Fast and efficient delivery of fashion collections for TSUM Kyiv
Company description
TSUM Kyiv
TSUM Kyiv is the flagship department store in the heart of the capital, operating since 2012 in the format of modern fashion retail. The company follows a unique hybrid model: leasing space to global brands while also developing its own B2C luxury fashion retail. TSUM partners with leading brands and strives to ensure the timely arrival of new collections and a high level of customer service. In a competitive environment with both local and international players, logistics becomes a key factor for success.
individual approach
Challenges
Implementing a full-fledged import fashion business in Ukraine is an extremely complex process. For TSUM Kyiv, the main challenges were:
- Complex supply structure
TSUM cooperates with over 200 suppliers with small batch sizes and their own production in Europe, often small, limited, and often family-run. Such partners include:
- deadlines are not always met;
- are not familiar with the requirements for processing export documentation to Ukraine;
- require personalized communication and support at every stage.
- Competition for quotas
Manufacturers have a limited number of products per season. For example, a factory can produce only 400 pairs of shoes, but there are over 800 orders from around the world. TSUM is forced to compete for the right to receive the goods, so logistics must work delicately, without creating tension in relationships.
- Time is critical
In luxury fashion, there is a “selling window” – a short period when a collection is sold at full price. Delayed delivery means fewer days of sale without discounts, which means:
- decrease in income;
- increasing the share of goods going on markdown;
- hidden losses for business.
- The criticality of correct customs clearance
The presence of certificates of origin (for example, Euro-1) allows you to receive customs preferences – a discount of up to 10% of the customs value. But any error in the documents leads to the loss of this discount. Among manufacturers, few people know how to correctly draw up documents in accordance with Ukrainian standards.
- High operational load
The TSUM team does not have a specialized logistics department. Managing deliveries, documents, transportation, customs, sorting and delivery is an excessive stress for internal resources. It was necessary to find a reliable partner who could take on the entire process “turnkey”, with a guarantee of speed, accuracy and scale.
business goals
Goal
- Ensure delivery of luxury collections from anywhere in Europe to Kyiv within 7–10 days;
- Optimize customs clearance to reduce customs costs;
- Remove the burden of interaction with suppliers and documentation from the client;
- Provide a scalable solution that can support the business even during seasonal peaks.
individual approach
Decision
Ekol Ukraine has implemented a comprehensive, customized logistics ecosystem with a multi-tiered architecture:
- Vendor management
We have fully taken over communication with over 200 suppliers – from the moment the order is placed to its readiness. This includes:
- constant contact with factories;
- agreeing on the order readiness date;
- explanation of document flow requirements;
- convincing suppliers to comply with formal procedures (despite their reluctance to deal with “paperwork”).
- Multimodal logistics and consolidation
- Daily cargo removal from dozens of locations in Europe by our partners;
- Consolidation of goods at key European hubs;
- Formation of complete mainline vehicles for centralized delivery to Ukraine;
- Using cross-dock platforms in Ukraine for sorting and redirection.
- Customs clearance
- Creating a strategic alliance with Nexus, a leader in customs clearance of fashion goods;
- Development of a detailed checklist to control the originality of documents and seals;
- Systematic work on compliance with the requirements of Euro-1 certificates to obtain tax preferences.
- Optimizing delivery to the store shelf
We went beyond the classic “to the ramp” chain and offered an innovative approach:
- Applying price tags and anti-theft labels at our Ukrainian distribution center
- This avoids delays in the sales floor and speeds up the release of goods by 5–7 days.
- Automation and data exchange
- Integration with ERP client to automatically obtain labeling data;
- Ensuring stable data control at all stages – from buyer to shelf.
- Ecosystem approach
- Involving the best partners in each stage of the supply chain: transportation, hubs, customs clearance, goods processing;
- Interaction at the level of strategic partnership, not just the provision of services;
- Flexibility and scalability — we adapted the solution even to the client’s competitor (Helen Marlen), combining flows and increasing the efficiency of both

successful cooperation
Result
- Delivery reduced to 7–10 days — twice as fast as the market standard (previously 20+ days);
- A significantly higher percentage of sales at full price – thanks to the rapid launch of collections;
- Savings of up to 10% on customs duties due to correctly executed documents and the use of certificates of origin;
- Complete transfer of logistics processes and communication with suppliers to Ekol allows TSUM to focus on strategy and sales;
- Effective scaling: the solution became a benchmark in the industry, and was later adapted for another large luxury retailer — Helen Marlen.