Ozon.ru Internet Solutions

OZON.ru is an online store in Russia, founded in 1998.

Aktivs

For 2021, in addition to the main business related to Ozon.ru, the group also manages:

• Ozon Bank,
• has a stake in the Litres group of companies - the largest Russian e-book platform.
• Ozon Fintech

Board of Directors

Main article: Ozon Board of Directors

Ozon warehouses

Main article: Ozon warehouses

Performance indicators

Main Article: Ozon Financial Performance

Ozon Belarus

Main article: Ozone Rocket Bel

Ozon Kazakhstan

Main article: Ozon Kazakhstan

History

2024

Opening of 4.5 thousand points of issue in small towns and villages

More than 4.5 thousand Ozon points of issue opened in small cities and small villages Russia at the end of 2024. The company announced this on February 6, 2025.

Marketplace invests in the development of a network of points of issue in the regions to ensure equal access to a wide range of goods throughout the country.

Ozon continues to actively develop the network of points of issue of orders (PVZ) in small towns and villages of Russia. From October to December 2024, local entrepreneurs opened almost 3.5 thousand points in settlements where up to 10 thousand people live, and more than a thousand with a population of up to 50 thousand people.

The company's investments in the development of these points for the specified period amounted to more than 400 million rubles. The funds were directed to entrepreneurs to open, promote and develop points. On average, one point is launched within two weeks.

The largest number of points in small towns and villages in the last three months of 2024 opened in the Central, Siberian and Volga federal districts. Some points appeared in very small settlements. For example, in the village of Kazarka, Nikolsky district, Penza region.

Over the past few years, we have been actively developing a network of points of issue together with regional entrepreneurs. Many of them launch their first business with Ozon. This pays off - Ozon order points are available even in small villages. Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done, but the period when residents of small towns and towns were very limited in their assortment of goods is gradually becoming a thing of the past, noted the director of work with regional and foreign public authorities Ozon Vladimir Goncharevich.

Any Russian entrepreneur can open his own point of issue. To do this, you need to have an individual entrepreneur or legal entity, register on the website or in the Ozon application, sign a lease agreement for the premises and prepare a location in accordance with the criteria posted on the marketplace website. Ozon supports partners under the guaranteed income program for the first six months of work, and also teaches how to work with orders and returns, advises on business development.

Ozon's online platform for February 2025 connects more than 550 thousand entrepreneurs with 53.5 million active buyers. Sellers form a wide range of 370 million products, their sales account for more than 90% of the marketplace turnover. The company provides digital, logistics and advertising services to the business to develop online sales.

Ozon provides equal access to online purchases with convenient delivery for 134 million residents of Russia covered by points of delivery within walking distance. The company's logistics infrastructure covers more than 3 million square meters in 100 + cities from Kaliningrad to Khabarovsk. The daily operations of the site support more than 100 thousand logistics workers, 60 thousand carriers and 30 thousand content moderators.

Delivery of employees from India

The Ozon marketplace in early December 2024 announced the search for agencies to organize the transportation of 150-300 new employees from India. The company plans to deliver staff in groups of 10-15 each month.

According to RB.RU, the company is also considering attracting workers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan through its Ozone Community division, which deals with rotational personnel.

Ozon began importing employees from India

According to the job search site HeadHunter, in the first half of 2024, the number of vacancies of Russian companies for IT specialists in India increased by 68% to 764 positions, and the number of invitations increased by 62% to 862 people.

Director of Ancor Industry Natalya Kolesnikova notes that attracting employees from India is becoming a trend in the Russian labor market. Indian specialists claim both unqualified positions and the positions of engineers, doctors, lawyers and IT specialists.

The change in the geography of labor migration is associated with the tightening of control over employees with patents and restrictions in the legislation on attracting foreign citizens to certain types of activities.

Experts explain the interest of Indian specialists in working in Russia with a low standard of living at home, where the average salary is $60-120 per month, and limited employment opportunities.

Russian companies are also increasing the hiring of specialists from other Asian countries. The number of vacancies for IT professionals in Pakistan grew 2.4 times to 80 positions, and the number of invitations increased 2.5 times to 83 people.

Labor migration is considered by employers as an effective tool for replenishing personnel shortages, subject to legal registration, careful planning and economic justification.^[1]

Server rentals in 14 countries

Ozon Marketplace conducts large-scale server rentals in 14 countries, including in non-CIS countries. The company in September 2024 completed a tender for the lease of server capacity, which will last until the end of 2025. The list of countries includes both states where Ozon already delivers goods and those in which the company has not officially announced its work.

As he writes, the Cnews list includes countries such as,, Belarus,, Kazakhstan,, and Kyrgyzstan, Armenia Uzbekistan Azerbaijan where Georgia Ozon is already delivering. The list also includes,,,,, Israel Turkey Serbia Tajikistan Turkmenistan continental and - countries in China Hong Kong which the presence of Ozon was not previously reported. In each country, the company plans to rent eight servers, with the exception of (six) and (two China). Hong Kong

Ozon expands server infrastructure by renting space in 14 countries

Server configurations include Ubuntu 22.04 operating system, Intel Xeon E-2288G 8C/16T 3.7 GHz processors, 64 GB of RAM and 2x 480GB SSD drives. The speed of Internet access for servers will be 1 GB, but in some foreign countries this figure can be reduced to 100 MB.

General Director of Lavl 7 LLC Denis Kuzmichev noted that renting servers in different countries is a common practice for large companies. This approach increases the stability of the system and reduces risks in the event of man-made or technical disasters, as well as hacker attacks on data centers. However, this method of storing data is associated with additional difficulties and costs, including the rental of servers. The cost of one medium configuration server, according to Kuzmichev, is about ₽100 thousand per year. Unforeseen expenses may also arise, including transaction risks and costs when making payments to foreign banks.^[2]

Ozon has become a social network

Ozon launched an update in September 2024 that radically changes the way users interact. Now customers can subscribe to public profiles of other users, which makes Ozon not just an online store, but a full-fledged social network for sharing shopping experiences. The introduction of this new feature is aimed at improving the interaction between platform users, giving them the opportunity to share recommendations and monitor the shopping preferences of other people.

As Ozon explains, the main goal of the new function is to create a social platform where users can share experiences and find recommendations based on the opinions of people with similar interests. By signing up for another buyer's public profile, you can monitor their feedback and receive notifications about new publications. In addition, it is possible to hide your entire profile if the user does not want to share information about his purchases.

In order for other users to find a public profile, the owner must share the invitation link. You can also access the profile from non-anonymous reviews left by the user on the platform. The public profile uses only the first name and first letter of the surname if it is specified, which helps to maintain some degree of confidentiality.

According to Ozon, public profiles only show reviews for publicly available product categories. For example, products for adults, underwear, medical products, vitamins and other categories will remain hidden. Users can also choose which specific reviews not to show on their profile if they don't want to share all their purchases with others. To do this, use the hide feedback option available in the My Reviews section.

The Public Profile feature adds an element of social interactivity to the platform, offering customers a new way to interact. Now the purchase of goods becomes not only a transaction, but also part of social activity, where you can exchange experiences with other users.^[3]

Appointment of Dmitry Kim as General Director of Ozon Holding LLC

In July 2024, Dmitry Kim was appointed the new general director of Ozon Holding LLC. This is evidenced by the data of the service "Kontur. Focus," which TAdviser got acquainted with. Read more here.

Creation of the leasing company "Ozone Leasing"

In mid-June 2024, Ozon registered Ozone Leasing with an authorized capital of 70 million rubles. The new legal entity will be engaged in leasing activities, which is confirmed by entries in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRUL). Read more here.

