About a third of Ukrainians intend to increase their online purchases in the next year or two, and 20% are going to make less purchases in bricks-and-mortar stores, according to the results of a survey on the impact of the pandemic on consumer sentiment of Ukrainians conducted by Deloitte in Ukraine.
Senior Manager of Retail Group at Deloitte in Ukraine Oleksandr Yampolsky said on Tuesday that 1,600 respondents, selected according to a quota sample, took part in the survey in December 2020.
“There are two more important figures. 40% of respondents do not feel comfortable shopping in bricks-and-mortar stores. Every second respondent is worried about their data when buying something online. Companies in the retail sector should pay attention to this,” Yampolsky said, presenting the results of the survey.
According to the survey conducted by Deloitte, 66% of respondents, speaking about the effect of quarantine on their purchases, reduced their alcohol purchases, and 31% had an increase in spending on medicines.
The survey also showed that the majority of Ukrainians (98% of respondents) continue buying groceries in bricks-and-mortar stores, and only 44% of those surveyed have experience of buying groceries online.
At the same time, respondents believe that the average check for products in an online store is 52% higher than in a traditional one, while for household chemicals, respondents’ price expectations in online stores are twice as high as in bricks-and-mortar ones.
“At the same time, 57% of respondents said they prefer a convenience store,” Audit & Assurance Partner, Retail Group Leader in Deloitte Ukraine Olha Shamrytska said.
“There is a significant attachment of buyers to the brand. 64% of respondents said that the brand affects significantly or in some way the way they shop,” Shamrytska said.
She also said that 49% of respondents thoughtfully choose food in the store, and 37% make their choice even before going to the store.
As for electronics and household appliances, about 85% of respondents make such purchases in bricks-and-mortar stores, but 65% also buy them in an online store.
According to Shamrytska, among this category of goods, the respondents most often bought smart watches and fitness bracelets, tablets, phones, multicookers and smart speakers in 2020.
Average monthly wage by region in Jan 2020, UAH.
Ukrainian enterprises increased their consumption of rolled products by 18.7% in January and February 2021, year-over-year, to 766,000 tonnes.
According to a press release from the Ukrmetallurgprom association on Monday, some 110,000 tonnes were imported during this period, or 14.4% of the internal market for the consumption of rolled metal.
“In January and February 2021, the capacity of the internal market amounted to 766,000 tonnes of rolled metal, of which 110,000 tonnes, or 14.4%, accounted for imports. In January and February 2020, the capacity of the internal market was 645,300 tonnes, of which 163,300 tonnes, or 25.3%, were imported. Thus, in January and February 2021, there is an increase in the capacity of the internal market of rolled metal relative to January and February 2020 by 18.7% with a simultaneous decrease in the share of imported component by 10.95%,” the company said in the press release.
In addition, it is noted that the structure of imports in January and February 2021 is characterized by the dominance of flat products over long products (54.55% and 42.82%, respectively); in January and February 2020, on the contrary, the dominance of long products over flat products was observed (54.87% and 42.56%, respectively).
According to Ukrmetallurgprom, in January and February 2021, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises produced 3.15 million tonnes of rolled metal (100.3% year-over-year), of which about 2.49 million tonnes were exported, or 79.2%. In January and February 2020 the share of exports was 84.7% (2.66 million tonnes with a total production of 3.14 million tonnes of rolled metal).
The share of semi-finished products in export deliveries accounted for 48.84% over two months of 2021, which is slightly lower than the indicator for the same period in 2020 (50.34%). Share of flat products in export deliveries in January and February 2021 significantly higher, year-over-year (35.97% and 30.55%, respectively). The share of long products in export deliveries in January and February 2021 noticeably inferior to the indicator for the same period in 2020 (15.20% in 2021 against 19.11% in 2020).
In January and February 2021 the main export markets of Ukrainian metal products were the countries of the European Union (29.9%), other European countries (23.5%) and the Middle East (9.9%).
