Page 26 - bne magazine September 2023

26 I Companies & Markets bne September 2023
“Ozon's business has been thriving in Kazakhstan, and the new logistics complex aims to meet increasing demand from sellers and buyers for the platform's services”
Trading in all the names has been suspended since February 28, 2022 following Russia's full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, which triggered default clauses on the exchange bonds issued by Yandex and Ozon.
Now AIX said 81,782,028 shares would be tradable and the issue price would be provided prior to the start of trading. Ozon also previously said it intended to keep its listing on Moscow Exchange.
To remind, Ozon has recently boosted its presence in
Czech-based PPF buys 6.3% stake in Scandinavian Viaplay Group
Albin Sybera in Prague
PPF Group has bought a 6.3% stake in the popular Scandinavian streaming broadcaster Viaplay Group, according to an announcement on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
Viaplay announced grim second-quarter results, with a loss of SEK5.8bn (€0.5) earlier in July and significant cuts, including exiting the US, Canada, UK, Poland and the Baltic countries. French Canal+, part of the Vivendi media house, also bought a 12% stake in Viaplay just a week ago.
PPF controls the Central European Media Enterprises, including streaming service Voyo, making it a significant media actor in Central and Southeastern Europe. Recently it raised its shares in German media house ProSiebenSat1 to over 15%, becoming its second-largest shareholder, and obtained a seat on the supervisory board.
The company also has significant assets in the telecommunications sector, which it has identified as
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Kazakhstan. The company started the construction of a logistics complex in Kazakhstan with an investment of approximately KZT15bn ($33.7mn). The project is expected to be completed within 12 months and will span an area
of 42,000 square metres, creating around 2,000 new job opportunities.
Ozon's business has been thriving in Kazakhstan, and the new logistics complex aims to meet increasing demand from sellers and buyers for the platform's services. Located in Almaty, near the Chinese border, the facility will serve as a fulfilment centre, providing comprehensive services for online orders from local sellers.
Ozon Holdings and its peer Wildberries are leading the Russian market in the ongoing e-commerce consolidation, and both have strengthened their supply chain capabilities. Apart from expanding its operations to Kazakhstan
and Kyrgyzstan, Ozon snapped up logistics assets from Aliexpress, and closed a major distribution deal with Russian Post.
Popular Scandinavian streaming broadcaster Viaplay Group. / Viaplay Group
an area of possible synergy with its media assets. On
August 1, PPF announced cooperation with the Emirates Telecommunication Group Company (e& or Etisalat), which is to get 50% of the shares in PPF Telecom’s assets in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia.
In April, Czech Media Invest, whose main shareholder is Czech energy and media oligarch Daniel Kretinsky, and who also has a seat on an advisory body to the PPF’s owners, the Kellner family, agreed with Vivendi on acquiring its leading publishing group Editis.
Kretinsky also decreased his involvement in ProSiebenSat1 prior to PPF’s rise in the shareholding structure of the leading German media company.
Kretinsky and Anna Kellnerova, daughter of late Petr Kellner and his second wife Renata Kellnerova, have become a couple in recent years.