Putin approved the sale of Baring Vostok's stake in Ozon in favor of Vostok Investments

The president Russia Vladimir Putin signed an order that allowed transactions with foreigners-controlled shares of the group "" and Renaissance insurance Ozon. The corresponding document was published in mid-February 2024.

Allow transactions (transactions) involving the direct and (or) indirect establishment, change, termination or encumbrance of tenure, use and (or) disposal of shares in the public joint-stock company Renaissance Insurance Group and Ozon Holdings Plc, - said in the presidential order.

Vladimir Putin

The participants in these transactions are not named in the document - neither sellers nor buyers. According to an Interfax source familiar with the situation, permission for them was requested by a structure associated with former managers of Baring Vostok Capital Partners (BVCP) in Russia.

Vostok Investments told RBC that it confirms that the Vostok Investments holding has received regulatory permits to buy back the assets of Baring Vostok funds in Russia and is starting work on the technical closure of the transaction.

According to the sources of the publication, buyers received permission for the Ozon deal with a "special condition." One of the interlocutors clarifies that Vostok Investments is obliged to sell Ozon to the Russian structure, the main requirement (on the part of the seller and for the possibility of completing settlements) to which, among other things, so that neither the structure nor its owners are under sanctions. "

Vostok Investments investment holding positions itself as a long-term investor in fast-growing Russian companies operating in the consumer and technology sector. The team is based on key employees of the Russian office of Baring Vostok, headed by Elena Ivashentseva, chairman of the board of directors of Vostok Investments^[4]

Order of the President of the Russian Federation On a Special Decision on Transactions (Transactions) with Shares of Renesance Insurance Group Public Joint Stock Company and PEELSI OZONE HOLDINGS

2023

Participation in the creation of the Association of Digital Platforms

E-com sellers represented by Wildberries, Ozon, Yandex.Market, SberMarket and Avito decided to create an Association of Digital Platforms. This was announced on December 20, 2023 by the press service of Anton Nemkin. Read more here.

Help in preparing the house for the reception of new settlers

For the new house to become comfortable and cozy, you need to carry out a tremendous amount of finishing work. It will require various building materials - plastic windows, floor coverings, paints, putties, wallpapers, ceramic tiles, etc. Ozon is ready to help in the purchase of everything necessary to finish the new house. Read more in the article.

Moving from Cyprus to Russia

On August 23, 2023, Ozon announced the change of jurisdiction from Cyprus to Russia. According to the financial director of the retailer Igor Gerasimov, the move to the Russian Federation is associated with the desire of the holding structure to be "as close as possible" to operating legal entities in Russia.

Of course, we want to completely get rid of foreign legal binding on a certain horizon, but we cannot yet announce any specific terms and details... In these circumstances, it would certainly be logical to have the main holding structure as close as possible to operating and legal entities and to our main business in Russia, "he said on the air for investors, commenting on the results of the company's work for the second quarter of 2023 (quoted by Kommersant).

Later, the company clarified that the redomication (transfer of assets from one tax jurisdiction to another) involves a complete move of the company to the Russian Federation.

In our case, we talked about a potential reorganization of the holding, the Ozon press service noted.

According to Artem Turlov, director of the capital market at Univer Capital, Ozon has a diversified shareholder structure with a large share of foreign capital, so the option of moving to Russia is not optimal in terms of maintaining value for all shareholders. An alternative listing was needed on a site equally neutral for both Russian and foreign shareholders. The exchanges of Kazakhstan are sufficiently technologically developed to serve large issuers with high trade turnover, he noted.

Ozon Holdings PLC, a holding company headquartered in Nicosia, was established in 1999. By August 2023, Ozon operates in the markets of Russia, Belarus Kazakhstan,,,, and Kyrgyzstan Armenia. China Turkey Ozon^[5]

The death of two employees infected with meningococcal infection in Yekaterinburg

On July 6, 2023, it became known about the death of two Ozon employees infected with meningococcus in Yekaterinburg. In total, Rospotrebnadzor in the Sverdlovsk region recorded seven cases of the development of such an infection in the company.

Meningococcal disease is an infectious disease that has a variety of clinical manifestations - from nasopharyngitis to meningococcal sepsis and meningitis. It is caused by meningococci, which are carried by airborne droplets. The infection is widespread and can cause severe complications, up to and including death. Often this disease is registered in teams. For example, among children, and they are sick more often than adults, since immunity has not yet been formed before the age of 5. Also, outbreaks occur among students and conscripts, noted in Rospotrebnadzor.

On July 6, 2023, Ozon reported that the marketplace introduced a mask regime and other sanitary restrictions on workplaces after the death of employees with meningitis.

We are taking all measures to prevent the spread of infection. We introduced a mask mode, measure the temperature at the entrance and treat the surfaces with an antiseptic. We also conduct regular medical examinations of employees, if there are signs of a cold, we do not allow work. Disinfection treatment was carried out at the warehouse, and three teams of doctors work, which vaccinate all warehouse employees. More than 100 people were vaccinated yesterday alone, Ozon said.

Rospotrebnadzor stressed that for people who received parcels from Ozon, there is no risk of contracting meningococcal infection. On surfaces made of cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plywood and other materials from which packaging boxes are made, the exciter can remain viable only for a short time, the department added.^[6]

Updating the fleet of commercial cars for 1.4 billion rubles

On May 30, 2023, Ozon and Gazprombank Leasing signed a cooperation agreement, under which the companies will conclude leasing transactions in the field of freight and passenger transport supplies, finance the supply of facilities for the construction of warehouse complexes, fulfillment, and also implement operational leasing of cars.

It is noted that the new agreement provides for the development and expansion of strategic cooperation between Gazprombank Leasing and Ozon, which started in April 2023. Thus, Gazprombank Leasing has already financed the supply of 450 commercial vehicles worth 1.4 billion rubles in order to update and replenish the Ozon logistics fleet.

Trading companies are showing growth today, marketplaces are developing especially confidently, - comments Maxim Kalinkin, General Director of the Gazprombank Leasing group. Leasing financing of supplies of freight and commercial vehicles for the implementation of the logistics process, expansion of the fleet and, accordingly, sales is in demand by retailers and will only increase. A positive impetus for this is given by subsidy programs of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia and loyalty projects of lessors in terms of the volume of equipment supplied.

In turn, Ozon Transport Logistics Director Maxim Nosal noted that a partnership with the Gazprombank Leasing group in a new format will allow the retailer to continue to provide high-quality service in the delivery of goods.

Ozon processes, receives and delivers twice as many orders every day as a year earlier. This became possible, among other things, thanks to the expansion of cooperation with companies such as Gazprombank Leasing, - added Nosal at the end of May 2023.

Redemption of $750 million bonds

In May 2023, Ozon completed the process of restructuring bonds for $750 million and made all payments on them. The repayment date is May 19. The company sent bond payments to all holders who submitted their payment instructions within the agreed timeframe, which is 94% of the issue. Holders of the remaining 6% of the issue still have the opportunity to receive payments: to do this, they need to submit instructions by May 19 , 2024 .

Purchase of 27.6% of Ozon shares by former top managers of Baring Vostok for $142 million

On March 31, 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released documents revealing details of the business section of the Baring Vostok investment group founded by Michael Calvey.

It is reported that Baring Vostok has agreed to sell its stake in the Ozon online store to its former top managers. We are talking about a share of 27.6%. As part of this transaction, Baring Vostok Fund V Nomines Limited will sell 17% of the securities, Baring Vostok Ozon - 10.6%, and BV Special Investments Limited - 0.09%.

