In partnership www.kyivpost.com | April 30, 2021 with BUSINESS 7 Ukrainian delivery Rocket enters Amsterdam, has global ambitions

By Daryna Antoniuk also competes with Estonian Bolt [email protected] Food that launched its service in October 2020 and has become pop- Food delivery service Rocket wants ular in Ukraine due to its free deliv- to become a global company rivaling ery and discounts from restaurants.

Estonian Bolt Food, Spanish Glovo Petrov Volodymyr Spanish and Estonian businesses and American Uber Eats. And it has are valued at billions of dollars and started its global expansion with the have customers all over the world, Netherlands. while Rocket’s valuation ranges from In April this year, the company’s $50 million to $100 million, accord- orange backpacks were spotted on ing to Forbes. the streets of Amsterdam, where it To expand, delivery services now works with nearly 50 restau- attract money from investors: rants and continues to connect new Spanish Glovo, for example, raised partners. For now, Rocket is the only $528 million this April, while service in the city that delivers food U. K. Deliveroo attracted $2.1 billion for free. and is now valued at $10.4 billion. The Dutch market is competitive: Ukrainian Rocket couldn’t find Ukrainians have to work side-by-side money at first because it launched its with giants like Deliveroo, Uber and service at around the same time as Thuisbezorgd. But despite the high Glovo and Uber Eats. Investors said competition, the Netherlands gives that there was no place in Ukraine many opportunities to grow a busi- for another food delivery business. ness, Rocket said. Finally, Rocket raised money from According to global auditor PwC, private investor Igor Rochlin who it is easy for a tech company to now owns 86% of the company, work there because the country has according to database YouControl. affordable taxes, simple laws and “It was a perfect match: We had many economic incentives to sup- A courier of Ukrainian food ordering platform Raketa delivers his order in Kyiv on April 2, 2020. In December, Raketa had to change the project, software, process, strate- port innovations. its name to Rocket as it started operating in Nicosia, Cyprus. In April 2021, Rocket entered Amsterdam and plans to enter new gy to grow, team and product, while For ambitious but still unprofit- European countries soon. he had a desire to launch a (deliv- able Rocket, it is a great place to ery) business himself,” cofounder continue its expansion into Europe, “dissatisfied” with how local delivery systems used in different markets. After the Netherlands, Rocket Stanislav Dmitrik told Forbes. the company’s press service said. services work and Rocket wants to The legislation and data protec- will probably enter Slovenia, To serve its customers faster, help them. tion regulation in Europe is also Yukhymchuk said in his interview Rocket opens so-called ghost kitch- Dutch market To ease the expansion in the different and takes time to adjust, with YouTube channel Big Money. ens that prepare food exclusively for Like everywhere in the world, Netherlands, Rocket opened an Rocket said. Slovenia ranks 37th among 190 the delivery service. Such kitchens food delivery is in demand in the office in Amsterdam and hired new The company is eager to go countries in the Doing Business are cheaper than full-fledged restau- Netherlands as many people stay staff there. The core team of nearly abroad to avoid risks of working in ranking released by the World rants and can prepare foods faster, home and order food online during 300 people remains in Ukraine. just one country, Rocket’s cofound- Bank, and for Rocket, the ease of while being closer to customers the lockdown. This trend will con- er Aleksey Yukhymchuk said in an doing business is important. The Yukhymchuk said that Ukrainian tinue and will likely become per- Becoming international interview with Ukrainian media Netherlands is on the 42th place. company has another ace in the manent, according to the survey by Turning Rocket into an international Novoe Vremya. Ukraine ranks 64th. hole to fight wealthier competitors. analyst Deloitte. business wasn’t easy, the company Rocket’s competitors, including “We are stronger because we are There are two most common ways said. Bolt, Glovo and Uber, have already Unprofi table business local and understand the mentality to order food in the Netherlands: It had to change its name from built an international chain and According to Deloitte, Rocket is the of Ukrainians,” he said. either to use one of the delivery Raketa to Rocket when it started Rocket tries to keep up. The company second most popular delivery in In 2021, the company hopes its service apps or order directly from operating in Nicosia; it had to con- plans to launch its service in 10 more Ukraine after Glovo, which has been strategy will help it to break even a restaurant. vert the prices from hryvnias to countries over the year and aims at operating in the country since 2018. in Ukraine and inhabit the markets Rocket said that many eateries are euros and adjust its app to payment 15% of market share in each of them. Apart from Glovo, the company abroad.

