Owner of Novus Ukraine LLC, Consul Trade House UAB, has completed a deal with Rewe International AGo to acquire a 100% stake in the authorized capital of Billa-Ukraine, a foreign investment enterprise, which is developing the Billa supermarket chain in Ukraine.
“We have passed a decisive stage and completed the acquisition of the Billa network. At the moment, we have the opportunity to officially begin fruitful work for the merger,” Novus CEO Mark Petkevich is quoted in a press release.
Novus COO Oleksiy Panasenko also added that the store opening hours will not change. In addition, Novus Ukraine LLC and Billa Ukraine foreign investment enterprise will continue to operate as usual, fulfilling previously reached contractual obligations to partners and counterparties.
The owner of Novus Ukraine LLC, Consul Trade House UAB, has signed an agreement with Rewe International AG on the acquisition of a 100% stake in the charter capital of Billa-Ukraine, an enterprise with foreign investment, which develops the Billa supermarket chain in Ukraine.
“Novus Ukraine LLC and Billa-Ukraine will continue to work as usual, fulfilling the previously reached contractual obligations to partners and counterparties for the stability of business,” the press service of Novus said.
Currently, the deal is being approved by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, its completion and development plans will be announced after the deal is reviewed by the department, the company notes.
Novus Ukraine LLC was established in 2008, the first Novus supermarket was opened in the country in the same year. The development of the Novus supermarket chain is carried out by BT Invest (Lithuania).
As of September 2020, the network has 46 facilities with a total area of more than 220,000 square meters. The company develops retail facilities of various formats ranging from 500 to 7,000 square meters, including franchised.
Billa-Ukraine was established in 1998 by Rewe Group concern, which was founded in Cologne in 1927. In Ukraine, the first Billa supermarket was opened in Kyiv in February 2000. As of September 2020, the network has 35 facilities in Kyiv, Kyiv region and Zhytomyr.
Novus Ukraine LLC (Kyiv), which manages the Novus hyper- and supermarket chain and is part of the Lithuanian investment group BT Invest, plans to open eight to ten new stores in Ukraine in 2020.
“We plan to open eight to ten stores this year,” Ihor Landa, the director general of BT Invest Ukraine, told Interfax-Ukraine.
During a speech at EBA Global Outlook: Boosting Investments, he noted that the expansion of the network is currently limited exclusively to Kyiv and Kyiv region.
“We invest only in Kyiv and Kyiv region. This is due to the fact that here purchasing power is still quite high. In addition, there is migration here from different cities,” he said.
At the same time, he added that in addition to migration to the capital and cities with the population exceeding one million people, a significant migration abroad creates problems with finding and recruiting staff. Thus, about 750 vacancies have now formed in Novus.
In addition, due to the increase in rental rates in the market, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the retailer to find suitable premises for opening a new store.
Novus Ukraine LLC (Kyiv), the managing company of the Novus hypermarket and supermarket chain and Novus Express proximity stores chain in Ukraine, on September 21 officially opened the largest supermarket of the chain in the Sky Mall.
“We entered this facility at the beginning of summer, that is, construction took about three and a half months. Investments totaled UAH 161 million. This is the largest outlet in the network, which contains the largest production facilities, the widest range of shelves and the largest online shop that will service two large areas – Troyeschyna and Obolon,” Director General of Novus Ukraine LLC Mark Petkevich said at a press conference on the grand opening of the store on Saturday.
The store became the 28th Novus store in Kyiv and the 36th in Kyiv region. The supermarket’s range of goods includes 50,000 items of goods, including 5,000 items of own import. The total area of the facility is 12,000 square meters, of which 6,300 were used for retail space. The remaining areas are reserved for storage, production facilities, an online store, administrative premises, recreation areas for staff.
As Petkevich said, products from the Novus store are delivered through a partner – Zakaz.ua. The launch is expected a week after all processes are established in the new store.
“This is the fourth Internet point, after the opening of the fifth point next year in the Varshavsky microdistrict, we will be able to serve the entire Kyiv city and the region,” the company’s director general said.
Novus Ukraine LLC was established in 2008, in the same year the first Novus supermarket in the country was opened. The development of the Novus supermarket chain is carried out by BT Invest (Lithuania).
Novus Ukraine LLC (Kyiv), the managing company of the network of Novus hyper- and supermarkets and Novus Express convenience stores in Ukraine, at the end of 2018 opened an A class logistics center of 7,000 square meters in the village of Sofiyevska Borschahivka near Kyiv. According to the press service of the retailer, the new warehouse will allow increasing centralization of supplies to the stores of the network, as well as freight turnover of its own logistics by 30%. The facility will serve Novus stores in Kyiv region, as well as wholesale buyers. The delivery of goods from the warehouse to the network stores will be carried out by the contractor.
According to the Novus website, as of January 14, 2018 the network in Ukraine included 43 stores. The overwhelming majority of objects operates in Kyiv and Kyiv region – 34 outlets. In 2018, the retailer opened five new stores: four in Kyiv, and one in Irpin.
As reported, at the end of 2017, the EBRD opened a credit line of up to $25 million to Novus Ukraine for a period of seven years to support the expansion of the supermarket chain and the construction of a logistics center in Kyiv region.
Novus Ukraine LLC was established in 2008. The same year the first Novus supermarket was opened in the country.
The Novus Ukraine retail supermarket chain plans to open seven new stores in Kyiv by the end of 2018, the company’s press service has reported. According to the report, the Novus chain in April was expanded to 39 outlets, after the opening of a store at 4A, Heroyiv Stalinhradu Avenue. The retail area of the two-story store is 921 square meters.
As reported, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) opened a credit line of up to $25 million to Novus Ukraine for seven years to support the expansion of the Novus supermarket chain. In addition, according to the EBRD, Novus will receive a $500,000 grant from the FINTECC (the Finance and Technology Transfer Centre for Climate Change) to support energy saving technologies.
BT Invest was set up in 2008 by former stockholders in Sandora juice producer Raimondos Tumenas and the late Ihor Bezzub. The company owns the Novus chain, Stolitsa Group that implements real estate projects in Kyiv city and region and acts as an investment partner in construction of the Retroville shopping center. BT Invest also owns a business center in Lithuania. BT Invest jointly with Ukrainian partners is realizing a new infrastructure project – a seaport in Mykolaiv.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine in 2016 allowed companies Numb Holdings Limited, Skopian Holdings Limited, Sopason Holdings Limited (all based in Nicosia, Cyprus), BT Invest Ukraine and Novus Ukraine (both LLC, Kyiv) to acquire stakes in the charter capital of construction companies Lisovy Zatyshok, Esvalda, Chervona kapeliushka, Konserela Ukraine (all LLC, Kyiv) and Steel-Invest (Boryspil, Kyiv region).
