Russia's Wildberries opens third logistics center in Kazakhstan

ALMATY. May 18 (Interfax) - Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, has opened its third logistics center in Kazakhstan, in the city of Shymkent, the company said.

"The new Wildberries logistics facility on the 800-sq.m area has been opened in Shymkent, the third most populated city in Kazakhstan. Due to its location in Shymkent, close to the border with China and Uzbekistan, the new Wildberries logistics center will allow local entrepreneurs to significantly expand their range of goods offered through the online marketplace," the company said on Thursday.

Previously, the company opened two centers, in Astana and Almaty.

"In the period from January to April 2023, the number of active sellers from Kazakhstan increased five-fold to 16,545 year-on-year, and sales grew 15-fold year-on-year," the company said.

It said the new center would speed up the delivery of goods and cut logistics costs. The Shymkent warehouse accepts all categories of goods free of charge and around the clock, except for food and animal feed.

The most dynamically growing categories of goods sold by the online retailer are beauty products, toys and household goods, underwear, baby clothing, as well as sports accessories and building materials.

Wildberries is the largest online retailer in Russia. In the first half of 2022, the site's turnover increased by 94%, to 628.7 billion rubles. At the beginning of 2023, the total area of the entire Wildberries logistics infrastructure exceeded 2.7 million sq.m.

Wildberries is the largest online retailer in Russia in terms of sales. In 2022, the company's revenue measured by gross merchandise volume increased 94% to 1.67 trillion rubles. At the beginning of 2023, the total area of the entire Wildberries logistics infrastructure exceeded 2.7 million sq. m.