According to CNews, the total amount of the transaction will be approximately $142 million, which is five times lower than the market value of the corresponding Ozon stake. The buyer will be Fermi Investments, behind which are former top managers of the Russian division of Baring Vostok, headed by Elena Ivashcheeva. The agreement also provides for a deferred payment of $150 million, which the buyer will pay to one of the seller's structures within three years from the completion of the transaction.

Baring Vostok sells its stake in Ozon at a price five times its market value, and even with a delay of three years. To carry out the transaction, it is necessary to obtain permits from regulatory bodies, including the Government Commission for Control over Foreign Investments and from the President of Russia, the CNews publication says.

According to available information, the restructuring has already been agreed with, and banks there will be no problems with financing. Baring Vostok's intention to sell its Russian assets was announced at the end of 2022. In addition to Ozon, it is an online school of foreign languages, SkyEng a chain of grocery stores "," Vkusville a chain of stores Famila, a pharmaceutical company "Solofarm," etc. Baring Vostok, as CNews clarifies, will have shares in the carpooling service Blablacar and a number of projects in, Kazakhstan including the Kaspi.kz fintech project and the automotive portal Kolesa.kz.^[7]

Notice from Nasdaq of forced delisting of securities

On March 15, 2023, the management of the Nasdaq exchange notified Ozon, Yandex, Headhunter and Qiwi of the impending forced delisting of their securities.

As indicated in the statements of the press service of the exchange published on its website, the delisting of securities of four Russian companies will be carried out on March 24. The listed companies have the right to appeal the decision to the Nasdaq board, which considers the compliance of securities of a particular company with trading on the stock exchange. During the consideration of the appeal, trading in securities will be suspended, the exchange said.^[8]

2022

Opening a vulnerability search program on the BI.Zone Bug Bounty platform

Ozon invites Bughunters. Bug bounty. Vulnerability scanning|baghunters to check the security of the company's website, accounting systems, career portal and buyer's mobile applications. Independent researchers will receive a reward of 5,000 to 100,000 ₽ for confirmed vulnerabilities. This was announced on December 19, 2022 by BI.Zone. More details here.

Opening of Ozon Global representative office in Shenzhen, China

On November 21, 2022, RIA Novosti announced that Ozon Global is opening a representative office in the city of Shenzhen in the Chinese southern province of Guangdong and plans to attract at least one hundred thousand local sellers, according to a press release from the company, which is at the disposal of RIA Novosti. Read more here.

Opening the section of goods with marked goods

Ozon and the Center for the Development of Promising Technologies, the operator of the national digital marking system "Honest Sign," have opened a section with labeled goods on the marketplace, which guarantees their legality. This was announced on November 11, 2022 by the CRPT.

In this section, consumers will find tested products that are marked with a marking code that guarantees their legality and quality. You can check each item using the free Honest SIGN mobile application, available for any device. In total, there are more than 3 million goods in the section. Among them are clothes, shoes, perfumes, medicines, cameras, tires, textiles and dairy products.

Quality is one of the most important factors for the inhabitants of our country when deciding on the purchase of goods. A more attractive cost fades into the background. The presence of an "Honest Sign" ensures that the goods are checked, definitely not counterfeit. Its manufacturer is known and operates in the legal field, and is responsible for the quality of products both by its reputation and by the law on consumer rights. Ozon was the first of the marketplaces to strictly comply with all labeling requirements. The opening of the corresponding section is the next step that will allow users to be as confident as possible in the quality of the purchased goods, "said Revaz Yusupov, Deputy General Director of the CRPT.

Ozon values ​ ​ its reputation and is actively fighting counterfeiting and counterfeiting. The presence of an "Honest Mark" is a mandatory requirement for 14 product categories, many of which are sold on the marketplace, Ozon said.

Ozon opened a representative office in Turkey

On August 30, 2022, Ozon announced the opening of a representative office in Turkey. The company explained its decision by the growing demand for Turkish sellers' goods and the desire of the online retailer to strengthen its position in the local market. Read more here.

Preferential loan from the Government to avoid default

The Russian government has allocated Yandex, VK and Ozon a preferential loan of 130 billion rubles.. The subsidy is required for companies to meet obligations to bondholders. This became known on August 4, 2022.

On May 30, 2022, Ozon was unable to finance the payment to bondholders who exercised the right to claim their early repayment, as the retailer was unable to transfer the required amount from Ozon's Russian structures to Ozon Holdings PLC. On June 14, 2022, he was facing a technical default. However, on June 1, 2022, it became known that the online retailer agreed with the holders of 35.9% of the bonds to sign an agreement suspending the rights to demand full repayment of bonds (standstill agreement). The document was signed to facilitate the restructuring of the issue of convertible bonds for $750 million with a maturity of 2026. Read more here.

Customer Order Data Leak

At the end of July 2022, it became known about the leakage of Ozon user data. The company itself confirmed this information and explained that the problem was due to the unfair actions of one of the employees.

The fact that the data of several orders of Ozon users got on the Web was reported by the Telegram channel of Infosecurity (part of Softline Group of Companies). Screenshots from the Ozon CRM system were published there, which was previously posted on the anonymous 2ch forum. Users complain about them to the support service about problems with orders and returns, some customers use profanity in their correspondence. The screenshots show the names of users, their ID, as well as the numbers and amount of orders. As a specialist, they indicate the same person.

The Ozon press service said that the published screenshots do not contain payment data of buyers, and the screenshots themselves are non-indexable, which "significantly limits the ability to disseminate information." The employee due to which the data was leaked, the company promised to fire.

Violation of the user data privacy policy and negligence towards the company's customers is unacceptable for Ozon. Now a decision is being made to transfer information to law enforcement agencies to initiate a criminal case, Ozon said in a statement.

The company stressed that support employees do not have access to customer payment information. They have a limited set of data that is needed to help the customer with delivery.

For security reasons, the marketplace for support employees is limited in the ability to search on user data in the internal system.^[9]

Abandonment of the office in the former building of Minek in Zamoskvorechye

On July 25, 2022, it became known that Ozon refused to lease a flexible Flexity office with a total area of ​ ​ 17,256 square meters. m in a former building Ministry of Economic Development in (To Moscow on Ovchinnikovskaya embankment in Zamoskvorechye). The online retailer has terminated Sheets the contract, they write "" with reference to three consultants who worked with the company, as well as representatives of Ozon and Flexity.

Flexity clarified to the publication that by the end of July 2022, the company is already negotiating the vacated space with potential tenants.

The office in Zamoskvorechye was leased by Ozon in the fall of 2021 for the prospect of expanding the business and staff. For example, according to data for the second quarter of 2021, Ozon employed 22.5 thousand people. By the end of 2021, the company employed about 45 thousand employees. However, under the conditions of anti-Russian sanctions, the company does not plan to recruit new staff, respectively, the need to lease new space has disappeared. According to Vedomosti, he could pay a penalty of 360-936 million rubles.

The refusal of unnecessary offices may be due to the fact that the company could not justify forecasts for business growth and headcount, says Ekaterina Belova, head of the office space department at IBC Real Estate.

Usually, objects of this format assume extremely flexible conditions for withdrawing from agreements, explained to the publication the managing partner of Ricci Alexei Bogdanov.

In addition, the online retailer has also reduced space in Moscow City and is considering subleasing space in the northern part of the capital.

According to experts, such optimization of rented premises may be due to the fact that the company could not justify forecasts for business growth and headcount.

