The State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine has announced an auction for the privatization of the Ukraina Hotel with a starting price of UAH 1 billion 47.6 million. According to the SPFU press service, applications for participation in the auction scheduled for September 18 will be accepted until September 17. The guarantee fee is UAH 52.3 million.
The lot includes 14 registered units of real estate and infrastructure, including a hotel building; two security buildings; two non-residential buildings; two parking lots, etc. The total area is 26.3 thousand square meters.
According to the results of January-March 2024, the net loss of SE Hotel Ukraine amounted to UAH 3.1 million. In addition, as of March 31, it had wage arrears (UAH 3.8 million), overdue accounts payable (UAH 21 million), and budgetary debts, namely personal income tax (UAH 4.7 million), tourist tax (UAH 1.4 million), and land tax (UAH 4.5 million).
The privatization terms stipulate that the company’s core business (hotel operations) will be maintained for five years, that wage and budget debts will be paid within six months of the transfer of ownership, that social guarantees will be provided to employees in accordance with the law and that they will not be dismissed within six months, and that environmental legislation will be complied with.
As reported, in April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine included Hotel Ukraina in the list of large-scale privatization objects. In May, the auction commission set the starting price for the privatization of the Ukraina Hotel at UAH 1 billion 47 million 637 thousand 152.
The Ukraine Hotel is a state-owned enterprise managed by the SPFU. The 14-story, 4-star hotel 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. The total area of the building is 22.4 thousand square meters.
The State Property Fund (SPF) has put up the Bdzhylnya Distillery in Vinnytsia region for privatization at an online auction with a starting price of UAH 68.5 million, said Vitaliy Koval, head of the SPF.
“The modernization of the production will help ensure economic efficiency for the new owner, as Vinnytsia region is a leader in the production and export of agricultural products. This gives the company logistical advantages and access to resources,” he explained on Facebook.
According to the report, the state-owned enterprise specializes in the production of alcohol and other chemical products of organic origin, but has not been carrying out financial and economic activities since June 2022.
The unified property complex of the Bdzhilnyansky distillery consists of 99 real estate objects with a total area of 11570.6 square meters, 23 units of transport and special equipment, as well as 727 units of equipment.
The online auction will take place on June 24 in the Prozorro.Sale electronic trading system.
Koval reminded that in 2024, the agency successfully held 4 online auctions for the sale of alcohol industry facilities. Their final value amounted to UAH 126.8 million, which is on average 2.1 times higher than the starting price.
“As a result, the enterprises get new owners and investments for modernization, and the budget receives funds from fair and competitive sales. We continue to work on the denationalization of the alcohol industry through privatization to unlock its potential,” summarized the SPFU chairman.
According to the SPF, distilleries are among the most popular assets for small-scale privatization. The agency planned to fully complete the privatization of alcohol industry enterprises in 2023, for which it was going to hold online auctions for the sale of 26 distilleries across the country. However, some of them did not take place.
The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) is finalizing the list of large-scale privatization objects to be agreed with the Cabinet of Ministers and submitted to the auction commission, said Vitaliy Koval, head of the agency.
“Large-scale privatization is when an asset is worth more than UAH 200-250 million at its book value or starting price. Today, the official list has been approved, all large-scale privatization objects must go through the procedure of approval by the Cabinet of Ministers, be included in the list and transferred to the auction commission under the regulation of the minister, who will approve the data on the auction conditions,” he said at the Business Breakfast with Forbes Ukraine on Wednesday.
Koval named 66.65% of the Ocean Plaza shopping mall (Kyiv), which will be put up for privatization at a starting price of UAH 1.63 billion, and one of the pre-war leaders in the aerated concrete market, AEROC Investment Deutschland GmbH, with three production sites at a price of about UAH 1 billion, as the most valuable assets included in the list of large-scale privatization. Among the state-owned assets, the Ukraina Hotel (Kyiv) will be put up for privatization at a price of UAH 1.8 billion.
In addition, the assets of the United Mining and Chemical Company (UMCC), which has been given control of the Vilnohirsk Mining and Metallurgical Plant (VGMK, Dnipro region) and Irshansk Mining and Processing Plant (IGOK, Zhytomyr region), will be auctioned at a starting price of UAH 3.7-3.9 billion.
“We have a task from the Ministry of Finance – UAH 4 billion (to replenish the state budget in 2024 – IF-U). But I am confident that we will exceed it. The ambitious price is much higher,” said the SPF head.
