The Ukrainian baking industry operates in a highly competitive environment with low profitability, according to Oleksandr Taranenko, president of the All-Ukrainian Bakers Association.
“We bakers only know about 10% profitability from stories. Most companies operate with a margin of 5%, and sometimes even lower. At the same time, costs are constantly rising. For example, the rise in electricity prices has added 1% to the cost price, and this increase cannot be immediately passed on to the price – it takes months,” he said.
According to him, this is why forecasts of a 15-20% increase in the price of mass-market bread are not related to manufacturers’ desire to increase profits, but to the need to compensate for increased costs.
“Bakers are forced to raise prices. This is not an attempt to make a profit, but an attempt to survive. When production costs rise and prices cannot be changed quickly, companies simply go into the red,” Taranenko emphasized.
The average daily room rate (ADR) in five-star hotels in Kyiv in euros in 2018 increased by 15% compared with 2017, to EUR 150 per day, while the occupancy rate was still 45-50%, Natalia Chystiakova, the director of the appraisal and consulting department at Colliers International (Ukraine), has said. “The Kyiv market is represented by more than 100 hotels with 10,500 rooms and serves 1 million visitors per year. In 2018 the market actually came to life for the first time after the situation of 2013-2014. There was an increase in ADR and occupancy … If next year the situation is stable, a further growth is planned,” she said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
According to the expert, for the whole year the ADR indicator in Kyiv hotels grew by 10% and is approaching the 2013 level. At the same time, in the segment of five-star hotels, the second year in a row shows a rather low occupancy rate of 45-50%, while ADR rose by 15%, to EUR 150 per day. At the same time, in the category of three- and four-star hotels, ADR did not grow over the year, but the occupancy rate increased by 5%.
According to a company press release, the average occupancy rate of four-star hotels in 2018 was 50-58%, three-star hotels some 55-65%. The room rates were EUR 80 in the four-star segment, and EUR 45 in three-star hotels.
The profitability of grain production in Ukraine in 2017 was 25% compared to 37.8% in 2016, the State Statistics Service has reported. According to its data, in addition, last year the profitability of production of sunflower seeds decreased to 41.3% from 63% in 2016, sugar beets to 12.4% from 24.3%, open ground vegetables to 15.6% from 19.7%, while potatoes grew to 10% (minus 3.2%).
At the same time, for the first time since 1995, production of meat became profitable: 3.4% against 24.8% in 2016. Profitability of pork production was 3.5% against minus 4.5%, poultry some 7% against 5% in 2016.
The profitability of mutton production last year declined and amounted to minus 39.6% against minus 35.2% in 2016, eggs accounted for minus 9% against 0.5% in 2016.
According to the agency, the profitability of milk production in 2017 increased to 26.9% from 18.2%.