Ozon does not disclose the reasons for the termination of the lease. But the company clarified that by the end of July 2022, Ozon's main offices are still concentrated on the territory of the Moscow City business center^[10]

Joining the Data Code of Ethics

Ozon on July 7, 2022 announced that it had joined the Code of Ethics for the Use of Data and entered the register of bona fide data market participants. The online platform has committed to using best practices in the processing and transmission of user data.

For a large online platform, uniting more than hundreds of thousands of sellers and tens of millions of buyers, responsible and professional work with personal data is of particular importance. Anton Stepanenko told CTO Ozon. - We are actively developing our own IT solutions to adequately protect our users' data and prevent leaks. Now Ozon will be able to apply the experience of the largest digital platforms in Russia when working with data from marketplace participants.

{{quote 'We hope that the solutions developed by the company to work data with will replenish the White Book of bona fide practices and help in the development of the Code. We are confident that the experience of market participants big data will be useful for Ozon and will provide an opportunity not only to enrich our own technological practices, but also to find reliable partners for new projects, the president said. Big Data Associations Anna Serebryanikova }}

At the joint initiative of market participants who adopted the Code of Ethics, the Register of bona fide market participants was also created. Any company that agrees with the ethical principles of using data and is ready to responsibly comply with them can join the register. As of July 2022, 41 companies were included in the register.

Signing a self-regulatory agreement with Marketplaces sellers

Russian marketplaces signed an agreement with sellers on self-regulation, including to combat counterfeit goods. This was announced by the Association of Internet Trade Companies (AKIT) on June 7, 2022. Read more here.

Appointment of CEOs of major Ozon Group companies

Internet retailer Ozon has appointed two CEOs to its two main legal entities. According to TASS, citing data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities dated May 13, 2022, Internet Solutions LLC was headed by Ozon Business Development Director Sergei Pankov, and Marketplace Managing Director Sergei Belyakov became the general director of Ozon Holding LLC. Read more here.

The start of the undergraduate program "Digital Platforms and Logistics" together with the Higher School of Economics-St. Petersburg

The Higher School of Economics in St. Petersburg and Ozon have become strategic partners. The first step of the partnership will be the implementation of the undergraduate educational program "Digital Platforms and Logistics." The program will be implemented online. This was announced on April 27, 2022 by the Higher School of Economics (HSE). Read more here.

Lay off up to 20% of employees to reduce costs

On April 19, 2022, it became known about the reduction in the number of personnel in Ozon after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. The online retailer is resorting to layoffs to optimize costs.

As Forbes writes in the April 19, 2022 issue, Ozon is cutting both employees and the amount of expenses on the wage fund so as not to have development problems in the near future. Also, previously dismissed employees said that the company has reduced many investment teams with the explanation that - the staff was inflated some time ago, and now it is necessary to come to the optimal number to maintain the life of the company.

Within a few weeks, some departments were fired, according to the source of the publication. According to him, mass reductions began in early April 2022, they will affect up to 20% of current personnel. By April 19, 2022, Ozon employs more than 45 thousand full-time employees.

A source in one of the industry associations also heard about the cuts at Ozon. The company went public and attracted foreign investments, but they were unavailable; in addition, the bank and the general director of the company fell under sanctions, he said. Personnel optimization is now needed in almost any company, a source in one of the industry associations believes.

According to other data cited by Forbes, the cuts to Ozon began even earlier. If initially the bet was made on multiple growth, then on April 19, 2022 the company seeks to be profitable with the preservation of growth rates.

In early March 2022, thousands of Ozon moderators received notifications from Futures-Staff LLC (Ozon partner) that they had been fired, the Caravan. Fair edition wrote. Ozon moderators are employees of the company working remotely under a civil law agreement (GPC).^[11]

Meanwhile, Ozon denied the fact of mass layoffs. Ozon has opened dozens of vacancies in various divisions by April 2022, from logistics supervisors to marketers, analysts and developers, the company told TAdviser. The company is also recruiting people for new logistics facilities, which continue to open in 2022.

Ozon added that there are some cases of optimization of projects - in particular, the company previously spoke about the closure of "Ozon Services and the referral program - in this case, part of the team goes to other divisions, part can leave the company if their expertise is not suitable, or they do not want to move to other positions, the press service notes.

Buying the Hartens brand to sell TVs

On March 13, 2022, it became known about the sale of the Hartens brand to the online retailer Ozon. The latter will use the purchased trademark to sell TVs exclusively on its marketplace. Read more here.

EU imposes sanctions against CEO Alexander Shulgin and he leaves the company

On April 11, 2022, the European Union imposed sanctions on the general director of the Internet retailer Ozon, Alexander Shulgin. As stated in the publication on the website of the EU magazine, the sanctions were imposed due to the fact that on February 24, 2022, Shulgin was at a meeting of Russian oligarchs with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the EU, the fact of Shulgin's presence at this meeting means his support for Russia's policy towards Ukraine. In addition, the EU notes that Ozon is the leading platform in Russia in the field of e-commerce, despite the fact that "this area brings significant revenues to the Russian government." The next day, the company announced that Alexander Shulgin was leaving the company.

Ozon and Wildberries: We are IT companies like Amazon. Retailers ask government to extend IT industry support benefits to them

Ozon and Wildberries believe that as part of providing measures to support the IT industry, companies like theirs should also be able to receive some benefits on a par with IT companies. This follows from the speeches of representatives of these companies on March 26 at a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko, dedicated to the discussion of the upcoming third package of measures to support the IT industry. Read more here.

Creation of Ekom Bank

In mid-March 2022, it became known about the creation of Ekom Bank by Ozon. The authorized capital of the credit institution is 3.6 billion rubles, which is significantly higher than that of Ozone Bank, which was previously launched by the Internet retailer and which

subsequently fell under Western sanctions. Read more here.

Stopping trading in shares on the American stock exchange

At the end of February 2022, the American exchanges Nasdaq and NYSE stopped trading in shares of Yandex, Ozon, MTS, Mechel and Cian.ru after the introduction of US sanctions against Russia. Read more here.

Sublease Business Club Co-Working Space

On February 1, 2022, it became known about Ozon's decision to sublet 24.6 thousand square meters. m in the Business Club co-working space in the Iskra Park business center in northern Moscow and 23 thousand square meters. m in the former building of the Ministry of Economic Development on Ovchinnikovskaya embankment, owned by Turkish Enka.

As Kommersant writes with reference to Ozon real estate director Yevgeny Ovchinnikov, agreements with landlords provide for the sublease of space, since the company initially considered such a scenario.

According to the publication, these are forced measures for the Internet marketplace, since plans to expand the staff after the IPO did not materialize and the rented coworking spaces were unclaimed.

Market participants interviewed by the publication suggested that Ozon changed plans to increase staff due to a fall in shares. From the end of December 2021 to the end of January 2022, marketplace securities lost 38.84% in price, reaching a level of $18.11 per paper.

The newspaper clarifies that Ozon has so far postponed the expansion of its staff, but it is impossible to break lease contracts without fines. According to experts interviewed by the publication, the company would have to pay real estate operators more than 9 billion rubles in penalties.

According to independent expert Andrei Novikov, it is impossible to find a large company that would sublet such a large volume of premises for a short time. However, the director of the office department real estateILM , Ksenia Kharkevich, did not agree with him. She noted that by the beginning of February 2022 there is a shortage of ready-made office space, so Ozon will quickly find sub-tenants.

Ekaterina Belova, head of the office space tenant department at JLL, clarified that renting one workplace will cost the company 35-40 thousand rubles a month. Thus, if the contracts were concluded for three years, Ozon must pay 8.2-9.3 billion rubles for both objects.^[12]

2021

Interview with Tadviser with the head of franchise Alexei Loborev

In November 2021, Alexey Loborev, head of Ozon Rocket franchising, and Sanchez Mikhail, acting partner, talked about why ordering points are more profitable than a coffee shop and what needs to be done to open a successful point. Read more here.