Speaking about the target audience that the SPF is interested in transferring privatization objects into ownership, Koval said that the Fund manages a variety of assets: from a small shop, hair salon, service center and tailoring studio to large objects such as the UMCC. Accordingly, the target audience is very diverse – from individuals to corporations.
“A very cool client for us is someone who comes for the second, third, or fourth time. In addition, when it comes to international business, international groups that already have business in Ukraine, understand the country’s agenda, and are familiar with the context and feel the microclimate are of the greatest interest. Such clients are very important to us. As well as domestic investors who have small and medium-sized businesses – they are needed,” summarized the head of the SPF.
The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) has put up for privatization the Shabalynivka distillery in Chernihiv region.
“This facility is a promising brownfield waiting for an investor to restore it. The privatization of the plant opens up opportunities for the development of an industrial site with existing infrastructure,” said Vitaliy Koval, head of the SPF, on Telegram.
According to the report, the plant is located in the village of Ivanivka, Nizhyn district, near the lake and the M-02 and T-2523 highways.
The single property complex includes 51 real estate objects (12,312 thousand square meters), two land plots with an area of 56.46 hectares, three cars and 250 movable property items (equipment, furniture, etc.).
The new owner is obliged to pay off the company’s existing wage arrears of UAH 552 thousand and UAH 21.17 million to the budget. The terms of the sale include the preservation of jobs for six months.
The starting price of the lot is UAH 959.1 thousand (excluding VAT).
The online auction will take place on May 16 in the Prozorro.Sale system. Bids will be accepted until May 15 inclusive.
“The privatization of Shabalynivka Distillery is a chance for investors to realize their business ideas on the basis of existing production facilities and infrastructure. The new owner will be able to diversify its activities and create added value,” said the SPF chairman.
According to the Fund, distilleries are one of the most popular small-scale privatization assets. Since September 2022, the SPF has sold 14 distilleries and raised UAH 965 million to the state budget, with the average price of each object at auction tripling.
The SPF planned to fully complete the privatization of the alcohol industry in 2023, for which it was planned to hold online auctions for the sale of 26 distilleries across the country. However, a number of them did not take place.
Vitaliy Koval, Head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine
Small-scale privatization has been systematically gaining momentum over the past 5 years (from 2019 to 2023) with some interruptions, in particular due to a full-scale invasion. Last year’s performance largely surpassed all previous results and demonstrated the effectiveness and timeliness of privatization in general.
Budget revenues
As a result of small-scale privatization in 2019, which was carried out by the State Property Fund of Ukraine, the budget received approximately UAH 561 million. The following year, this amount increased almost 5 times and exceeded UAH 2.69 billion. In 2021, the budget received UAH 3.5 billion. In 2022, when there was a break in privatization until September, the Fund transferred assets worth UAH 1.74 billion to private investors in less than six months.
Last year, proceeds from the privatization of state property amounted to UAH 2.84 billion. The state has fully resumed this process and is helping to support the state budget with funds that ensure our protection and defense against the aggressor. In total, over the past 5 years, privatization revenues, excluding large-scale privatization objects, amounted to UAH 11.34 billion.
As for the price of the assets sold by the Fund, the final value of the property increased the most compared to the starting price in 2020.
Increase in the sale price of assets relative to their initial value
After the fall of this indicator in 2021, it has been growing over the past two years. Thus, in 2023, the sale price was 2.7 times higher than the initial price.
Competition in auctions
The increase in budget revenues and the growth of the final price indicate an important thing. Participants in the auctions held by the SPFU through the Prozorro.Sale system are interested in state assets and are ready to fight for them. The indicators of competitiveness in 2023 leave no doubt about this.
Average competition in privatization auctions
Over the past 5 years, competition in successful auctions has been growing steadily. But while from 2020 to 2022 its level was in the range of 3.1-3.6 bidders per auction, in 2023 almost 5 bidders competed for each lot on average.
This year, there is every chance of exceeding even such strong results: in the first quarter of 2024, more than 5 bidders took part in each successful auction on average.
Business interest in state assets
Business activity in privatization auctions is driven by many factors. Some companies need to relocate to regions far from the front line. Some entrepreneurs want to build a business on a ready-made material base, with the infrastructure, equipment and communications offered by the state when it sells, for example, single property complexes. Others need real estate, warehouses, workshops, garages, etc. to expand their current capacities.
So entrepreneurship in Ukraine is developing even in the face of war and other difficulties. And the government is striving to provide business with resources that will help it do so.
