Business news from Ukraine

KHARKIV HEATING NETWORKS CONNECT OVER 90% OF HOUSES TO HEATING – COMPANY DIRECTOR

Kharkiv Heating Networks have already connected over 90% of houses to heating, director of the municipal company Vasyl Skopenko said.

“Since October 6, we have connected the entire social sphere. Since October 14, we have begun to connect residential buildings. As of today [October 21], we have already supplied heat to 91% of houses. It is clear that there are problems with air removal and defects, but I think that 3-4 days – and we will fully provide everyone with heat,” he said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency.

Skopenko specified that the company provided an advance payment for natural gas for October and will be able to pay for November gas. At the same time, he predicted that due to low payments from the population, the company will not be able to accumulate the necessary funds to pay for gas in December-January, its accounts will be seized and the money will be automatically debited.

“I think everyone will have such a situation. Whatever memorandums we sign, given the gas price that exists, with a cash gap and the population’s ability to pay, it will be like this,” he said.

According to him, the difference in tariffs between the cost of heat supply and bills for the upcoming heating season for Kharkiv will be about UAH 2.4 billion, since tariffs for the population were not revised, and the price of gas increased.

The head of the company also said that in preparation for the heating season, the enterprise this year has replaced more than 100 km of heating networks, installed about 300 individual heating points with weather regulation in residential buildings, overhauled 24 boilers with a capacity of 30 to 100 Gcal.

In addition, within the framework of the program with the World Bank, 11 frequency-controlled pumps were put into operation.

“By the way, it is very economically profitable. In winter mode, one such pump gives energy savings in the range of UAH 1 million,” Skopenko said.

Also, within the framework of the program with the World Bank, six new small boiler houses were installed instead of the demolished 60-70-year old ones.

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PRIVATE HOUSES IN SUBURBS OF KYIV, KHARKIV, ODESA, DNIPRO AND LVIV FROM JULY TO SEPT INCREASE IN PRICE

Private houses in the suburbs of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro and Lviv from July to September 2021 have risen in price by an average of 3-5%, President of the Association of Real Estate Specialists (Realtors) of Ukraine Yuriy Pita has told Interfax-Ukraine. “Over the past three months, a slowdown in the growth rate of their cost has been observed in the market for private estates. At the moment, the demand for private houses has been met by almost 90%,” Pita said. According to him, houses with an area of up to 150 square meters, located in the near suburbs (up to 20 km) of million-plus cities, were actively getting more expensive. The cost of other properties in the third quarter increased insignificantly, within 2.5-3%.
According to the association, a gradual decrease in the demand has been observed since the second half of this year: from July to September, the number of potential buyers decreased by 10%.
“Gradually, the supply begins to prevail over the existing demand, this is a significant factor for pricing in the segment of private houses,” the specialist said.
According to him, by the end of the year the price situation in the segment of private estates will remain stable with insignificant price fluctuations within 1.5% for small houses.
“According to the forecasts of the association, the cost of private houses is the ceiling for the existing demand. And further price increases will not be economically justified. Price stability may last until April 2022,” he said.
According to Pita, prices of land plots for private development in the third quarter increased by an average of 5%. At the same time, more than 60% of the demand is concentrated on plots with an area of 8-15 acres with supplied communications in picturesque locations at a distance of up to 20 km from the city limits. The demand for plots for construction of cottage townships remains stable, but here the choice of options is not very large, the expert notes.
He believes that price stability in the segment of land plots can hold out at least until April 2022, the start of a new active season.

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SWISS COMPANY PROVIDES KHARKIV WITH TRAM

Stadler (Switzerland) has provided Kharkiv with a modern three-section tram for operational tests, the press service of Kharkiv City Council reports with reference to Dmytro Lipovoy, the director of municipal enterprise Trolleybus Depot No. 2.
“The car is equipped with all the necessary systems for the movement and comfortable transportation of passengers. But first, we must conduct operational tests, that is, to familiarize the technical staff with the design features of the car, to understand how these trams are suitable for our tram tracks, how we can serve this equipment from the point of view of the capabilities of our depots,” he said.
He did not rule out that, based on the results of the tests, the issue of purchasing such trams will be considered.
“In fact, this is the first step in our cooperation, and what it will result in – we’ll see. Perhaps the issue of purchasing such cars will be considered,” Lipovoy said.
As reported, earlier in July the secretary of Kharkiv City Council, Ihor Terekhov, announced the need to update the tram fleet within 3-4 years.

