Five Ozon Collection Points in Grodno: Lessons from Expansion and a Closure

Opening a parcel collection point and getting it to break even are two different challenges. The experience of Oleg Leonov from Grodno, Belarus, published by Myfin.by on 30 September 2026, illustrates this distinction. Over three years, the entrepreneur and his wife opened six Ozon collection points, five of which are still operating. For those considering the Belarusian franchise market, the value of this story lies above all in its combination of expansion, mistakes in choosing premises and efforts to train staff.

From the factory floor to a collection-point network

Before starting the business, Oleg Leonov worked in a factory. He and his wife then decided to open a parcel collection point and turned their attention to Ozon. According to Myfin.by, the online marketplace entered Grodno in 2023, the same year the couple opened their first collection point. They chose this line of business at a time when, as the article describes it, the niche was still largely untapped in Belarus’s regions.

Over the following three years, the couple opened six locations. However, the number of openings did not match the size of the operating network: one site had to close because of a poor location. At the time of publication, the most recently opened point had yet to break even.

These details matter when assessing the outcome. This is not simply a story of steadily adding more addresses: it also involves abandoning an unsuccessful site while another is still finding its feet. The five operating collection points should therefore not automatically be treated as five equally successful or equally profitable businesses. The source material provides no financial results for individual locations.

Location: opening the doors is not enough

The article identifies a poor choice of location as the reason for closing one collection point. However, it does not disclose the characteristics of the premises, the lease terms or specific customer traffic patterns. There is therefore no basis for drawing conclusions about which particular areas of Grodno are suitable for a new opening.

Nevertheless, this episode raises a useful question for prospective network partners: what evidence supports the demand forecast for a particular address? A well-known marketplace brand and an accessible business format are no substitute for assessing an individual site. Before signing a lease, it is sensible to evaluate access to the entrance, the surrounding area, the potential customer base and unavoidable operating costs. These are recommendations for making a decision, not established explanations for the Leonovs’ unsuccessful location.

Owners of several sites would also benefit from deciding in advance how they will assess whether to keep a new collection point open. The Grodno experience shows that a closure can be part of developing a network. However, the article offers no basis for setting a universal deadline for reaching profitability: one point has closed, while another is still working towards break-even.

Around BYN 6,000 in remuneration, not net profit

One of the notable figures in the entrepreneur’s account is average remuneration of around 6,000 Belarusian roubles (BYN) per collection point for September. In his explanation, Oleg Leonov describes this amount as remuneration. It should be understood in those terms, rather than as net profit or the owner’s personal earnings.

Calculating profit requires comparing income with expenditure. The operating costs mentioned in the article include rent, utilities and staff wages. The available information does not include a full cost breakdown, the network’s overall profit or results for each location. It is therefore impossible to calculate profitability or an investment payback period from these figures.

Nor should the stated average remuneration simply be multiplied by the five operating sites and presented as the family’s earnings. Such a calculation would ignore costs and differences between locations. The figure also relates to a particular month, rather than a verified annual average.

For those considering a franchise or partner business, the key lesson is how to scrutinise financial claims: establish exactly what the figure represents, the period it covers and which costs are included. Even the real-world experience of an established operator becomes a useful benchmark only when the meaning of the published amount is clear.

Staff training as part of expansion

As their network developed, the couple created their own staff training system. The source material does not disclose the programme’s content, duration or effectiveness measures. Even so, this adds an important dimension to the story: the entrepreneurs were not just opening premises, but also organising day-to-day operations.

The article also notes staffing and operational difficulties. In this context, in-house training can be seen as an important part of the couple’s experience, but not as a proven guarantee of financial success. There are no data linking it to a specific increase in income or reduction in costs.

Prospective owners of several collection points would do well to consider in advance who will train new employees and how their understanding of procedures will be checked. The practical lesson from Grodno is straightforward: plan not only for opening, but also for what comes afterwards. Assessing locations, tracking each site’s results separately and preparing the team provide a more meaningful basis for a decision than a single appealing remuneration figure.