There are lots in which the market sees such great prospects and value that dozens of participants compete for them at once. The record was set in 2020, when 48 bidders competed for an unfinished garage for 50 cars in Kyiv. The second lot was non-residential premises in Uzhhorod. This auction, which had 47 bidders, took place in 2023.
As a result of this demand, the price of the first property in Kyiv increased almost 35 times (from just over UAH 1 million to UAH 36 million). And the cost of the second lot in Uzhhorod increased 818 times (from UAH 12.2 thousand to UAH 10 million).
Businesses are interested in assets of different sizes, but the vast majority of lots sold through privatization cost up to UAH 1 million.
Distribution of successful auctions by the final value of the privatized object
In 2020, the share of auctions where the sale price of an asset was up to UAH 1 million reached a maximum of 86%. At the same time, in 2022, the share of auctions with the final value of the object from UAH 1 to UAH 10 million and even in the range of UAH 10-100 million increased significantly. Last year, the trend went in the opposite direction again: the number of assets sold for up to UAH 1 million began to grow.
It is also important to understand the overall economic context in Ukraine. A sharp drop in the hryvnia exchange rate, the crisis in many markets, the occupation of territories, and many other things have affected the ability of businesses to operate. This has hit small businesses particularly hard, as their already scarce material resources have been significantly depreciated and other problems have been added.
The return of demand for inexpensive, small state assets suggests that small and medium-sized businesses are resuming activity and continuing to grow after the first shocks of the full-scale invasion.
The average number of bidders in privatization auctions, relative to the final value of assets
At the same time, large market players are also interested in large state-owned assets when they come up for sale. Thus, in 2023, an average of 14.1 bidders participated in auctions with a sale price of more than UAH 100 million. At the same time, the average competition in auctions up to UAH 1 million last year amounted to 3.9 participants.
Efficiency of privatization processes
Overall, privatization auctions attracted thousands of players from different markets. The highest number of bidders, namely 2035, was in 2023. This is 3.3 times more than in 2022 and almost twice as many as in 2021. In 2020, this figure exceeded 1340 bidders. And in 2019, when privatization had just intensified, there were about 800 of them.
Legislative changes, business activity, competitive bidding, and their transparency and openness have helped to increase the efficiency of privatization processes. At the same time, the State Property Fund has also changed its approach in recent years and improved the process of preparing objects for sale. Information about the availability of state assets for privatization was disseminated through various communication channels to draw attention to these lots. In general, all information about the current lots, how to participate in the auction, and the results of privatization is collected on a separate special resource.
The Fund has developed a mechanism for sorting (triage) state assets, depending on their condition and market needs. The property that has no value or exists only on paper will be liquidated or bankrupt. Those objects that can work for the benefit of the economy in private hands will be privatized.
Effective steps taken by the SPFU and the interest of private investors have yielded results: in 2023, the share of successful auctions increased many times over compared to previous years.
Increase in the share of successful SPFU auctions
The lowest rate of successful auctions was recorded in 2021-2022: it was 17% of all announced auctions. Therefore, the peak result of almost 47% last year is a difference of 2.8 times.
Over the past 5 years, privatization has become more efficient, increased revenue, and attracted the attention of more and more entrepreneurs. This proves the success of Ukraine’s privatization strategy, when the state, instead of subsidizing unprofitable assets, gives them a new life and helps generate funds for the state budget at a time when the survival of our country depends on these revenues.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has included 66.65% of the authorized capital of Lybid Investment Union LLC, which owns the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in Kyiv, in the list of large-scale privatization targets.
According to Taras Melnychuk, a representative of the Cabinet of Ministers in the Verkhovna Rada, the decision was made at a government meeting on Friday.
In October 2023, the State Property Fund of Ukraine appealed to the government with an initiative to include the state-owned stake (66.65%) in the Ocean Plaza shopping mall in the list of large-scale privatization objects. The Fund recommended setting the starting price for the sale of the state-owned stake in the mall at the level of its book value for the last reporting (annual) period.
At the end of 2022, the value of the state share amounted to UAH 1.32 billion (the carrying value of the entire asset was UAH 1.98 billion). At the same time, the Fund expects the sale of the lot to be more expensive than the book value.
As reported, on June 9, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers approved an order to transfer to the SPF a 66.65% share of the authorized capital of Lybid Investment Union LLC, which owns the mall, in the amount of 66.65%.
Previously, these corporate rights belonged to Russian businessmen Arkady and Igor Rotenberg, who are subject to sanctions, but in March 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled to recover them in favor of the state.
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 were partners in the development of the project.
The mall was sold to Arkady Rotenberg’s 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.
