Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

“Nova Poshta” increases investment in development in Ukraine by 40%

In January-September 2024, Nova Poshta, the leader in express delivery in Ukraine, increased its development investments in Ukraine by 40% to UAH 4.9 billion, the company’s press service said on Friday.
Over the course of nine months, Nova Poshta opened 940 new branches and installed 4578 new post offices, for a total of 5518 new service points.
“The network grew all over Ukraine, including in the frontline areas, where 126 new service points were opened. Thus, as of October 1, Nova Poshta’s network includes 12.4 thousand branches and 20.17 thousand post offices,” the company’s press service said.
The number of parcels and cargo delivered by Nova Poshta increased by 17% to 336 million parcels. The company delivered 11 million international parcels.
“As we have been doing since the first days of the war, we are investing in Ukraine’s victory. In the period from January to September this year, the group’s charity spending in Ukraine amounted to UAH 1.4 billion, which is UAH 266 million more than in the same period last year. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the volume of investments in the victory has already exceeded UAH 4 billion,” the press service of Nova Poshta said.
Every day, as part of the Humanitarian program, Nova Poshta delivers parcels for the military from charitable foundations and volunteers at its own expense. In the first nine months of this year, the company has delivered 1.2 million parcels. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, almost 2.5 million.
Earlier it was reported that in January-September 2024, Nova Poshta reduced its net profit by 1.9 times compared to the same period in 2023 – to UAH 1.65 billion, and increased its revenue by 16.4% to UAH 30.81 billion. The company explains the decrease in profitability by an increase in charity expenses and an increase in depreciation expenses due to a significant increase in the investment program. Inflation and general price increases also had an impact.
The amount of taxes paid by Nova Poshta in Ukraine increased by 10% to UAH 8.6 billion.

“Nova Poshta” reduced its net profit by 1.9 times

In January-September 2024, Nova Poshta, the leader in express delivery in Ukraine, reduced its net profit by 1.9 times compared to the same period in 2023, to UAH 1.65 billion.
According to the company’s interim financial statements for January-September, published in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), net income increased by 16.4% to UAH 30.81 billion.
At the same time, the company’s gross profit increased by 6.4% to UAH 5.86 billion, while operating profit decreased by 10.5% to UAH 2.44 billion.
In the first nine months of 2024, the number of delivered parcels and cargoes amounted to 336 million, which is 16% more than in the same period in 2023.
“In January-September, Nova Poshta opened 5,518 new branches and post offices. The network grew all over Ukraine, including in the frontline areas, where 126 new branches and post offices were opened.
During this period, the company paid UAH 6.7 billion in taxes in Ukraine, which is 4% more than in the corresponding period of 2023.
Since the beginning of the year, Nova Poshta has invested UAH 4.1 billion in its development in Ukraine, which is 1.7 times more than in the same period last year (UAH 2.4 billion).
As part of the Humanitarian Mail of Ukraine program, the company makes shipments for the military from charitable foundations and volunteers at its own expense. In the first nine months of this year, the company delivered 1.2 million parcels. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it has delivered almost 2.5 million.
“Nova Poshta provides a range of logistics services, delivering both small parcels and large cargo. The company provides express delivery of documents, parcels and bulky goods; postal and courier services to businesses, organizations and individuals; loading and unloading services, warehousing and storage; and transport activities – Nova Poshta provides delivery to each client – to the branch, post office, or address. The company also provides logistics and distribution services.
“Nova Poshta has about 12,000 offices across Ukraine and more than 20,000 post offices. The average number of employees is 35 thousand.

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“Nova Poshta” launches courier delivery in Netherlands and plans to open branches

“Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest logistics operator, has launched courier delivery in the Netherlands and plans to open its own branches in Amsterdam and Utrecht in the near future, the company’s press service reports.

“Nova Poshta is already working with courier delivery in all cities of the Netherlands. In the near future, we plan to open our own branches in Amsterdam and Utrecht to make even more services available to our customers,” the press service of Nova Poshta quoted Anton Chernysh, CEO of Nova Post in the Netherlands, as saying.

It is reported that the Netherlands has become the 16th foreign market for the company.

