Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Launch of Varus.ua delivery via Nova Poshta increased average check by 55% and turnover by 50%

After the launch of the online order delivery service Varus.ua via Nova Poshta in August, the average check increased by 55.14% and turnover by 50.57%, the retailer’s press service reports.
It is specified that the delivery service from Varus.ua is available to any city in Ukraine, and it is actively used in areas where there are no physical stores of the Varus chain.
In August, the top new regions where online orders were made were: Rivne, Lviv, Kirovohrad, Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. In the regions where the chain is present, the highest number of orders was made in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Zaporizhzhia regions.
The new service from Varus.ua can be used when ordering long-term storage products and non-food products, with a maximum order weight of 50 kg. Among the most popular products ordered by Varus.ua customers with delivery via Nova Poshta in August were snacks, pet products, beverages, tea, and coffee.
The cost of delivery is calculated according to Nova Poshta’s tariffs, and the estimated time for order picking and delivery is one day for most Ukrainian cities.
Varus is a national supermarket chain represented on the Ukrainian grocery retail market by Omega. The authorized capital of Omega is UAH 111 million 129 thousand, the owner is Weigant Enterprises Limited (Cyprus), the ultimate beneficiaries are Valeriy Kiptyk and Ruslan Shostak. In 2023, Omega’s revenue amounted to UAH 17.51 billion, which is 20% higher than in 2022, and net profit amounted to UAH 200 million, which is 69.5% higher than in 2022.
The first store of the chain was opened in 2003 in Dnipro, and the total number of its stores is 109 in different cities of Ukraine and a DarkStore in Kyiv. The chain operates in several formats: classic supermarkets, To Go stores, and the varus.ua conscious shopping service.
“Nova Poshta is the largest logistics operator in Ukraine. From the beginning of 2024 to the end of July, the company expanded its network in the country from 26.6 thousand to 30.1 thousand points: up to 12.1 thousand branches and 18 thousand post offices. As reported, in Ukraine, Nova Poshta LLC increased its unconsolidated net income in the first half of 2024 by 20.1% to UAH 20.12 billion, while the company’s net profit decreased by 38.1% to UAH 1.49 billion.

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“Nova Poshta” plans to increase investments in Moldovan market by 4.5 times

Nova Poshta LLC plans to increase its investments in the Moldovan market to $880 thousand in 2024, which is 4.5 times more than the volume of such investments in 2023, the company’s press service said on Wednesday.
“The bulk of the investments will be directed to expanding our network, repairing branches, automating workplaces, updating IT infrastructure, and increasing the fleet of vehicles for delivery by couriers,” said Sergey Shapran, CEO of Nova Poshta in Moldova.
In addition, in 2025, Nova Poshta plans to create a new sorting hub in Moldova, where business customers will be able to use fulfillment services.
According to the company, over the 10 years of its operation in this country, Nova Poshta has become one of the three fastest deliveries in Moldova, and has built a network of 21 branches, 261 post offices and three sorting terminals.
In addition, it was the first company in the Moldovan market to launch parcel delivery points on the basis of existing businesses: shops, gas stations, etc. Currently, there are 53 delivery points in Moldova, and the company plans to further expand its network.
According to the report, in the first half of 2024, Nova Poshta in Moldova delivered 1.1 million parcels, almost as many as in the whole of 2023 (1.2 million), and paid 12.5 million lei in taxes to the local state budget of the country.
“In Moldova, Nova Poshta delivers parcels from marketplaces in China, America, Ukraine, as well as to/from Romania.
The company is also working on integrating Moldova into the Nova Post Europe system, which will allow customers to send and receive parcels from 13 European countries.
In the first half of 2024, the company delivered 771 thousand international parcels, compared to 590 thousand for the whole of 2023.
As reported, in the first half of 2024, Nova Poshta increased its consolidated net income by 22.6% to UAH 24.45 billion, while the company’s consolidated net profit decreased by 36.9% to UAH 1.48 billion.

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“Nova Poshta” increased consolidated revenue by 22.6%

In the first half of 2024, Nova Poshta LLC increased its consolidated net income by 22.6% to UAH 24.45 billion compared to the same period last year, but its consolidated net profit decreased by 36.9% to UAH 1.48 billion.
According to the consolidated financial statements published in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the company’s gross profit in January-June 2024 increased by 10.1% to UAH 6.05 billion.
It is noted that the profit from operating activities of Nova Poshta for the reporting period decreased by 9.2% to UAH 3.17 billion.
It is noted that investment expenditures on non-current assets increased by 20% to UAH 3.54 billion, and another UAH 70 million was spent on the purchase of a subsidiary. Although the cash balance for the first half of the year decreased from UAH 6.55 billion to UAH 5.39 billion, it was higher than a year earlier (UAH 4.47 billion).
As reported, Nova Poshta increased its unconsolidated net income by 20.1% to UAH 20.12 billion in the first half of 2024, while the company’s net profit decreased by 38.1% to UAH 1.49 billion.
“Nova Poshta is the largest logistics operator in Ukraine. From the beginning of 2024 to the end of July, the company expanded its network in the country from 26.6 thousand to 30.1 thousand points: 12.1 thousand branches and 18 thousand post offices.

