Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Oschadbank sells Atmosphere shopping center and Ramada Encore Kyiv hotel for UAH 1.79 bln

State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has put up for sale the Atmosfera shopping mall and Ramada Encore Kyiv hotel in the capital, 11 land plots in Kozyn (Kyiv region) and the right of claim to Niteko LLC for UAH 1.79 billion through the OpenMarket electronic trading system (SE SETAM of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine).

According to SETAM’s press service, the lot includes real estate in Kyiv at 103 Stolichne Shosse (buildings 1-4). They include an administrative and hotel center with an area of 39.5 thousand square meters, a shopping and entertainment center (31.6 thousand square meters) with a parking lot (16.8 thousand square meters), a two-level parking lot (17.5 thousand square meters) and other premises.

In addition, the lot also includes 11 land plots in Kozyn with a total area of 17.3 hectares for residential construction, as well as the rights to claim against LLC “Company Niteko” under the 2007 non-revolving credit line agreement, including the assignment of rights under security agreements.

“The well-known Kyiv shopping center and hotel are located at the intersection of three major highways towards the elite villages of Obukhiv district and Koncha Zaspa, so they are well served by traffic. This offer may potentially be of interest to major market players,” the press service quoted Oleksandr Mamro, CEO of SETAM, as saying.

The auction is scheduled for March 25. The guarantee fee is UAH 89.9 million.

According to Opendatabot, the owner of Niteko is FC NGI Management LLC, and the ultimate beneficiary is Dmytro Buriak. At the end of 2023, the company reduced its net loss by 4.9 times compared to 2022 – to UAH 70.2 million, while net income increased by 69% to UAH 146.2 million.

As reported, Wyndham Hotel Group (WHG) opened its largest four-star hotel under the Ramada Encore brand in June 2012 as part of the Stolychnyi mixed-use complex (formerly Domosfera) at 103 Stolychne Shosse in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.

The 22-storey hotel has 332 rooms and 58 apartments. The hotel’s infrastructure includes a conference center with a total area of more than 4 thousand square meters with 20 meeting rooms, a two-level parking lot for 1150 cars, two fitness centers, restaurants, a sushi bar and a summer terrace. The hotel is managed by DBI Hotels & Resorts (Switzerland).

The Atmosfera shopping and entertainment center (SEC) in Stolychny was opened on April 12, 2014. The mall has about 50 premium shops and boutiques, a food court, an entertainment area, a karting center, a fitness center, a cinema with restaurant service and an event hall with 800 seats.

The developer of the Stolychnyi mixed-use project is DeVision Group. The mixed-use complex also includes Domosfera shopping center with a leasable area of 30.7 thousand square meters, opened on May 16, 2009, and Europe business center of B+ class with a total area of 22 thousand square meters and parking for 300 cars. The total area of the mixed-use complex is 158.2 thousand square meters.

, , ,

State Property Fund is preparing to sell Ukraina Hotel and Ocean Plaza shopping center

The State Property Fund has completed the valuation of the Ukraina Hotel and plans to hold an auction for its privatization in late summer 2024, and for the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in the second half of the year, Vitaliy Koval, the head of the SPF, said in an interview with Mind.

“We have already completed the valuation of the hotel, which amounts to UAH 1.039 billion excluding VAT. We are now preparing for the auction, which we plan to hold in late summer, maybe even in the third quarter,” he said.

According to the SPF head, foreign operators are interested in privatizing the Ukraina Hotel, in particular, as they are considering upgrading it to a five-star hotel.

In addition, according to him, more than three bidders are considering participation in the auction for the privatization of the Ocean Plaza shopping center, and the Fund has received inquiries from investment funds and development companies.

As reported, the Ukraina Hotel is a state-owned enterprise managed by the SPF. It has 363 rooms, six conference halls, and meeting rooms. There is a parking lot for 80 cars and a shelter with a separate auditorium for 50 people. At the same time, the hotel’s debt is over UAH 45 million.

Ocean Plaza was opened in Kyiv in December 2012 at 176 Antonovycha Street. Its total area is 165 thousand square meters. Investments in the facility amounted to approximately $300 million. UDP and K.A.N. Development LLC acted as partners in the development of the project.

The mall was sold to Arkady Rotenberg’s Russian TPS Real Estate in 2012. Later, in 2019, Ukrainian businessman Vasyl Khmelnytsky indirectly acquired a 33.5% stake in Ocean Plaza through UPD Holdings Limited. In 2021, he sold his stake to entrepreneur Andriy Ivanov. The deal was finalized in the summer of 2023.

