Anglesey Food, the operator of the Korzinka supermarket chain, has won the right to lease 36 existing parking lots located near its stores in Tashkent.
According to the e-auction data, the company bid 20.95 billion soums (approximately $1.74 million) for the single lot. This is nearly 16 times higher than the starting price of 1.34 billion soums.
The auction took place on July 13 and lasted 9 hours and 28 minutes. Over 293 steps, the lot price increased from 1.3 billion soums to 20.948 billion soums, a 15.65-fold rise. The winning company has made the payment, and a contract with the customer is expected to be signed soon.
In June, the municipal company Tashkent Invest put up for auction land plots with a total area of 3.99 hectares located in 10 districts of the capital as a single lot. The plan was to organize paid surface parking lots on a public-private partnership basis.
The project duration is 10 years, with a minimum private investment of 10.85 billion soums. According to the list and geolocation data attached to the lot, all 36 plots are located near Korzinka supermarkets.
The chain's press service confirmed the acquisition of the parking lot lease rights, stating that the project aims to improve parking availability for customers.
"For Korzinka, parking is an important part of customer service. The company strives to create conditions so that guests can shop without wasting extra time searching for a parking spot," the company said in a statement.
Malik Karimov, head of Korzinka's marketing department, said the chain independently participated in the auction to maintain free parking for customers.
"We bought them ourselves because we wanted to give customers one free hour for shopping and avoid a situation where someone else buys them and sets any tariff," he said.
A similar system is already in place at several supermarkets: the first hour of parking is free, followed by an hourly fee. Korzinka notes that one hour is sufficient for most purchases, and the time limit helps increase parking turnover.
Parking24 is currently acting as the technical operator of the project. The parking lots will be organized gradually after all necessary procedures and approvals are completed.
The company emphasized that this does not involve street-side paid parking. Korzinka will not occupy spaces along public roads.
"We are only talking about existing parking areas near Korzinka supermarkets. These parking lots are located off the roadway, separated from traffic, sidewalks, and green areas, and are already used by supermarket visitors," the chain stated.
According to auction terms, the parking lots must be equipped with video surveillance systems featuring artificial intelligence, LED screens displaying available spaces, payment terminals, and an information system integrated with the city's "Paid Parking" system.
Payments must be accepted via terminals, electronic payment systems, and bank cards. The minimum rate is set at 10,000 soums per hour in the lot documents.
A loyalty program with bonuses for regular users is also planned.
Tashkent Invest, as the state partner, will receive at least 10% of parking fees. Another 5% is planned to be transferred to the operator of the "Paid Parking" system.
According to the city administration, in addition to the one-time payment from the auction, the investor will pay annual rent and make contributions to the Tashkent City Development Fund.
Parking lot designs and schemes must be coordinated with the Tashkent Traffic Management Center. Only lightweight structures are allowed on the plots; construction of capital facilities is prohibited.
The city administration noted that the development of surface parking lots outside the roadway is part of a policy to free sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, and streets from haphazardly parked cars.
"Thus, it's not just about creating parking spaces for cars. This is a practical implementation of urban policy in favor of pedestrians, where cars occupy orderly spaces, and streets and sidewalks are returned to people," the city administration said.
Source: www.gazeta.uz