Customers can order targeted delivery from Ukraine to any address in the Netherlands, as well as use the services of a courier to send. Parcels can be sent throughout the Netherlands and between European countries. Private clients and companies can send parcels up to 1 thousand kilograms, the company said in a statement.

The current delivery tariff for individuals from October 21, 2024 is UAH 1 thousand for documents up to 1 kg, small parcels up to 2 kg – UAH 1.05 thousand, medium (up to 10 kg) – UAH 1.6 thousand, large (up to 30 kg) – UAH 2.6 thousand, cargo over 30 kg – UAH 100 for every 1 kg and UAH 250 for every 100 kg. Prices are quoted in UAH including VAT.

Delivery time from Ukraine to the Netherlands is up to 4 days, within the Netherlands and to other European countries – from 1 day.

Earlier it was reported that Nova Poshta launched courier delivery in Austria, which became the 15th foreign market for the operator.

It was also reported that in 2024, NOVA Group of Companies (Nova Poshta) doubled its investments to UAH 8.5 billion compared to 2021.

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“Nova Poshta” notes strong demand for its bonds among institutional investors

“Nova Poshta, a leading logistics operator in Ukraine, notes a fairly strong demand for its bonds from a wide range of investors: insurance companies, pension funds, investment funds, and banks, which allows it to successfully place them.

“We have about UAH 60 million in investments from pension funds. Some people may think that the pension fund market in Ukraine is not developed, but we see that it is,” said NOVA CFO Petro Fokov at the Ukrainian CFO Forum held in Kyiv on October 24-25.

He clarified that Nova Poshta is currently conducting private placements of bonds among institutional investors, which are specified in the prospectus, but individuals can also buy them on the secondary market.

“We do have individuals (bondholders), but there are not so many of them compared to banks, insurance and pension funds,” Fokov stated.

The Nova Group CFO noted that Nova Poshta is one of the leading issuers of hryvnia bonds in Ukraine and in January 2023 became the first issuer to resume issuing after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

According to him, the advantage of hryvnia bonds for the issuer is the absence of collateral, which is currently difficult to assess for bank loans.

“But they (the bonds) are more expensive and require a little more transparency, i.e., you need to disclose a little more information on the website, but they have their advantages,” Fokov added.

He noted that the Nova group, whose companies also include NovaPay Credit, likes to support the bond market with an interesting offer and feels responsible for ensuring that these are reliable and stable instruments. “And people trusted such instruments as corporate bonds more than government bonds,” the CFO said.

According to him, in general, the group, whose investments this year will double the investments of 2021 and amount to UAH 8.5 billion, also uses loans from international financial organizations and banks for debt financing.

Fokov specified that among the IFIs, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is the first, with which the group signed a loan for UAH 3 billion this year.

“We take out loans from the EBRD in hryvnia, in hryvnia, because we are a hryvnia company, we do not take unnecessary risks, we want to be sure that we can repay the loan, so we calculate everything,” he added.

As for bank lending, the CFO said that the group cooperates with 10 leading Ukrainian banks.

According to him, having so many partner banks, each of which has its own requirements, Nova follows a strategy of complete unification of covenants, taking the most developed system of financial covenants of the EBRD as a basis.

“It covers all issues, all points. That is why we offer all our partner banks, with whom we are additionally starting to cooperate, to simply join this system of covenants or choose some requirements from this menu, so to speak. But not to give any exotic new requirements. We have managed to do it so far,” Fokov said.

As reported, in August of this year, Nova Poshta announced the placement of an issue of interest-bearing unsecured bonds of the F series with a total nominal value of UAH 1 billion. The bonds will mature on June 10, 2026, bear an interest rate of 16% per annum, mature on June 5, 2026, and have a face value of UAH 1 thousand.

Nova Poshta registered a report on the placement of the previous E series issue of the same volume with a maturity date of August 8, 2025 and an interest rate of 17% per annum with the NSSMC on July 4 this year. Most of it, worth UAH 650 million, was purchased in May by Oschadbank (Kyiv). It was clarified that this is the third deal since 2019 for the state-owned bank to finance Nova Poshta by purchasing corporate bonds.

