The project is being carried out in three stages. In June, the online retailer will gain access to a ready-made facility with an area of about 17,000 sq. m., including 3,000 sq. m. of office space and 1,400 sq. m. of space for goods requiring special storage conditions. Over the next two years, PNK Group will build the second and third stages (using a built-to-lease scheme) for Ozon with a total area of around 50,000 sq. m. Like all Ozon fulfilment centres, the new logistics centre will be equipped with state-of-the-art equipment. The management and supervision of all processes – from receiving and slotting goods to sending parcels to the required sorting centres – will be carried out using Ozon’s proprietary IT warehouse management system, which was developed at Ozon’s IT laboratory.
Andrey Travnikov, Governor of the Novosibirsk Region, said: “Transport and logistics capabilities are one of the Novosibirsk region’s strong competitive advantages. The arrival of a major e-commerce player such as Ozon will have a multifaceted positive impact on the region. This means not only the creation of new jobs but also new opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized businesses, which, right now especially, need to revise and streamline all their business processes. The more Novosibirsk entrepreneurs that fulfil their potential through the range of services provided by Ozon, the healthier the competition will be, and that means that consumers will have balanced options in terms of price and quality.”
Ozon’s Investment and Infrastructure Development Director, Stepan Gusamov, said: “We are going to launch several large fulfilment centres in different regions of the country this year. The lack of logistics infrastructure is one of the main barriers to the development of the e-commerce market right now, and by increasing our own capacities, we are able not only to maintain growth rates – Ozon has been doubling its growth annually for several years already – but also to reduce delivery times even in remote regions, thereby providing a higher level of service for our customers. In addition, it is important to note that the establishment of a major new infrastructure facility always drives the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the region by helping create hundreds of new jobs.”
Dmitry Pilevin, manager of the PNK Development investment fund, said: “The highest growth rates in the industry over the past several years have been in e-commerce. And our deal with the Ozon online retailer confirms the fact that the online business is ready for serious development, including in the regions [outside Moscow and St. Petersburg]. Novosibirsk has traditionally been a key hub for companies doing business in Siberia. That’s why PNK Group has been putting up industrial buildings in Novosibirsk for at least a dozen years. Our group of companies also has industrial parks in other important regions – St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Yekaterinburg and the Samara region – where both ready-made facilities and building land are available.
Aleksei Desiukevich, Deputy Director of CBRE’s Warehouse and Industrial Real Estate Department, said: “We are very proud to have helped Ozon implement another project for the expansion of its logistics infrastructure. The issue of the Siberian region is finally resolved, and the company will now strengthen its presence considerably and will be able to fully provide the service the population needs, which is especially important in the current situation. The future undoubtedly belongs to e-commerce, and we are happy that companies like Ozon are taking the right approach to expansion through the establishment of seamless logistics infrastructure. An e-commerce warehouse differs greatly from a standard class A warehouse; therefore, the company conducts a very detailed selection process in order to choose a partner that is able to adapt the project to meet all the requirements.”