Among metallurgical importers the CIS ranks first (53.2%), the EU-27 ranks second (24.9%), and Asian countries rank third (11.6%) over the first two months of 2021.
Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) introduces from March 16, 2021 new tariffs for Green Card policies for those traveling abroad by road.
According to a statement on the bureau’s website, MTIBU recalculated the cost of Green Card insurance certificates, which are being introduced downward, by an average of 4.6%
According to MTIBU, the cost of Green Card for 15 days for travel in Europe for passenger cars is reduced to UAH 807 (previously, UAH 846), for buses up to UAH 3,034 (UAH 3,180), for trucks up to UAH 1,905 (UAH 1,996).
Now, the cost of Green Card for one month is UAH 1,285 for cars (previously, UAH 1,347), some UAH 4,214 for buses (UAH 4,417), some UAH 2,528 (UAH 2,650) for trucks.
The cost of the semi-annual and annual Green Card policies for cars is UAH 4,850 and UAH 7,066, respectively, for buses is UAH 14,751 and UAH 27,396, for trucks is UAH 11,970 and UAH 22,591.
The cost of policies for trips to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Russia for passenger cars is UAH 588 for 15 days, some UAH 865 for one month, some 1,984 for six months, some UAH 2,825 for a year.
The latest tariff changes were on January 4, 2021 upward by 3.8%, upward by 3.3% on October 19, 2020, upward by 3.1% on August 3, 2020, by 3.8% on July 24, by 3.5% June 16.
The Green Card policies have been implemented since 2009 of two types: all of Europe; Belarus, Moldova and Russia. From January 1, 2016, the Ukrainian Green Card policies started to operate on the territory of Azerbaijan.
The sizes of single insurance payments under the contracts of international compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles were established by a resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers dated January 6, 2005 and are determined in euros.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky signed law No. 1235-IX on Ukraine’s accession to the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes, which the Verkhovna Rada adopted on February 16, 2021, and which allows Ukraine not only to participate in cultural routes, but also to promote its own historical and cultural heritage.
“We have a wonderful country, very multifaceted and interesting. But, unfortunately, due to bad roads and lack of attention from the state to our historical monuments, Ukraine was almost not present on the tourist routes of Europe. But we will change that. This year, within the framework of Big Construction we are starting the Big Restoration project, which is aimed at the restoration of historical and cultural sites in Ukraine. So that both Ukrainians and foreign tourists can see the beauty and cultural diversity of Ukraine. We are building roads, improving the management of cultural heritage sites and joining the European agreement on cultural routes so that people both inside and outside the country learn more about Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
The Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes was confirmed by Resolution CM / Res (2013) 66 in the city of Strasbourg. This agreement aims to create a common cultural space in Europe by raising awareness of cultural heritage, promoting cultural dialogue in Europe, and through cross-border tourism.
Some 34 countries are parties to the agreement, and partners are the European Union and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Some 40 European cultural routes, which run in more than 50 countries, have received the Cultural Route of the Council of Europe certification as a quality distinction. Three European cultural routes now pass through the territory of Ukraine.
Gazprom has booked additional transit capacity via Ukraine for March at a similar volume to its additional booking for February, according to the monthly auction results on the Regional Booking Platform (RBP).
Russia’s state-owned gas company has a long-term booking capacity of 40 billion cubic meters via Ukraine for 2021 at 109 million cubic meters per day, having booked an additional 14.2 million cubic meters per day at the auction for a total of 123.2 million cubic meters per day.
Gazprom on Monday booked additional transit capacity for April on the RBP, having requested 14.2 million cubic meters per day of the 15 million cubic meters per day offered, which was exactly the same result as the auctions for March and February.
The state-owned gas company in March has been pumping an average of 114.7 million cubic meters per day via Ukraine at a minimum of 101.2 million cubic meters per day and at a maximum of 120.3 million cubic meters per day, which has nearly reached the booked maximum.
Gazprom pumped an average of 124.51 million cubic meters per day via Ukraine in January 2021, and 104 million cubic meters per day in February.