Purchase of the Salaryevo complex for 2.3 billion rubles

In mid-November 2021, it became known that Ozon won the auction for the sale of the multifunctional warehouse complex Salaryevo"" with a total area of ​ ​ 30,831 square meters. m in Novaya. To Moscow With a starting cost of 1.8 billion rubles , the Internet retailer agreed to pay 2.3 billion rubles. More. here

The foundation of the company "Ozone Alko" for the sale of alcohol

In early October 2021, it became known about the creation of the Ozone Alko company, through which the Ozon marketplace will sell alcoholic beverages. Data on the new legal entity is contained in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities. Read more here.

Conclusion of the largest deal in the coworking market in Russia

In September 2021, Ozon closed the largest deal on the Russian coworking market in history. The online megamarket rented 24,600 sq. m in the flexible office of BusinessClub from Capital Group in the Iskra Park business center on Leningradsky Prospekt.

This was reported to Vedomosti by a representative of the Hals-Development company, which owns this complex. According to the publication, the new office will be designed for 3,500 people, the divisions of the marketplace plan to move there in 2022 .

An Ozon spokesman, speaking to the newspaper, confirmed the internet retailer's plans to organize a new office for several of its divisions in 2022. At the same time, the company did not disclose the details of this project.

It's not the only flexible office market deal Ozon has struck. Earlier , the company rented co-working space for 230 jobs (2 thousand square meters) in the F2.City space on the 36th floor of the Federation-Vostok tower in the Moscow City Moscow Center and an office with an area of ​ ​ 2.2 thousand square meters. m (390 jobs  ) in the Space 1 Mercury project, located in the Mercury tower, also located on the territory of the business center. 

Capital Group's flexible BusinessClub office in Iskra Park will become the largest facility of this format in Russia, Elena Denisova, senior director of CBRE's office space department, and Andrey Lukashev, ILM managing partner, told Vedomosti. By September 2021, according to consultants, the record belongs to the Klyuch network, which plans to open a 20,000 sq. m coworking space in the Forum business center on Vernadsky Avenue. In addition, this year the Inex Multispace network announced plans to launch a flexible office of 16,000 square meters. m in VTB Arena Park on Leningradsky Prospekt.

According to Knight Frank, by September 2021, the total volume of flexible offices and co-working spaces in Moscow is about 245,000 square meters. m. Every year this market grows by 40-45%.^[13]

Buying 100% of Oney Bank and renaming it Ozon Bank

On April 13, 2021, Ozon announced the purchase of 100% of Oney Bank from Sovcombank. The expected value of the transaction will be no more than $10 million. The final amount will be determined based on the value of the assets of the purchased credit institution at the time of closing the transaction, the press service of the online retailer reports. Read more here.

Creation of the Ozone Credit MFI

In mid-February 2021, it became known that Ozon had created its own microfinance organization (MFI). A few months earlier, the online retailer began lending through partners to sellers working with the Ozon marketplace. Read more here.

2020

Results of the initial public offering

On December 9, 2020, Ozon published the results of its initial public offering (IPO), as well as a private placement (private placement). As part of these transactions, the Internet retailer raised a total of $1.27 billion or $1.2 billion, minus the costs of the placement and the commission of underwriters.

Ozon issued 42.45 million new common shares. After the listing and repayment of outstanding convertible loans in December 2020, Ozon has a total of 208 million 202 thousand 929 ordinary shares, the press release said.

Before the IPO, the share of AFK Sistema and Baring in Ozon was 43% for each or 45%, taking into account the conversion of the previously issued loan. After the IPO, the share of AFK Sistema amounted to 33.1%, the share of Baring Vostok - 33%, the share of new investors 18.2%.

In addition, before the IPO, Index Ventures and Princeville Global funds owned 6% and 5.6% of the company, respectively. After the IPO, their exact shares were not disclosed, but in total they own 15.7% of Ozon along with employees who had options: while each owns less than 5%. Thus, the distribution of securities turned out to be as follows:

• AFK Sistema owns 68.28 million shares;
• Baring Vostok - 68.7 million shares;
• Other active shareholders (each less than 5% share) - 32.7 million shares;
• New investors received a total of 37.95 million shares.

Ozon's main shareholders have a six-month restriction on the sale of shares after the IPO, but Sistema, as its head Vladimir Chirakhov said in early December 2020, does not plan to monetize its stake in the marketplace even after the lock-up expires.

Ozon is a very lucky company that has survived many crises, says Elena Ivashentseva, senior partner of Baring Vostok. When Baring Vostok invested in Ozon almost 21 years ago, it was valued at $6 million.

When the IPO happened at an estimate of $6 billion, it seems that this is a crazy success, but this happened many years later and many hundreds of millions of dollars later, - said Ivashentseva.[14]

Going public on Nasdaq

On November 24, 2020, trading in Ozon shares began on the Nasdaq exchange. The company placed securities at a price of $30 apiece, and by the time the American exchange site closed, the rate was $40.18, that is, it increased by 21.76% relative to the IPO level. As a result, the market capitalization of the Russian Internet retailer amounted to $7.12 billion, according to Nasdaq data.

As part of the listing, Ozon plans to raise $990 million. If underwriters buy an additional 4.95 million shares, the company will raise over $1 billion. Amid strong demand, Ozon increased supply from 30 million to 33 million shares.

The IPO is organized by Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, UBS, Sberbank CIB, VTB Capital and Renaissance Capital.

The proceeds from the placement will go to the development of Ozon, a source close to the organizers told Vedomosti. According to the interlocutor of the publication, most investments will require the creation of distribution centers and logistics infrastructure. Ozon Avenue says that now there are such complexes in Moscow (90,600 sq. M.), St. Petersburg (18,500 sq. M.), Tver (54,400 sq. M.), etc.

On the evening of November 24, 2020, trading in Ozon securities also began on the Moscow Exchange: at the start of the action, they cost 2674 rubles apiece, and at the maximum - 3192 rubles. The Moscow Exchange opened trading earlier, and trading on the Nasdaq was postponed for several hours.

Experts assess the prospects for a security on the stock exchange differently, on the one hand noting the high potential of one of the leaders against the background of the rapid development of the e-commerce market. On the other hand, the company remains unprofitable.

As of the end of September 2020, 18.1 thousand active sellers were registered on Ozon, which is more than 4 times more than a year earlier.^[15][16]

AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok increase stake in Ozon to 76% after repurchasing securities for $135 million

In mid-November 2020, Ozon filed documents with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), of which it became known that AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok are increasing the total share of the Internet retailer to 76% after buying back securities for $135 million.

According to TASS, citing materials published by the SEC, AFK Sistema and funds controlled by Baring Vostok entered into an agreement on participation in the IPO of Ozon. They buy back American Depositary Shares (ADS) as part of a closed subscription.

Baring Vostok Fund V Nomines Limited (BVFVNL) and BV Special Investments Limited (BVSIL) will buy Ozon's $67.5 million US depositary shares. AFK Sistema will also spend $67.5 million on securities of the Russian online hypermarket.

The agency notes that by November 18, 2020, AFK Sistema owns 42.999% of Ozon (including 11.699% owned by Sistema VC), about the same share of Baring Vostok. Taking into account the sale of convertible loans (within 60 days, starting from November 1, 2020), Ozon is 45.2% owned by AFK Sistema, 45.1% by Baring Vostok, indicated in the prospectus to the IPO. After the listing of Ozon, AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok funds will receive 37.9% each.

