Novus Ukraine LLC (Kyiv), the managing company of the network of Novus hyper- and supermarkets and Novus Express convenience stores in Ukraine, at the end of 2018 opened an A class logistics center of 7,000 square meters in the village of Sofiyevska Borschahivka near Kyiv. According to the press service of the retailer, the new warehouse will allow increasing centralization of supplies to the stores of the network, as well as freight turnover of its own logistics by 30%. The facility will serve Novus stores in Kyiv region, as well as wholesale buyers. The delivery of goods from the warehouse to the network stores will be carried out by the contractor.
According to the Novus website, as of January 14, 2018 the network in Ukraine included 43 stores. The overwhelming majority of objects operates in Kyiv and Kyiv region – 34 outlets. In 2018, the retailer opened five new stores: four in Kyiv, and one in Irpin.
As reported, at the end of 2017, the EBRD opened a credit line of up to $25 million to Novus Ukraine for a period of seven years to support the expansion of the supermarket chain and the construction of a logistics center in Kyiv region.
Novus Ukraine LLC was established in 2008. The same year the first Novus supermarket was opened in the country.
The key reasons of hostile takeover of businesses in Ukraine are corruption and problems with the system of public registration of property, Anticorruption Entrepreneurial Front President Igor Egorov has said.
“The existence of hostile takeovers comes from a corrupt government, complete impunity for committing crimes of this kind and low-skilled law enforcement officers. According to official data of the Prosecutor General’s Office for 2017, 315 criminal proceedings were registered under the article on obstruction of lawful economic activity, 99 crimes under the article on unlawful seizure of property, of which two and four, respectively, reached the court,” he said at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
He also said that foreign companies for these reasons do not want to invest in a business in Ukraine, and each case of hostile takeover is a blow to the country.
An example of this problem was the hostile takeover of a business center located at 21G, Dehtiarivska Street in Kyiv on December 11, among whose tenants are foreign companies and the 112 Ukraine TV channel.
Representatives of the co-owners of the business center, Office Line and Patron Invest, said that the police could not take control of the situation, since the persons who had seized the building announced that the Avangard Invest LLC had acquired ownership rights to the business center. At the same time, the owners claim that the building was re-registered using illegal schemes and forged documents.
According to lawyer of Patron Invest Iryna Belytska, one of the reasons that made this new registration possible is the weakness of the public registration system and a fairly wide access to public registers.
“10 years ago it was impossible to accomplish this. Now it can be done in three days, having access to the register. Unfortunately, over the years of the register’s existence, the pain points have not been eliminated,” she said.
Belytska said that Office Line and Patron Invest will defend their rights in courts, as well as initiate investigations by law enforcement agencies. However, the negative consequences of the incident cannot be avoided.
“We have applied to law enforcement agencies, human rights organizations and we will use all available mechanisms,” she said.
According to the lawyer, the investment value of the office building is $10.5 million.
Mriya agricultural holding is closing its office in Kyiv, employees are being transferred to offices in Ternopil and Lviv for boosting production effectiveness, the company’s press service has reported. “In connection with the successful completion of the debt restructuring process, Mriya no longer needs a representative office in Kyiv. Now the company is negotiating with employees about the possibility of moving them to a permanent place of employment in the offices in Ternopil and Lviv,” the agricultural holding said .
The company said that the main task for next year is to increase production efficiency and work directly at the location of assets, which will allow employees to respond quickly to challenges and get involved as much as possible in the production process.
Mriya is a vertically integrated agribusiness holding, founded by Ivan Huta in 1992. Today, its land bank is 165,000 ha. The capacities of the holding’s grain storage facilities are estimated at 380,000 tonnes.
JSC Ukrzaliznytsia will send the round-the-clock express train on the Kyiv-Passazhyrsky-Darnytsia-Boryspil-Airport route to make its first trip. “The regular train trips are to start at 13:00,” the company’s press service reported. Four rail buses produced by Polish Pesa Bydgoszcz SA with a capacity of up to 120 passengers and with a baggage zone, upgraded by Ukrzaliznytsia, will run on the route. Tickets costing UAH 80 can be purchased by cash at two cash desks at the Central and South Railway Stations, by noncash at four self-service terminals installed in the concourse over the fourteenth track. Also, passengers can pay for travel directly in the trains using a technology similar to the Kyiv subway.
