More than 200 Kazakhstani entrepreneurs have reported damage following attacks on Wildberries and Ozon warehouses in Russia. The total declared damage is estimated at approximately 1.4 billion tenge.
HOW MANY ENTREPRENEURS WERE AFFECTED
According to LS, based on updated data from the Association "E-commerce Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan ECOMMERCE-KZ", the number of affected entrepreneurs has exceeded 200. The total declared damage amounts to around 1.4 billion tenge.
More than 100,000 Kazakhstani entrepreneurs are registered on Wildberries, and more than 90,000 on Ozon. However, final data on the number of affected sellers has not yet been compiled.
WHAT MEASURES "ATAMEKEN" IS TAKING
The National Chamber of Entrepreneurs (NCE) "Atameken" has sent an official request to the Ministry of Trade and Integration proposing the use of dedicated channels of intergovernmental co-operation to protect the rights of domestic businesses and to assist in resolving issues related to compensation for the damage caused.
In addition, meetings were held at the NCE with representatives of affected businesses and the management of Wildberries. Participants discussed damage assessment, interaction with sellers and possible mechanisms for resolving the situation.
WHAT IS KNOWN FROM THE MINISTRY
The Ministry of Trade and Integration reported that requests for information were sent to the official representatives of Wildberries and Ozon in Kazakhstan. In particular, these concern the number of Kazakhstani traders on the platforms, the possible impact of the situation on their operations, as well as affected businessmen and the procedure for the organisations to fulfil their obligations towards them.
Inventory checks and damage assessments are currently being carried out at the affected marketplace facilities. Data on sellers from Kazakhstan will be compiled after these measures are completed.
WHAT RISKS THE MINISTRY NOTES
The ministry noted that cross-border e-commerce is associated with commercial and logistical risks. Their resolution is carried out in accordance with the terms of the parties' contractual obligations and applicable law.
The NCE "Atameken" continues to interact with the organisations through diplomatic channels to protect the rights and interests of Kazakhstani players.
CONTEXT
In July, Wildberries warehouses in several regions of Russia came under attack by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
At the end of August, drone attacks affected several Ozon logistics facilities.
Against the backdrop of what happened in Russia, the RWB group, which develops the Wildberries marketplace, began searching for warehouse premises in Kazakhstan. According to sources, the company is considering renting up to 100,000 sq m of warehouse space, and is also redistributing goods between logistics facilities following the drone attacks on warehouses in Russia.
According to the words of Minister of Trade Arman Shakkaliev, Wildberries will build a logistics complex with an area of 160,000 sq m in Astana and around 100–103,000 sq m in Almaty. The minister noted that information about the construction of these facilities appeared long before the attacks on the marketplace's infrastructure in Russia.