Ozon says that after the IPO, the company will have 181.63 million shares if underwriters (companies guaranteeing payment in case of losses) also exercise the right to purchase. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, UBS, Sberbank CIB, Renaissance Capital and VTB Capital are listed as underwriters of the IPO in the prospectus.

Ozon intends to sell a total of 30 million American depositary shares at a price of $22.5-$ 27.5. According to the Financial Times, Ozon plans to raise $0.75-1 billion during its IPO on Nasdaq and expects a market capitalization of $4.6-5.6 billion^[17][18]

Payment of 1 billion rubles to Sberbank due to violation of the agreement

According to Ozon:

• in June 2020, Sberbank entered into an agreement with Ozon and its shareholders (term sheet). Among other things, it provided for the payment of a fine of a billion rubles in case of violation of the exclusive mentioned in the agreement.

• September 4 Ozon broke the agreement

• On November 12, the parties agreed that they had no claims against each other under this agreement, and Ozon agreed to pay the aforementioned billion.

It is likely that the agreement was about a deal (in July, the media wrote about Sberbank's desire to buy up to 30% of Ozon). It seems that Sberbank considered the very fact of the IPO - a violation of this exclusive. So, apparently, the agreement was about the exclusive right to buy back shares. Interestingly, all this time Sberbank CIB was the underwriter of Ozon, that is, Sberbank knew about the upcoming IPO and helped Ozon prepare for it.

In July, the media also wrote about the reluctance of Ozon shareholders to sell a stake to Sberbank.

LG Electronics Store Opening

On August 19, 2020, LG Electronics announced that it is opening sales of electronics and household appliances through the Ozon marketplace. On a separate showcase of the company there are about 400 items: refrigerators, washing and drying machines, vacuum cleaners, built-in and freestanding household appliances for the kitchen, monitors, televisions, music centers, speaker systems, home cinemas, clothing care systems with steam. Read more here.

Yevtushenkov: Amazon founder Bezos wanted to invest in Ozon

On June 27, 2020, the main owner of AFK Sistema, Vladimir Yevtushenkov, told reporters about the high interest in the Ozon online store (the holding's total share in it is 42.999%) from foreign investors.

I can say that this is the only company in Russia that Amazon considered in terms of participation and considered Softbank. This already suggests that this is a very important asset on the radar. And we are very glad that we have increased the package, - said Yevtushenkov.

Amazon planned to invest in Ozon in early 2020, he said, a possible deal discussed in person by general director Alexander Shulgin and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.

An Ozon spokesman did not comment to RBC on the issue of negotiations with Bezos, but said the retailer sees high investment interest from funds, private investors and companies "from Russia, the West and other continents."

In the first quarter of 2020, we announced the closure of the next round of $150 million, of which $50 million was allocated by a new investor - the North American Princeville Capital fund , - said an Ozon representative, calling this amount "the largest Western investment in Russian e-commerce over the past five to six years."

According  to Reuters, Ozon may have a new shareholder: in June 2020, four sources of the news agency said that negotiations on the purchase of a large stake in Ozon are underway by  Sberbank, and the parties are already close to a deal. Yevtushenkov did not confirm or deny negotiations with Sberbank on the entry of a financial institution into Ozon's capital.  

The main beneficiary of AFK Sistema noted that Ozon is "a few steps from profitability and prepared for an IPO perfectly." Earlier, AFK Sistema said that they were considering the possibility of attracting investors to Ozon and did not exclude the retailer's IPO.^[19] 

Ozon turns into a marketplace

The Russian site is actively developing according to the marketplace model. At the end of May 2020, the turnover from sales on the site of goods from other sellers amounted to more than half (51%). The marketplace was launched 14 months ago, a representative of Ozon told Non-Digital Economy.

In April 2020, the marketplace brought more than 6 billion rubles - this is over 40% of Ozon.ru revenue, and by the end of May 2020, the share had already reached 51%.

As of June 2020, 80% of Ozon's product names are for marketplace sellers. They are found in every second order of Ozon customers. Children's goods and household goods, as well as goods for beauty and health, are in greatest demand. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, sales of consumer goods increased significantly - in April Ozon delivered 2.2 million orders with such an assortment - 2.7 times more than in April 2019.

In May 2020, more than 10,500 sellers sold their goods on Ozon, and more than 30,000 were in the process of registering, establishing and shipping goods. From February to May 2020, the number of site partners increased by a third. Most actively, the number of sellers grew in the Sverdlovsk region, where since February the number of local sellers has grown 2 times, in Tatarstan (2.3 times) and Krasnodar Territory (2.8 times).

In addition to small businesses, the M.Video-Eldorado, Azbuka Vkusa, Vkusville and others chains also sell goods on Ozon.

Opening of M.Video and Eldorado stores

On April 27, 2020, M.Video and Eldorado announced the opening of sales of household appliances and electronics through the Ozon marketplace. Read more here.

Loan from Sberbank Invesments in the amount of 6 billion rubles

On April 10, 2020, Sberbank informed TAdviser about granting a loan to one of the leaders of the multi-category e-commerce segment in Russia - the Ozon group.

As part of the transaction, Sberbank Invesments Ltd (a subsidiary of Sberbank Investments LLC) provided a loan to Ozon Group of Companies in the amount of 6 billion rubles. Ozon plans to use these funds to finance current operations, as well as strengthen the logistics capacity development program within the framework of the proposed strategy.

We see how important it is for e-commerce businesses to maintain uninterrupted operations and even more actively develop logistics infrastructure, especially in a pandemic, when it is important for people to be able to purchase the goods they need without having to leave home. Sberbank does everything possible to support the most important e-commerce companies for the population, one of which is Ozone, said Oscar Racin, Vice President for Investment Activities, Director of the Investment Activities Department, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sberbank Investments

In the current environment, when the burden on e-commerce companies has increased significantly, it is especially important to have additional funds to increase the volume of inventories and additional financing of operating activities. This will allow the group to successfully function on high alert and provide the country's population with essential goods, as well as everything necessary for a comfortable lifestyle, noted Daniil Fedorov, CFO Ozon

Increase in the shares of AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok in Ozon

On March 31, 2020, TAdviser became aware that AFK Sistema increased its stake in Ozon from 21.9% to 31.3% as a result of the conversion of loans provided in 2019. This is stated in the company's message.

Taking into account this and a share of 11.699%, which Sistema controls through the Sistema VC venture fund, the total holding at the end of March 2020 owns 42.999% of Ozon. Back in April 2019, Sistema owned 38.2%, and Sistema_VC - 16.3%.

Baring Vostok reported that they also increased their stake in Ozon by converting loans on a parity basis with AFK Sistema. The representative of the fund, Alexandra Astapenko, refused to disclose the current stake in Ozon, but clarified that Baring and Sistema maintained parity in the company. In 2019, Vladimir Yevtushenkov said in an interview with RBC that AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok intend to increase their stake in Ozon to 40% each, as well as develop the retailer "before the IPO."

In 2019, both shareholders provided the online retailer with large convertible loans, of which 9.2 billion rubles. Ozon received from AFK Sistema. In the first quarter of 2020, they provided the company with regular loans, follows from the message "Systems," each - 3 billion rubles.

Capitalization $7.6 billion

2019

Start online distribution with Mail.ru

On September 27, 2019, it became known that Ozon and Mail Mail.Ru launched an interactive newsletter.