Advertisement WHAT SUSTAINABILITY MEANS AT SHELL

Tackling climate change is the biggest challenge the About Shell in Ukraine world faces today. Shell Retail business entered the Ukrainian market in 2007. Shell in Ukraine employs around 1, 500 people. We have recently announced our Energy Transition Strategy, which describes Shell’s approach to To date, the network of Shell-branded fuel sites becoming a net-zero emissions energy business by consists of 132 stations in 20 oblasts of Ukraine, 2050, in step with society’s progress towards the goal offering its customers high-quality motor fuel of the UN Paris Agreement on climate change. products, including Shell V-Power fuels, diesel & LPG, as well as a solid range of Convenience Retail In February 2021, we launched our Powering Progress goods, tasty food & beverages. In an effort to meet strategy to accelerate the transition of our business, the expectations of a growing number of Ukrainian including targets to reduce the carbon intensity electric vehicle owners, Shell, in cooperation with of energy products we sell - by 6-8% by 2023, 20% LWV SDUWQHUV LQVWDOOHG ˋYH HOHFWULF YHKLFOH FKDUJLQJ by 2030, 45% by 2035 and 100% by 2050. We have modules at selected fuel sites. worked to embed this sustainability ambition into our Shell can and must play a leading role in helping strategy, our business processes and decision-making. society to meet that climate challenge. In Ukraine we As part of our renewables and energy solutions offer, are developing our local Sustainability Plan in line We aim to provide more and cleaner energy solutions our ambition is to sell some 560-terawatt hours per with those ambitions. We believe that by reaching in a responsible manner – in a way that balances short- year by 2030, which is twice as much electricity as we our sustainability goals, we invest into a better world and long-term interests, and integrates economic, sell today. We’re also working to implement Nature- today and tomorrow. environmental and social considerations. based Solutions that will enable Shell to invest around $100 million a year in high-quality, independently YHULˋHG SURMHFWV RQ WKH JURXQG WR KHOS FXVWRPHUV meet their net-zero emissions targets. www.shell.ua In partnership 8 OPINION with | April 30, 2021 www.kyivpost.com Advancing gender equality permeates Shell’s operations shell.ca