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POLISH COMPANY TO OPEN STORE IN KHARKIV

The shops of the Polish LPP group – Cropp, House, SinSay – will open in the Kharkiv-based Planeta Mall, the Ukrainian Trade Guild (UTG), acting as the exclusive broker of the project, has told Interfax-Ukraine.
Each brand will be presented in a mono-brand store format. The SinSay area will be 1,311 square meters, House – 762 square meters, Cropp – 712 square meters. All LPP brands will be opened in an updated format, with spacious sales areas and an improved product display, UTG said.
The SineSay brand is aimed at a young audience, offering both casual clothes and original party outfits.
The House range includes stylish clothing, comfortable shoes and practical accessories for men and women.
Cropp is streetwear from a Polish manufacturer. When creating clothes of this brand, designers are inspired by modern pop and hip-hop culture.
The total area of Planeta Mall is 110,000 square meters, of which lettable area is 70,000 square meters.
The Planeta Mall will house more than 120 stores, 15 restaurants and anchor tenants: the Silpo grocery supermarket on 4,000 square meters, the JYSK department store for home goods on 1,400 square meters, the children’s entertainment center Smile Park on 3,000 square meters, seven-screen cinema Wizoria, more than 10 international clothing and footwear department stores. The largest assortment of electronics operators among all Kharkiv shopping and entertainment centers will also be presented: Comfy (1,000 square meters), Foxtrot (1,000 square meters), and Eldorado (840 square meters).
A parking lot for 1,000 cars will be located next to the facility. The opening is scheduled for March 2022.

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H&M TO OPEN FIRST STORE IN KHARKIV

Swedish retailer H&M will open its first store in Kharkiv in May 2021 in new Nikolsky shopping mall, expanding its chain in Ukraine to six outlets, the retailer’s press service said.
The total area of the store is 2,100 square meters, of which about 1,700 square meters are shopping area. This is the sixth store of the chain in Ukraine and the first outside the Ukrainian capital.
“We see a high interest in the H&M brand in the regions and therefore are pleased to announce the opening of a store in Nikolsky shopping center in Kharkiv. I am sure that Kharkiv residents will appreciate both a wide range of goods and a modern store concept,” H&M Ukraine CEO Dominik Fantachino said.
According to H&M, the space of the store will differ from other stores of the chain in Ukraine with an updated interior concept. Buyers can expect a wide range of women’s, men’s, teenage and children’s clothing.

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NOVA POSHTA LAUNCHES KHARKIV INNOVATION TERMINAL

Nova Poshta, the leader of express delivery in Ukraine, has launched the Kharkiv Innovation Terminal in a test mode.
The company said this terminal became the fourth innovative terminal of the company in Ukraine and the second largest after the Kyiv Innovation Terminal.
The construction of an object with an area of more than 19,000 sq m lasted 1.5 years. Like other innovative terminals of Nova Poshta, the Kharkiv terminal is equipped with automated equipment from the Dutch company Vanderlande, capable of handling 8,500 parcels per hour. The terminal is also equipped with 31 special telescopic conveyors, with the help of which items are unloaded and loaded directly into the vehicle. The total capacity of the terminal is up to 20,000 parcels per hour.
“Investments in infrastructure is a necessity for the company to effectively sort parcels, the volumes of which are growing significantly from year to year, and this year the figure has already grown by 30%. The opening of the Kharkiv terminal will help us distribute logistics flows in the east and maintain the speed of delivery,” CEO of Nova Poshta Oleksandr Bulba said.
The Kharkiv terminal will sort shipments for Kharkiv, as well as Kharkiv, Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
At present, the terminal is operating in a test mode, all processes of Nova Poshta’s terminal logistics are synchronized: the logistics directions and information structure are changing, and the flow of shipments is being distributed.
Nova Poshta plans to launch it on a regular basis next week.

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