Ozon customers will now be able to activate coupons, take part in surveys directly in an email, and the technology also allows you to create sliders with photos and upload information about current products and promotions at the moment when the user opens the letter - which means that offers in it will not lose value after a couple of days. This is the first such experience for Russian services.

The interactive mailings are based on AMP (Accelerated mobile pages) technology. Unlike regular messages, in AMP emails, the user has the ability to manage the received content and give feedback to the sender. To do this, widgets, buttons and other multimedia tools are embedded in interactive letters. All interactive elements are automatically updated so that the user receives up-to-date information at the time of opening the letter. In addition, you can add personalized settings to AMP letters so that letters reflect relevant suggestions for each user.

As part of the test period, 900 thousand users who have are receiving interactive letters from Ozon. In mail Mail.ru the first letters, the company used two functions of the service - a slider with images and an interactive survey, which can be completed directly in the letter. This allows you to place more information on the first screen, and increase the clickability of the content in the letter. Already, the first tests showed that the number of clicks on photo banners in a slider letter is 26% higher than in letters with static images, and the questionnaire in the letter collects 10% more answers.

{{quote 'author=said Anastasia Starkova, head of e-mail marketing Ozon' Ha September 2019 letters from Ozon receive 5 million users throughout Russia, and e-mail mailing for us is one of the ways to tell about promotions and profitable offers. In mailings, we use various personalization mechanics - from collections of current goods to reminders that it is time to order, for example, washing powder or diapers, if the user regularly buys them and enough time has passed from the last order. And, of course, when new services appear that make this communication channel even more attractive to users, we use them. In the future, we see many interesting possibilities for using AMP technology in Ozon mailings, }}

{{quote 'author=noted Anna Kashnitskaya, Business Development Director Mail.ru' Mail.ru and Ozon have implemented technology that will change users' understanding of emails. This is a huge step for both retail and the postal services market. We are pleased that we are starting to develop this direction together with such a technological and reliable partner as Ozone, }}

Mail.ru Mail has long ceased to be only a means of communication. With its help, you can solve various problems: directly from letters you can call a taxi, pay fines and mobile communications, in the future there will be even more opportunities. Thanks to interactive elements, Mail.ru mail will become an even more convenient tool for helping with everyday activities.

Integration with the Russian Post digital service otpravka.pochta.ru

The integration of the Ozon fulfillment management system, a multi-category e-commerce platform, with a digital service Russian Post Office otpravka.pochta.ru has made Internet purchases more accessible to residents of 85 subjects. RUSSIAN FEDERATION Thanks to the integration of the systems of two players, the delivery time of 42 thousand Russian Post offices was halved. Thus, residents of the most remote territories of the country received operational access to 2.1 million commodity items, the federal postal operator reported on August 21, 2019. More. here

Data breach of 450,000 users

On July 10, 2019, it became known about a major leak of Ozon customer data. Data Base, which contains more than 450 thousand email addresses and user passwords, was in the public domain.

RBC journalists checked hundreds of e-mails through the Email Checker service: all of them turned out to be relevant. Ozon login passwords, however, are no longer valid.

According to an expert in the field of cybersecurity who got acquainted with the database, the leak could have occurred about six months ago. The found base, according to him, is collected from two separate ones, the originals of which he found on one of the hacker forums in November 2018.

The online store said it monitors suspicious activities and is aware of this database. They clarified that they reset the lost user passwords.^[20]

Ozon suggests that the data of the company's customers got into the network because they either used the same passwords for different services, or their computer was hacked. Having received a database with data from the account, fraudsters could find out information from personal accounts, RBC interlocutors noted.

Roskomnadzor expressed concern about the actions of the Ozon online store after the leakage of user data. This was reported on July 10 by RIA Novosti with reference to the press secretary of the department Vadim Ampelonsky.

According to him, the lack of timely warning about such a situation jeopardizes the safety of all users of the service.

Roskomnadzor noted that access to the client's account allows unauthorized receipt of additional information about the user, as well as performing various actions on his behalf. In this regard, the service will send a letter to the online store for clarification.

Ozon had not previously reported leaks, but at the end of 2018, the company's technical director Anatoly Orlov said that the password recovery system had changed. According to him, additional encryption was added to the system.

Increase in the share of AFK Sistema

PJSC AFK Sistema increased its direct stake in Ozon Holdings Limited as a result of the acquisition of stakes in Ozon's minority shareholders.

The total ownership of Sistema in Ozon as a result of the buyback of minority shareholders increased to 38.2%. After closing the transactions, AFK Sistema owns 21.9% directly and controls another 16.3% through the Sistema VC venture capital fund. The largest shareholders of Ozon - AFK Sistema and Baring Vostok support the strategy of aggressive market conquest announced by the company in 2018, and provided the company with convertible loans totaling 10 billion rubles. for its further implementation. The investments will support the achieved growth rates and the development of warehouse infrastructure - the opening of a new fulfillment center in the Moscow Region with an area of ​ ​ over 100 thousand square meters and the expansion of logistics infrastructure in the regions. The amount of the loan provided by AFK Sistema is 5.7 billion rubles, "the press service of AFK Sistema said.

MTS sold its owners a stake in Ozone

Mobile Telesystems (MTS) sold its 18.7% stake in the online store of the parties. The buyer was the controlling shareholder of MTS - AFK Sistema. The transaction amount amounted to 7.9 billion rubles, according^[21] the reports of both companies^[22]

The transaction was carried out through the MTS subsidiary - offshore Dera Retail Holding. Payment will be made in three tranches, the last of which should take place in July 2021.

After the transaction, AFK Sistema will directly own 19.3% of Ozone shares. Another 16.3% of the shares belong to the venture capital fund Sistema_VC, controlled by AFK Sistema. Thus, the corporation controls 35.6% of the shares of the online store.

2018

MTS increased its stake in Ozon to 16.7%

PJSC MTS"" increased its stake in Cyprus Ozon Holdings Limited from 13.65 to 16.66%, follows from the operator's materials. The amount of the transaction was not disclosed^[23]

MTS bought two minority stakes in the authorized capital of the company, the company's press service explained to TASS: 0.35% of the shares were bought from former Ozon executive director Bernard Luka, another 2.65% from the Index Ventures fund.

In early March, MTS increased its stake in Ozon from 11.2 to 13.7%, spending 1.15 billion rubles. to buy back an additional issue of shares in the Internet retailer.

Ozon received 3.5 billion from MTS and other shareholders

Ozon online store attracted 3.5 billion rubles. ($61 million) new investments from its current shareholders - Baring Vostok and MTS funds. The agreement reached provides that the amount of financing can be increased to 5.25 billion rubles. ($92 million), depending on the wishes of Ozon^[24].

The funds will be provided by issuing additional Ozon shares. With the money received, the store intends to develop the logistics infrastructure, expand the range and implement new projects.

Of this amount, MTS will provide 1.15 billion rubles, Interfax reports in February 2018 with reference to the MTS message. This will increase the share of the cellular operator in Ozon from 11.2% to 13.7%. Another 2.35 billion rubles. will come from Baring Vostok. According to the option agreement, Ozon has the right to demand from MTS over the next 12 months the redemption of additional shares in the amount of up to 582 million rubles, which will increase the share of MTS to 14.7%.

2017: Sistema VC buys 10.8% from AFK Sistema

The Sistema Venture Capital venture fund bought 10.8% of the retailer's assets from its founder AFK Sistema Ozon.ru.

The new co-owners intend to "make friends" with Ozon.ru related startups of the fund related to IT. Sistema VC's board plans to use the status site Ozon.ru for its pilot projects. It is planned that with the participation of Sistema Venture Capital, the retailer's assets will increase in price, and the company itself will consolidate its participation in the market for online trading transactions.

