The fulfillment centre in the Rostov region will become Ozon’s main hub in the south of Russia. The centre has capacity to store 8 million goods and process up to 80 thousand parcels daily, which gives residents of the region access to a vast assortment of products along with fast delivery.
The total area of the Ozon complex, located in the Aksai district of Rostov-On-Don, is 38 thousand sqm, with a possible expansion to 65 thousand sqm in the future.
Investment into the opening of the fulfillment centre exceeded RUB 2 billion, about RUB 800 million of which were provided by Ozon. Another RUB 1.3 billion were invested in the construction of the building by the developer A2Group, one of the leaders of the logistics market in Russia.
At present, more than 250 entrepreneurs from the Rostov region sell their goods on the Ozon marketplace. The launch of a new logistics hub presents new opportunities for local producers, who can now use the centre to ship their goods and sell them throughout Russia. In addition, the opening of the facility stimulates the development of last-mile infrastructure and delivery services in the region. Ozon partners with self-employed couriers and offers entrepreneurs a special franchise programme for opening new delivery pick-up points.
Also on Thursday, Ozon and the Government of the Rostov Region signed a cooperation agreement on the development of e-commerce in the region. The Southern Federal District is one of the leaders in Russia in terms of growth in the number of orders placed on Ozon. According to the results of nine months of 2020, turnover on the online platform in the Rostov region increased by almost 200%.
First Deputy Governor of the Rostov Region Viktor Goncharov commented:
“According to the regional Strategy-2030, increasing the share of e-commerce is one of the priority goals for the development of the consumer market in the Rostov region. This is all the more relevant today in connection with restrictive measures and sanitary and epidemiological requirements. I am sure that the work of the new Ozon fulfillment centre will ensure high-quality and fast delivery of goods to all settlements of the Don region, and will contribute to the further successful development of local manufacturers by increasing their presence on the online platform.”
Artem Afanasiev, Director of Legal Affairs and Government Relations at Ozon, said:
“We are pleased to contribute to the development of local business in the Rostov region by providing entrepreneurs with a wide range of opportunities — from the sale of their goods on our marketplace, where Ozon handles complex logistics across all regions of Russia, to the development of a network of pick-up points under our franchise programme, which provides special support to local entrepreneurs. E-commerce is developing rapidly, and we at Ozon consider it important to show its possibilities to residents of the Russian regions — both buyers and local businesses alike.”
The new Ozon fulfillment centre is equipped with the latest e-commerce technology. An advanced Warehouse Management System makes it possible to efficiently distribute goods across the shelves, build a picker route and reduce order picking time. Meanwhile, a sorter using software developed entirely by Ozon is able to scan items within seconds and determine which direction the parcel will go.
Ozon's logistics infrastructure in the Rostov region also includes a sorting centre and more than 400 delivery pick-up points, including staffed pick-up points and parcel lockers.
Photographs of the new fullfilment centre and other Ozon infrastructure can be accessed at the following link.