Peter Kerekgyarto

espite visible progress conducted by audit and consulting over the decade, the issue company Grant Thornton, shows Dof gender inequality at that in 2019, the share of women the workplace remains an open in senior management of business issue disproportionately affecting companies worldwide was at an all- women around the world. The time high, but still at 29 per cent. In COVID-19 pandemic has further 2020 this number has not changed. amplifi ed existing shifts in equal- Ukraine only reflects the general ity of women’s and men’s rights. trend in this issue. The Gender How can companies be best fit to Profile of Ukraine, developed by address this problem? United Nations Development Shell’s experience shows that gen- Program, shows that the percentage der quality should permeate the of women in management positions company’s operations. Only a long- stands at 23%, business owners at standing policy of women’s empow- 46%, and their overall employment erment implemented by companies rate at 47%. In addition, women’s may have positive social effects. rate of salaries is on average 23% Moreover, businesses benefit from less than men’s remuneration. such policies as well. In the energy sector, according to the survey “Women and Men in the World & Ukrainian trends Energy Sector of Ukraine”, the share A recent McKinsey & Company of women among all employees in report shows that in the oil and gas the energy sector of the country The Gender Profi le of Ukraine, developed by United Nations Development Program, shows that the percentage of women in man- sector only one third of the total remains quite low (at 23–27% in agement positions stands at 23%, business owners at 46%, and their overall employment rate at 47%. In addition, women’s rate of salaries is on average 23% less than men’s remuneration. number of employees are women. 2013–2017), despite slightly positive In STEM industries (science, tech- dynamics. The structure of employ- able in the context of wages: women report on gender equality in the Nations Global Compact. This new nology, engineering, mathematics) ment is also asymmetric — positions receive lower wages than men on European Union, the pandemic chapter in the history of our company this percentage is higher — 41%, and still tend to be divided into “female” the same positions. has hit women particularly hard. confirms our intentions of becoming in the business sector the percentage (specialists, service workers) and The COVID-19 pandemic has Their overrepresentation in lower a responsible and sustainable busi- of employed women is about 48%. “male” (mostly managerial posi- worsened these trends. Thus, accord- paid sectors and occupations, such ness in various aspects from running The Women in Business Report, tions). The disparity is also notice- ing to European Commission’s 2021 as for instance hospitality, retail, a safe, efficient, responsible, and or personal services, make them profitable business to contributing particularly vulnerable in the labor to positive changes in communities markets struck by the COVID-19 where Shell operates. The UN GC crisis. Preliminary data on labor supports companies to do business market trends shows that the impact responsibly by adhering to ten prin- of the pandemic’s first wave on the ciples that cover, in particular, human labour market was more significant rights and labour. We are happy of for women than for men, the survey being listed among those businesses reads. aimed at contributing to global social Business also has its role to play changes which begin from gradual in protecting women’s rights and progress of individual companies. in empowering women’s leadership. We are continuously working on Editor’s Note: Most of the Kyiv Post’s journalism is published online. Subscribe today at the low 1. Russia declares This is what Shell is, in particular, achieving, particularly, the United rate of $45 annually for access to all articles, photos, videos, the PDF editions of the weekly printed troop withdrawal from working on. Nations Sustainability Development newspaper and our complete archives dating to 1995. Ukraine’s borders Goal No. 5 “Gender Equality.” This 2. Lockdown in Kyiv to be Gender equity promotion topic is of a crucial importance now, lifted on May 1 Our experience confirms that main- in the pandemic times, when women taining cultural diversity and gen- are facing even more difficulties in a 3. After stoking crisis, Kremlin says it will pull der balance favorably contributes “new reality”. According to the UN’s troops back from Ukraine to competitive advantages. Thus, in findings, women’s unpaid care work borders Shell Retail in Ukraine, 50% of has increased significantly as a result women hold senior positions, far of school closures and the increased 4. Hunter Biden’s not-so-‘Beautiful Things’ above the global average of 26%. needs of older people. Moreover, Such high performance has been women are harder hit by the eco- 5. Paul Grod: Russia’s achieved through the company’s nomic impacts of COVID-19, as they next assault on Ukraine carefully thought-out policy aimed disproportionately work in insecure is the Nord Stream 2 at building a gender-balanced orga- labor markets. We bear respon- pipeline nization that helps attract more sibility for taking care of women 6. Harmful chemicals women to management positions. employed by Shell not only in dif- found in the river outside Shell signed the Declaration of the ficult times, but always. This is our Kyiv World Economic Forum on gender religion; this is Shell’s policy which 7. Kravchuk: Zelensky will equality in the oil and gas sector also leads us to signing the UN never go to Moscow for and already feel the effectiveness Women’s Empowerment Principles peace talks of this decision in terms of financial in near future. 8. The Other War: Is performance and the general atmo- Empowering women in business Zelensky willing and sphere in the company. One of the should move from declarations to able to tame Ukraine’s principles of the Declaration deter- practical steps which will allow to oligarchs? mines ‘the establishment of gender change a still popular mindset in 9. Audit reveals multi- diversity and inclusion as a strategic Ukraine that a woman cannot com- million-dollar violations business imperative at all levels of bine career growth and family care. in Ukraine’s COVID-19 an organization.’ The document also They also lay the foundation for response fund encourages the creation of an open security for women and testify to the 10. Glen Grant: What inclusive corporate culture and the company as a responsible and caring Vladimir Putin’s buildup promotion of equal opportunities for employer. achieved women and men, which promotes Peter Kerekgyarto is general director the career growth of both sexes. of Shell Retail Ukraine and country Shell in Ukraine is proud to having chair of Shell Ukraine. become a member of the United