Ukrposhta expects to sign an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) in October to raise a EUR 100 million loan for the construction of new sorting centers.
“I really hope that on October 1 we will sign the first EUR 100 million agreement in the history of Ukrposhta for the construction of a new logistics network with the EBRD and the EIB and, in fact, we will start building a new Ukrposhta,” its CEO Igor Smelyansky said on the air of KSE Business Transformation Week “Transformational Leaders. Public Sector.”
He also recalled that Ukrposhta built the last sorting center in 1980 and noted that it is very difficult to compete with the market players such as Nova Poshta using such outdated equipment.
At the same time, according to Smelyansky, despite the quarantine, the company continues to grow in the volume of services provided.
As reported, in the spring, Ukrposhta hoped to attract EUR 100 million for the construction of new sorting centers by summer. The company later clarified to the Interfax-Ukraine agency the funds raised are planned to be used for the design and construction of three or four terminals, as well as for the automation of about 30 depots.
JSC Ukrposhta delivered 100,000 healthcare parcels in four months.
“Just now – tomorrow it will be public information – we have delivered the 100,000th parcel with medicines for four months. That is, from scratch we have collected 100,000 parcels of medicines delivered home,” said Ukrposhta CEO Igor Smelyansky on the air of KSE Business Transformation Week “Transformation Leaders. Public sector” platform.
He also informed that during quarantine, Ukrposhta opened more than 30 new branches and there are plans to launch 500 movable offices in seven regions by the end of the year.
“For the first time in history of Ukraine I would like to digitize the whole country, so that in every corner of the country, even in yet many places lacking mobile communication – it would be possible to provide digital banking services or track AliExpress orders. And this will come true not ‘someday’, but next September, after launching the last of 2,500 movable offices and, thus, we will be able to provide all these services both online and offline,” he stressed.
As previously reported, on March 23 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine adopted a resolution amending the license terms for the production, wholesale and retail trade and import of medicines (except for active pharmaceutical ingredients). According to the resolution, Ukrposhta, along with other postal communication operators, can deliver medicines and related products to consumers.
The Cabinet of Ministers on Wednesday intends to consider a bill on the list of 188 companies prohibited from privatization, according to the agenda of the government meeting. According to the text of the bill, the government allows the privatization of up to 50% of the shares of Naftogaz, Ukrzaliznytsia and Ukrposhta, but proposes to retain the state’s 100% share of corporate rights in National Nuclear Generating Company Energoatom, PrJSC Ukrhydroenergo, NEC Ukrenergo , Skhidny Ore Mining and Processing Plant (VostGOK), and Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA).
It is also proposed to include the SE Market Operator and the SE Guaranteed Buyer, created by the Cabinet of Ministers in 2019 in order to ensure the operation of the new electricity market, in the list of objects completely prohibited for privatization.
In addition, it is proposed to include in the specified list the state-owned enterprise Document, Ukraina Printing Plant for the production of securities, Kyiv offset factory, and Pivdenne (Yuzhne) Design Bureau.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) could provide a senior sovereign-guaranteed loan of up to EUR 53 million for the acquisition and equipping of postal vans and for the development of modern automated sorting hubs in the cities of Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro.
According to a report on the bank’s website, the project is pending approval of the bank’s board until September 30, 2020.
Tranche 1 of up to EUR 23 million is intended for the acquisition and equipping of postal vans to be deployed in rural areas across the country and Tranche 2 of up to EUR 30 million for the development of modern automated sorting hubs in the cities of Kyiv, Lviv and Dnipro and an associated network of regional sorting depots.
According to the EBRD, the total cost of the project is EUR 102 million, which includes EUR 53 million of EBRD loan, a EUR 30 million loan of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EIB) and own funds of Ukrposhta in the amount of EUR 19 million.
JSC Ukrposhta will sign financial lease contracts for the purchase of 500 cars from Ukrlada LLC for the implementation of the Mobile Offices project on April 10, the company’s press service said on Thursday, April 9.
The contracts signing will be hold online with the participation of Director General of Ukrposhta Igor Smelyansky, Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy, Director of Ukrlada Hanna Bilozerova and chairman of the board of FUIB Serhiy Chernenko.
According to ProZorro, the following companies took part in the tender for the purchase of 500 passenger cars for organizing mobile offices: Arma Motors LLC, Ukrlada Trading House, Europa Plus LLC and Vidi Avenue LLC. The winner was Ukrlada, which offered the lot value in EUR 8.445 million that is 5.11% lower than the expected purchase price.
Ukrposhta JSC and the Chinese international logistics operator Cainiao Network, part of the Alibaba Group, launch cargo flights to Ukraine.
Such cooperation will reduce the delivery time of orders from AliExpress under quarantine. Air routes started from the cities with the largest Cainiao distribution centers in Europe, the Ukrposhta press service said on Thursday.
According to the company, the partners in organizing flights are Eleron Airlines, AirBaltic and the national postal operator of Latvia. Regular flights (with a carrying capacity of five tonnes) are carried out by AN-26 aircraft to Lviv, where the parcels undergo customs clearance, sorting and will be delivered to recipients in Ukraine. At the first stages, the aircraft will arrive in Lviv twice a week, but the schedule will be revised later depending on the load.
Ukrposhta also reports that the delivery of parcels will be transferred to non-contact mode – all AliExpress orders worth up to $2 will be delivered to the mailbox (in good order). Home delivery options for more expensive items will be carried out either by a courier or a postman.
The Ukrainian postal operator added that in the first quarter of 2020, Ukrposhta delivered over 4 million items from AliExpress, an increase of 26% compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Among the most popular categories of goods that Ukrainians ordered in March were: electronics, accessories, clothing and household goods.