In June 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers transferred a 66.65% stake in the authorized capital of Lybid Investment Union LLC, which owns the mall, to the SPFU for further privatization.

, , ,

International hotel operator Accor opens three-star hotel in Kyiv

International hotel operator Accor Live Limitless (France) will open a three-star ibis Kyiv Beresteiska hotel in late 2023, according to the operator’s website.

“I am pleased to announce the opening of ibis Kyiv Beresteiska. It will be a great addition to the Accor family in Ukraine,” commented Andriy Davydenko, CEO of Accor Northern Europe – Ukraine, Georgia and the CIS, in a linked post.

As reported, the international hotel operator Accor Live Limitless planned to launch three new hotels in Ukraine in 2022-2023, ibis & Adagio Kyiv, ibis Lviv and Novotel Lviv. At the end of December 2022, Adagio Kyiv Beresteiska also started operating. Both hotels are located in the same building at 55 Peremohy Ave. Adagio Kyiv Beresteiska has 105 rooms and Adagio Kyiv Beresteiska has 156 rooms.

Adagio Kyiv Beresteiska is an apart-hotel, its rooms are adapted for long-term stays: they have fully equipped kitchens, special workspaces, WIFI and other necessary facilities for work and leisure. The ibis Kyiv Beresteiska has six meeting rooms for business events and conferences.

The 77-room ibis Styles Lviv Center hotel, located in the business center of Lviv at 3 Shukhevycha Street, was opened in December 2022.

Accor Group, one of the world’s leading hotel operators, opened the first hotel under the Novotel brand in Lille (France) in 1967.

As of December 2023, Accor operated 5,487 hotels, resorts and residences in 110 countries under more than 40 brands (Raffles, Sofitel, Fairmont, OneFineStay, MGallery, Pullman, Swissotel, Grand Mercure, The Sebel, 25 hours hotel, Novotel, Mercure, Adagio, Mama Shelter, Ibis, Ibis Styles, Adagio success, Ibis Budget, Jo&Joe, hotelFormule1, hotel F1, Thalassa sea&spa, greet, etc. ).

Accor SA shares are listed on Euronext in Paris and traded on the US over-the-counter market.

In Ukraine, AccorHotels manages three-star Ibis hotels in Kyiv, Ibis Styles and Gruner in Lviv, five-star Fairmont Grand Hotel in Kyiv, and Mercure Kyiv Congress Hotel. In addition, one hotel under Accor’s management is located in Odesa – MGallery Hôtel de Paris.

, ,

In June, hotel occupancy in Kyiv was highest since beginning of war – study

Ukraine’s hotel market has stabilized amid the war, with the highest activity in the west of the country and a slow recovery in Kyiv, according to a study by EY Ukraine.

“We can state that the market has stabilized in the new realities. Lviv, Bukovel and western Ukraine in general have very positive indicators, while Kyiv’s are quite low. In the capital, hotel occupancy is 15-25%, while before the war, the normal rate was 50-60%,” said Rostyslav Khoma, Head of Real Estate Advisory Services at EY Ukraine, at the conference “Analytics of the Ukrainian Real Estate Market: First Half of 2023”.

According to the company’s research, in Lviv and Bukovel, hotel occupancy in June 2023 was about 50-60%, while in Kyiv it was about 25%. At the same time, occupancy in the capital has shown moderate growth since January 2023, and June showed the highest occupancy rate in Kyiv since the start of the full-scale war.

“At the moment, we do not yet see any grounds for a sharp change in the level of loading in Kyiv given the current situation,” Khoma said.

In the first half of the year, the main income of hotels was directly from accommodation, while the food & beverage category and conference functions brought less money.

According to the expert, further recovery and development of the hotel market depends on the military and macroeconomic situation in the country.

“If the war ends quickly, there are more positive expectations due to the possible resumption of air travel, a potential increase in foreign tourists. However, it will take some time until tourists are convinced that it is safe to travel to Ukraine. In the event of a protracted war, however, the emphasis will have to be on domestic tourism. Given the restrictions on men traveling abroad, domestic tourism will be a key driver of demand in the medium and long term,” Khoma summarized.