As of the middle of this year, Nova Poshta’s liabilities on E series bonds amounted to UAH 995.16 million, F series – UAH 994.88 million, and on previously issued D series bonds maturing at the end of January 2025 – UAH 818.51 million.

As of the end of June this year, Nova Poshta’s total liabilities on bonds amounted to UAH 2 billion 808.55 million, while its liabilities to banks amounted to UAH 3 billion 136.12 million, and the total amount of liabilities and collateral amounted to UAH 15 billion 562.04 billion.

In 2023, Nova Poshta made two bond issues – “C” and “D” – each with a nominal amount of UAH 800 million. The C series bonds were issued for a 12-month term with a 24% p.a. interest rate, while the D series bonds were issued for a 20-month term with a 23% p.a. interest rate.

Earlier, in February 2023, the company redeemed the UAH 700 million Series B bonds issued in March 2020.

In the first half of 2024, Nova Poshta LLC increased its unconsolidated net income by 20.1% to UAH 20.12 billion, but the company’s net profit increased by 20.1%.

Source: https://www.fixygen.ua/news/20241028/nova-poshta-vidznachae-visokiy-popit-na-svoyi-obligatsiyi-sered-institutsiynih-investoriv.html

“Nova Poshta” raises delivery tariffs on October 1

“Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s largest logistics operator, has raised its tariffs for the delivery of documents, parcels and cargo by an average of UAH 10 on October 1.
As the company posted on its website on Monday, a number of fees have been canceled, including the fee for the declared value of parcels returned.
Starting from October 1, sending documents in a branded envelope, which is included in the price, costs UAH 65, delivery of parcels up to 2 kg in the city costs UAH 60, up to 10 kg – UAH 90, up to 30 kg – UAH 140. For delivery in Ukraine, parcels up to 2 kg cost UAH 80, up to 10 kg – UAH 110, up to 30 kg – UAH 160. Cargoes over 30 kg are delivered between branches in the city with a coefficient of +0.5 UAH/kg, between branches in Ukraine: + 1 UAH/kg.
The fixed cost of packaging for parcels up to 30 kg when sent through a post office is UAH 15. Parcels can be packed free of charge in a branded package for 0.5 kg, 1 kg, 2 kg and 4 kg.
Nova Poshta explained the need to increase tariffs by the rising prices for energy – electricity and fuel – as well as rising consumer prices and inflation.
“By updating the tariffs, we are simultaneously introducing new technologies and improving the provision of services. The increase in tariffs will allow us to continue working and create an opportunity for Ukrainians to receive their parcels as quickly as possible,” Nova Poshta said in a statement.
It is noted that the company’s customers still have access to free services, including the service of return from the buyer to the seller if the goods do not fit; free parcel forwarding in Ukraine.

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“Nova Poshta” to open two offices in Spain, bringing its total number to eight

Nova Poshta, the largest logistics operator in Ukraine, is going to open two new offices in Spain – one in Barcelona and one in Benidorm, said Sergey Karputev, CEO of Nova Post in Spain.
“We are currently focusing on two areas of development: improving our services and developing our network. In the near future, we plan to open another branch in Barcelona and one in Benidorm,” he said.
According to the company’s press service, there are currently six Nova Poshta offices in Spain.
In Barcelona, the first branch was opened in September. It accepts shipments of up to 1 thousand kilograms.
The other five, in particular in Valencia, Alicante, Málaga and Torevieja, started operating in June-September. They accept parcels up to 30 kg.
In addition, Nova Poshta has started delivering parcels to post offices and pickup points. The company delivers prepaid parcels weighing up to 25 kg to 13.38 thousand InPost and GLS parcel delivery points, as well as to 1350 InPost post offices throughout Spain.
In this country, Nova Poshta customers can receive and send documents, parcels and cargo to/from Ukraine to other cities, as well as to 13 European countries where the company has offices. Delivery time: from Ukraine – from five business days, in Spain and between European countries – from one day, the press service said.
In addition, customers can order delivery or pickup by courier to any address in Spain.

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