Page 110 - UKRRptDec23

9.2.5 Retail corporate news
The largest modern shopping center in the region will open in Western Ukraine. At the end of 2024 in Uzhgorod, a new four-level shopping center "Ukraine", with a total area of more than 20,000 square meters, will open its doors. According to preliminary calculations, 20,000 shoppers a day will visit the mall.
International brewing company Carlsberg will invest an additional $100mn into new production facilities in Ukraine despite the risks from the ongoing war with Russia, UBN reported on November 23. Despite ongoing conflict, Ukraine has already attracted foreign investments totalling $3.03bn in 2023, according to Oleksandr Pecheritsyn, a top manager at Raiffeisen Bank. The Carlsberg Group's investments in Ukraine include the installation of a beer can packaging line at its Kyiv factory in 2023, amounting to $40mn, and approximately $55.52mn in other commercial projects. CEO Jakob Aarup-Andersen expressed the company's confidence in investing in Ukraine, emphasising that they do not perceive it as a risky endeavour, UBN
reported.
The Swedish clothing chain H&M has resumed operations in Ukraine, opening two stores in Kyiv on November 9– in Lavina Mall and Respublika Park, the retailer's press service told Interfax-Ukraine. The Swedish company Hennes&Mauritz AB (H&M), owner of Europe's second largest chain of clothing stores, opened its first store in Ukraine in 2018. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the H&M chain in Ukraine consisted of eight retail outlets: five in Kyiv, one each in Odesa, Kharkiv and Lviv.
A Ukrainian pet food manufacturer invested almost ₴20M in a new enterprise. Suziria Brands, which is part of the Ukrainian Suziria Group and specializes in the production of pet products, launched a new pet treat production facility under the Half & Half brand. It is noted that the area of the new enterprise is 1,600 square meters, and it is located in the city of Kalush, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region. The enterprise specializes in the production of meat treats for dogs and cats. Also, the Half & Half line includes feed produced in Poland under a private label. It is reported that this is already the second production facility that the company has located in the city of Kalush. Suziria Brands plans to produce about 7,200 tons of natural products yearly at the new enterprise. As of November 2023, the company is already exporting its food, non-food, and veterinary brands to more than ten companies.
9.2.6 Agriculture corporate news
● Astarta Holding
One of the largest agricultural holdings in Ukraine is resuming a processing project and investing $60M. In the fourth quarter of the year, Astarta Holding will resume the construction of an additional soybean processing line at the Globinsk processing plant in the Poltava region, which will allow the production of up to 100,000 tons of concentrated soybean protein per year, the company reported. It is noted that the project’s cost was $50M when it was first announced in 2021, but considering inflation, it is now estimated at $60M. Investments will be distributed over three years and financed mainly through the company’s cash flow. The plant can produce approximately 160,000 tons of high-protein soybean meal, 40,000 tons of
110 UKRAINE Country Report December 2023 www.intellinews.com