,

AMCU has authorized Zhytomyr Furniture Combine to buy Kiev’s Hermitage Hotel

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has allowed businessman Vadym Hryhoriev’s Zhytomyr Furniture Plant to buy real estate in Kiev, which was sold by the State Property Fund (SPF).
The corresponding decision of the AMCU approved July 6, reported on the website of the agency.
Earlier, Zhytomyr Furniture Works won the FGI auction on privatization of the historic building of the former Hermitage Hotel in Kiev on May 25. As reported by the FGI in June, the investor paid UAH 373 million to the state budget for the acquired asset.
The winner of the auction is obliged to apply to the relevant cultural heritage authority and conclude a protection agreement within a month after the registration of ownership of the privatization object.
Experts interviewed by Interfax-Ukraine estimated the necessary initial investments in the restoration of the buildings of the Hermitage Hotel at EUR8-10 mln.
The buildings were erected in 1902-1904 according to the project of Kiev architect Andrei Ferdinand Krauss – the author of many buildings constructed in the capital at that time. The house was one of the best hotels in the city “Hermitage”. The owner of the house was a millionaire and brick manufacturer Jacob Bernard. The end wall in the 1960s was decorated with a mosaic panel “Ukrainian Song” by Stepan Kirichenko.
These buildings have a protected status. In 1998 they were included in the list of historical and cultural monuments of local importance by the order of Kyiv City State Administration.
According to Opendatabot data, Zhytomyr Furniture Factory PJSC (ZhMK JSC), registered in 2003, authorized capital is UAH 4.9 mln. The ultimate beneficiary is Vadym Grigoriev.
At the end of 2021, the FGVFL sold the main office of VTB Bank, located at the intersection of Pushkinskaya Street and T. Shevchenko Boulevard in the center of Kiev, to Diprobudmashina PJSC of businessman Vadym Grigoriev for UAH 294.3 million at the auction “Prozorro.Sales”.
Previously, Grigoriev has already acquired part of VTB Bank’s assets: business center “Incom” for UAH 390 million and office center (6, Vatslav Havel Blvd., Kiev) for UAH 351 million, as well as Kiev business center “Renaissance” from Alfa Bank.
Grigoriev is also the owner of Merx Group after buying out Valeriy Khoroshkovskyy’s stake in 2004.

, , ,

Hotel operator Ribas plans to buy profitable assets in Ukraine

Hotel operator Ribas Hotels Group (Odessa) plans to buy income-generating assets in 10 hotel complexes managed by the company, five investment projects under construction in partnership with developers.
“In 2023 and 2024 we plan to acquire income assets to the amount of 7 million c.u. in more than 10 projects managed by Ribas Hotels Group. The hotel and restaurant complexes that will be part of the portfolio are located in Lviv and the region, as well as in Ivano-Frankivsk and Transcarpathian regions. These are mostly resort areas, which are busy all year round”, – the company told Interfax-Ukraine Agency.
Five investment projects are being built in partnership with developers: WOL.GREEN Polyana in Polyana village (Zakarpattya region), Agate Resort & SPA and Morion in Mikulichin village, AMA Family Resort and Ribas Villas in Polyanitsa village (all in Ivano-Frankivsk region). The facilities are to be opened within 2023-2024, with payback period of 10 years, the company specified.
According to the terms of Ribas Invest’s investment program, the entry threshold is 10 thousand c.u., and the company expects an annual yield of 9-12% with capitalization of 5-10%. The company expects that Ukrainians will be interested in investing in income real estate first of all.
“Investing in real estate in installments and with the entry threshold of 10 thousand USD opens up the possibility for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians to invest in a reliable company and profitable property. For foreigners it’s rather an investment in charity or high-risk asset, which can become very profitable “- believe in Ribas.
Ribas Hotels Group cooperates (management and reservation) with 26 hotel and restaurant properties (city, beach and ski hotels). Company portfolio includes ski hotel Ribas Karpaty (Bukovel, Ivano-Frankivsk Region), 5-star Ribas Duke Boutique Hotel (Odessa), aparthotel Wol.121 by Ribas (Odessa), business hotels brand Ribas Rooms (Odessa, Lutsk, White Church), city hotel Bortoli by Ribas (Odessa) and others. Hotels in Lviv, Kiev, Ivano-Frankivsk and other cities of Ukraine, as well as in Poland, Italy, Yerevan and Cyprus are at design and construction stage.
The total room inventory of the network is more than 1 thousand rooms in different forms of cooperation in eight cities and resort locations in Ukraine.

,