At this time, OZON group is a private company, among the investors of which: Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund, AFK Sistema, MTS (Mobile TeleSystems), Index Ventures, ru-Net Ltd, Rakuten, Intel Capital, Holtzbrinck, Cisco Capital.

OZON.ru choose 2.5 million buyers a year. The online retailer offers everything customers need: more than 4.3 million positions in 14 categories. From books and products for children and mothers to electronics and food. Online retailer OZON.ru compares 700,000 items to 89 competitors on a daily basis to offer the most competitive prices on the market.

2015: Ozon.ru started working in the US

On April 2, 2015, the Ozon.ru online store announced the start of work in the United States as a resource Ozonru.com^[25].

Screenshot of Ozonru.com, 2015

This is the fourth showcase launched by the company outside Russia, after Kazakhstan, Europe and Israel. The showcase offers Russian-speaking buyers an assortment of 590 thousand books. Delivery of goods to the buyer is planned within 1.5 weeks.

According to Mikhail Osin, Ozon.ru Project Development Manager, as of April 2, 2015, 1.8% of Ozon.ru turnover is foreign sales sold through local storefronts and the main website Ozon.ru. Local storefronts are more convenient for the buyer in terms of the correct display of the available assortment, prices in local currency and individual customer support.

2014: MTS and AFK Sistema invest $150 million in Ozon

MTS and its controlling shareholder AFK Sistema invested $150 million in the Ozon online store. The transaction was carried out by additional issue of shares in the amount of 21.6% of the total number of shares. MTS and AFK bought this package in half, paying $75 million each. Also, MTS and AFK Sistema will receive one place each on the board of directors of Ozon (the total number on the board is not disclosed)^[26].

2013: FAS approved AFK Sistema's request to buy approximately 10% of Ozon.ru

The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of Russia approved the petition of AFK Sistema regarding the online store Ozon.ru, a source familiar with the results of its consideration told ITAR-TASS in February 2014^[27].

A source close to MTS shareholders previously specified that we are talking about the purchase of approximately 20% of Ozon.ru - in equal shares in MTS and Sistema.

"The

MTS Board of Directors approved the expediency of the transaction based on possible synergy with MTS online sales and market growth potential. At the same time, there are certain doubts in the light of recent legislative initiatives affecting Internet payments. There is no final decision on the deal, everything will depend on the price, "he explained

.

2011

The company's turnover in 2011 amounted to 8.87 billion rubles. Net revenue - 4.7 billion rubles.

ru-Net and other funds invest $100 million in the company

In September 2011, it became known that funds, and an ru-Net Leonid Boguslavsky Index Ventures Alpha Associates Japanese online retailer, invested $100 million in Ozon.ru, the Rakuten general director of the Ozon.ru told Vedomosti. Maelle Gavet The first two have already invested in Ozon.ru. This time, ru-Net became a leading investor, having invested at least half of the funds, and received a "significant" share, says an investment banker close to the participants in^[28] deal^[28]

According to Gave, more than $95 million went to the company that sold the additional issue, the rest was received by minority shareholders. The main owner of the Ozon.ru, Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund (about 60% before the current deal), did not sell its stake, Elena Ivashentseva, senior partner of Baring Vostok Capital Partners, told Vedomosti. She says all investors in the new round received minority stakes.

"The company is rated higher than we expected," says Gavet, but does not name the assessment. Based on a turnover of 4.5 billion rubles. in 2010 and multipliers of similar companies (Amazon, eBay, Salesforce) Ozon.ru can be estimated at $564 million, calculated Finam expert Leonid Delitsyn. But if the Ozon.ru is unprofitable or unprofitable, then the deal could pass at a discount of up to 30% - at a price of $395 million. A source in one of the Internet companies previously told Vedomosti that Ozon.ru expects an estimate of $400 million.

$100 million is the largest private investment in Russian electronic commerce, says Gave. The founder of the Wikimart trading platform Maxim Faldin agrees with her: the last major investment of $55 million in April 2011 was received by the online shopping club KupiVIP.

Japan's Rakuten is one of the best e-commerce companies in the world, it is very aggressive in terms of expansion into international markets, Faldin says. This is a strategic investor who usually does not leave the acquired assets, but only increases the share. Rakuten will share its online commerce expertise with Ozon.ru, Gave said. For example, she has built a whole partner training system, the implementation of which would help Ozon.ru.

According to Gave, Ozon will invest in the construction of logistics centers, equipment; the company will increase inventory, expand the range (for example, it can start selling clothes). Investment is also required by the Ozon Travel project.

Maelle Gavet succeeds Bernard Lucke as CEO

In April 2011, the CEO changed in Ozon.ru. Instead of Bernard Lukey, who returned to Switzerland with his family in 2009, this position was taken by Maelle Gavet, who has been working in the Ozon.ru as marketing director since March 2010.

Until July 1, 2011, under the management of Luke, the holding as a whole will remain, which, in addition to Ozon.ru, includes the second tourist store Ozon.travel and the O-Courier courier service. After this date, Gave will also become the CEO of the entire Internet Solutions holding.

2010

The store's revenue was not Ozon.ru disclosed. In 2010, the total revenue of three areas (Ozon.ru, Ozon.travel and courier service) amounted to 4.15 billion rubles. The main store sent 1.95 million orders or 8,472,222 items of goods. In monetary terms, 37.9% of its sales were books, 32.1% were electronics. Separately, the turnover of the online travel store Ozon.travel in 2010 amounted to 898 million rubles.

The company's revenue in the first half of 2010 amounted to 1.8 billion rubles. For the same period of 2009, Ozon.ru 's income amounted to 1.4 billion rubles. According to the company's calculations, revenue growth amounted to 36% (from last year's income this is about 500 million rubles), the discrepancy in numbers in the Ozon.ru is explained by the error in rounding values.

A year earlier, the company's turnover growth rate was lower and amounted to 20%. In the pre-crisis years, the store's revenue grew at a higher rate: in 2008 - by 55%, and in 2007 - by 93%.

The share of books in the structure of income decreased to 36.8% of the total turnover, in the first half of 2009 the same indicator was 39%. However, the books managed to retain the first place in terms of share in the store's revenue. In absolute terms, their sales look good - in the first half of 2010, more than 2.2 million copies were sold. If we compare not the share in revenue, but the number of books sold, then the increase compared to the first half of 2009 is 33.8%.

The share of electronics (laptops, photographic equipment, mobile phones, etc.) in the turnover of Ozon.ru continues to increase. This category is in second place in terms of revenue. Over the year, its share in the company's income increased from 28% to 32%. At the same time, from 13% to 10.2%, the share of films in all types of media sank, and music sales remained at the level of 4% of the company's total turnover.

The fastest growing areas of Ozon.ru were Detsky Mir (plus 109% of their sales in the first half of 2009) and home and interior goods (88%). The total number of online store orders in the first half of 2010 increased to 841 thousand from 722 thousand in the first half of 2009. In terms of the number of goods sent in the first half of the year, the store grew over the year from 2.9 million to 3.7 million. The delivery period for goods in the regions is 3-5 days, and in Moscow and St. Petersburg the parcel can be received the day after the order.

2007

According to a quantitative study conducted by IPSOS in the fall of 2007, 82% of book buyers and Internet users know the OZON.ru online store, more than 50% of respondents buy constantly on OZON.ru.

1998: Alexander Egorov with partners launch Ozon.ru

The Ozon.ru online store project was launched in 1998 by Alexander Egorov and his Reksoft partners as an independent business project.

Notes