“Nova Poshta” obtains $20 mln loan to expand Lviv hub

Nova Poshta LLC has taken out a $20 million loan from Credit Agricole Bank to buy out a cargo and postal terminal in Lviv region to improve the company’s logistics capacities in western Ukraine.
“The loan term is five years. The money will be used to develop a logistics hub in Lviv,” Nova Poshta said in a statement on Monday.
It is specified that the loan funds will also be used to automate and install new modern sorting lines, which will triple the hub’s capacity.
“This is not the first loan to Nova Poshta from Credit Agricole, and the new agreement is a consistent development of our strategic cooperation. When the time comes to finance large-scale international projects, we want to have a reliable credit reputation with leading European banks,” Petro Fokov, CFO of NOVA Group, said in the release.
Nova Poshta LLC, the largest logistics operator in Ukraine from the NOVA group, intends to acquire Nova Development LLC (Sokilnyky village, Lviv district, Lviv region), whose main activity is the lease and operation of its own or leased real estate.
As reported, at the end of February this year, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine granted Nova Poshta permission to purchase more than 50% of Nova Development, the legal successor of Best Logistics Group, which was engaged in the construction and leasing of logistics complexes and was part of the full-cycle development holding Globus.
“Best Logistics Group has already cooperated with Nova Poshta during the construction of a sorting terminal in Lviv in 2019, with investments of almost EUR 10 million, with Nova Poshta’s investment of approximately EUR 4 million. According to Vyacheslav Klimov, co-founder of NOVA Group, Nova Poshta was responsible for the equipment, while Best Logistics Group was responsible for the construction of the building.
The authorized capital of Nova Development, according to the state register, is UAH 186.4 million, while that of Best Logistics Group was UAH 1 million. Volodymyr Fenyk is listed as a beneficiary through the corporate venture investment fund Magistrate Invest.
According to Nova Poshta’s report for the first half of 2024, its debt to banks as of the middle of this year amounted to UAH 3.4 billion, including UAH 489.2 million to a subsidiary of a French bank, UAH 1 billion 474.6 million to an Austrian bank, UAH 420.3 million to a Hungarian bank, and UAH 4.4 million to a German bank, as well as two loans from a Ukrainian bank worth UAH 747.7 million.
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 decreased by 38.1% to UAH 1.49 billion.

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“Nova Poshta” has issued bonds for one bln hryvnias

Nova Poshta LLC, the largest logistics operator in Ukraine and a member of the NOVA group, has fully placed its issue of interest-bearing unsecured F series bonds with a total nominal value of one billion UAH.
According to the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the company registered the report on the results of the issue on August 14, while the issue was initially registered on April 26 this year.
According to the report for the first half of 2024, the bonds will mature on June 10, 2026, bear interest at 16% per annum, mature on June 5, 2026, and have a nominal value of UAH one thousand.
Nova Poshta registered a report on the placement of the previous series E issue of the same volume with maturity on 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 transaction since 2019 for the state-owned bank to finance Nova Poshta by purchasing corporate bonds.
Both series of bonds were placed without a public offering on the over-the-counter market.
As of the middle of this year, Nova Poshta’s liabilities on the E series bonds amounted to UAH 995.16 million, F series – UAH 994.88 million, and on the 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.
As reported, 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. rate, while the D series bonds were issued for 20 months with a 23% p.a. 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 decreased by 38.1% to UAH 1.49 billion.

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“Nova Poshta” increases parcel deliveries by 17%

Nova Poshta LLC delivered 222 million parcels and cargoes in January-June 2024, up 17% compared to the same period in 2023, the company said on Monday.
“We have expanded our network of branches by more than 3.5 thousand service points and already have 30,550 branches and post offices. Of these, 12,180 are branches and 18,370 are post offices… 350 new branches and post offices were opened in the frontline areas,” the company said in a release.
According to the release, Nova Poshta’s capital investments in infrastructure development throughout Ukraine amounted to UAH 3.6 billion in January-June 2024, which is 47% more than in January-June 2023.
“By the end of 2024, the planned volume of investments is more than UAH 8 billion,” the statement said.
It is noted that the companies of the NOVA group paid UAH 5.8 billion in taxes and fees to local and state budgets in the first half of the year, which is 12% more than in the first half of 2023. In particular, Nova Poshta transferred UAH 4.5 billion, NovaPay – UAH 0.7 billion, Nova Digital – UAH 86 million, and Nova Global – UAH 66 million.
In addition, in the first half of 2024, Nova Poshta delivered 30 thousand tons of humanitarian aid in the framework of the Humanitarian Nova Poshta project.
As reported, Nova Poshta increased its unconsolidated net income in the first half of 2024 by 20.1% to UAH 20.12 billion, while the company’s net profit decreased by 38.1% to UAH 1.49 billion.