Wildberries plans to open branch in AIFC jurisdiction

AIFC Authority

23 August 2019 00:00:00

The largest Russian international online retailer Wildberries plans to open a branch in the jurisdiction of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) and build a new large distribution centre in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Its creation will increase the turnover of manufacturers in Kazakhstan, significantly reduce the costs of manufacturers for logistics, expand the range of local products on the international Internet site, as well as create new jobs in the country.
The Parties announced their intention to cooperate during a working visit by a delegation of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the leadership of Prime Minister Askar Mamin to the Russian Federation.
“We are confident in the high potential of our partnership with local producers, small and medium-sized businesses of the Republic of Kazakhstan, therefore, we are investing in the creation of infrastructure and educational projects that will increase the sales of producers of the Republic on Wildberries,” said Tatyana Bakalchuk, Director General of Wildberries.
AIFC and Wildberries also agreed to promote the products of producers of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the largest online store on the territory of the EAEU Wildberries and share experience and information in the field of electronic commerce.
The first Wildberries B2B E-Commerce Expertise Centre will open in Nur Sultan, combining logistics and educational functions for suppliers. It will hold seminars with the participation of company employees and experts from the retail and online commerce sectors, as well as direct acceptance of goods from local partners 24/7. E-commerce examination centres will also appear in other cities of Kazakhstan.
Wildberries will continue to develop its own network of points of order issuance in the Republic of Kazakhstan, equipped with comfortable cabins with mirrors for comfortable fitting of clothes and shoes. To date, Wildberries has 129 outlets in Kazakhstan. In 2019 alone, the company opened 60 new outlets for issuing orders in the Republic.

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AIFC. The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) was created on the initiative of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The constitutional law on the establishment of the AIFC was signed on December 7, 2015. AIFC's goal is to form a leading centre of financial services at the international level. The AIFC aims to assist in attracting investment in the country's economy, create an attractive environment for investing in financial services, develop the securities market of the Republic of Kazakhstan and ensure its integration with international capital markets.

Wildberries – the largest online retailer in the EAEU countries, operating on the market for 15 years. The geography of the company’s presence covers five countries: Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia. Wildberries turnover in 2018 increased by 72% and reached 118.7 billion rubles, in the first half of 2019 - by 79% to 85 billion rubles. The company employs over 25,000 employees. About 500 thousand orders are issued daily at Wildberries. Its own network of points of issue of orders totals more than 5 thousand points in five countries. The product range of Wildberries includes over 2.6 million items from 22,000 Russian and foreign brands: clothing and shoes, accessories, beauty products, children's products, appliances and electronics, household goods, jewellery, food, books and much more.