The cost of the project, according to the press service, amounted to UAH 480 million.
“In the course of the implementation of the project, about 4 km of track was added to the existing railway infrastructure, a 272 meter long overpass was built over the M03 Kyiv-Kharkiv highway. Two passenger platforms with pavilions near the airport and an indoor pedestrian crossing from the platforms to Terminal D of the Boryspil airport were built, Ukrzaliznytsia said on its website.
Under the project two waiting rooms with air conditioning, TV, sockets, Wi-Fi and a children’s area were also built. Passengers can enter the indicated zones is open if they have a ticket for the express train. As reported, on November 29, Ukrzaliznytsia announced the timetable of the express train to the Boryspil International Airport with 30 trips in each direction.
Ukrzaliznytsia plans to transport about 3.8 million passengers along the route Kyiv-Boryspil International Airport in 2019 and is negotiating the electrification of the section of the route from Kyiv to the Boryspil International Airport.
Exko Plus LLC (Seven Hills developer, Kyiv) of businessman of Israeli origin Beny Steinmetz plans to start implementing a project to build a business class residential complex located at 39/2 Henri Barbusse Street in the Pechersky district of Kyiv. “We continue believing in business class – the segment where we work. We see and feel that it is stable. Demand remains. We will continue working in this residential housing segment,” Seven Hills CEO Arie Schwartz said at the RED PM DAY 2018 conference held last week in Kyiv.
He told Interfax-Ukraine that the company’s primary task is to complete the construction of the last stage of the Park Avenue residential complex, scheduled for the first quarter of 2019, and then focus on the new project.
As expected, the new complex will be designed for 670 high-end apartments. The construction of this residential complex was announced back in 2008. Then the developer several times postponed the start of its implementation.
According to Schwartz, the company’s portfolio contains five sites in Kyiv for development, one of them is Park Avenue residential complex (located at 58A, Holosiyivsky Avenue) and one in the pipeline – in the Pechersky district (located at 39/2, Henri Barbusse Street).
“We thought that it will take about five years to build Park Avenue. Today it is 11 years, and we continue working on our other projects,” Schwartz said.
As reported, Seven Hills in 2009 announced plans to start implementing three construction projects in Kyiv city and region, in particular, the Podol A class office center and a premium-class residential complex in Kyiv and the Airport City office and warehouse complex in Kyiv region.
Exko Plus LLC was established in 2004, its main activity is the construction of residential and nonresidential buildings.
According to the unified public register, participants of LLC are Global Space Management Limited (90%) and Respublika investment fund (10%). The ultimate beneficiary is Steinmetz.
On December, 1-st and 2-nd the «Kyivan Rus Park» invites to make a time travel in a thousand years ago and join the ancient Slavic amusements.
In the first winter weekend here, in the Principality of Kyivan Rus, there will be a “Winter has knocked on the gates” show-program.
The guests will see the real life of a medieval city, museums and expositions, the horses of historical breeds gathered together from all over the world in the Princely stable, as well as the amusements for any taste: live vocal, horse-trick performances, theatric staging on the historical theme, ancient Slavic diversions, fresh air and good mood.
Ancient Kyiv opens at 10:00. The program starts at 13:30 and lasts till 17:30.
The ticket price: a full adult ticket – 150.00 UAH, for pensioners and students – 100.00 UAH; for schoolchildren – 50.00 UAH, for preschool children – for free.
Ancient Kyiv in the «Kyivan Rus Park» is situated in the vill. Kopachiv, Obukhiv district, Kyiv region. Route taxis leave from Kyiv from the «Vydybitchi» metro station
Detailed information on the website www.parkkyivrus.com
The Interfax subscribers can save money with the “openbusiness-20” promo code for a 20%-discount for the adult ticket (at full price) to the Principality of Kyivan Rus:
– by previous order by tel.: +38 044 461-99-37, +38 050 385-20-35
– or at the cash desk at the entrance to the «Kyivan Rus Park».
