5.1 tons). According to Gopol, for the first time since April, China reported an increase in reserves (plus 5 tons). Other buyers included Jordan (4.1 tons), Turkey (3 tons), the Czech Republic (1.6 tons), Ghana (1.2 tons), Mongolia and Malta (less than a ton).
Singapore was the main seller of gold (5.2 tons). Also in December, the central bank of Finland reported a 10% reduction in its gold reserves to 44 tons, a sale that most likely took place the same month, WGC said.
Registrations of new commercial vehicles (trucks and special vehicles) in 2024 increased by 14% compared to 2023 – up to 12.9 thousand units, Ukrautoprom reported.
According to the association, the Renault brand confidently retained its leadership at the end of the year with 3,271 thousand vehicles registered, Citroen took second place with 1,205 thousand, and MAN took third place with 993 units.
The top ten most registered new trucks and special vehicles in 2024 also include Ford – 844 units; Scania – 761 units; Mercedes-Benz – 625 units; Peugeot – 614 units; Volkswagen – 554 units; Iveco – 545 units; and Hyundai – 474 units.
The Association informs that in December, this market segment grew by 17% by December 2023 and by 24% by November 2024 – up to 1.354 thousand units.
As reported, in 2023, according to Ukravtoprom, registrations of new commercial vehicles in Ukraine increased by 65% by 2022 to 11.3 thousand units.
According to preliminary data, the turnover of the ATB chain in 2024 increased by 15% compared to 2023 to UAH 248.3 billion, said Serhiy Demchenko, Head of Corporate Communications at ATB Corporation.
According to him, in 2024, the chain added 47 new stores, and another 11 retail facilities were reconstructed.
As of the beginning of 2025, the ATB chain has 1257 stores.
According to Mr. Demcheko, last year ATB also launched a new own brand, Day in Day.
In 2024, the company’s investments increased by 25% (by UAH 3 billion) compared to the previous year and amounted to almost UAH 15 billion. Particular attention was paid to energy security, he noted.
“We have equipped ATB stores with generators (DPS): more than 1.2 thousand stores are currently equipped, which is 98% of the entire network. We also equipped our stores with solar power plants (SPP). To date, 40 stores have been equipped with SPPs, and another 180 stores are in the process of being equipped,” he said in a post on Facebook.
ATB Corporation also installed gas turbine equipment at a distribution center in Khmelnytsky region.
The company has also invested UAH 185 million in a project to pool reusable packaging for fruits and vegetables. As noted, the reusable containers are made of safe types of plastic. Today, ATB uses more than 400 thousand boxes and 15 thousand pallets of such containers.
In addition, the chain sent more than 213 tons of used batteries for recycling to Romania and Poland.
Demchenko stated that in 2024, the corporation created more than 3.5 thousand new jobs, and the total number of employees reached 56 thousand. The amount of taxes and fees paid to the budgets of various levels and special funds preliminarily amounted to UAH 30.7 billion, which is 22% more than in 2023.
In addition, ATB Corporation provided charitable assistance to the Ukrainian Defense Forces in the amount of over UAH 2 billion.
