Online supermarket Arbuz.kz stands as one of the defining success stories in Kazakhstan’s e-commerce and e-grocery history. Re-founded in 2018 by veteran technology entrepreneur Alexey Lee (co-founder of Aviata and Ticketon), the venture evolved from a small localized grocery delivery experiment into the core lifestyle anchor of Freedom Holding Corp., which finalized a 100% full acquisition of the business.
Technological Re-Engineering of Grocery Logistics
When Alexey Lee took over Arbuz.kz in 2018, he fundamentally rebuilt its technology stack, warehouse supply chain, and customer service operations:
- Next-Generation Darkstores: Construction of temperature-zoned fulfillment centers equipped with multi-climate rooms for meat, seafood, fresh produce, and dry goods;
- Farm-to-Door Supply Relationships: Direct procurement agreements with Kazakhstani agrarian farms, eliminating middleman distributor markups;
- Refrigerated Fleet Logistics: Proprietary refrigerated vehicle fleet and uniformed delivery staff maintaining the unbroken cold chain right to customer doors.
Timur Turlov’s Investment, Pinemelon USA, and 100% M&A Buyout
Beginning in 2019, Freedom Holding Corp. CEO Timur Turlov joined as lead strategic investor. In 2021–2022, the team launched an ambitious international venture, Pinemelon, delivering online groceries in Denver, Colorado. While Pinemelon was restructured in 2025 due to high U.S. customer acquisition costs, the domestic Arbuz.kz business generated compounding revenue and profitability.
By late 2025, Freedom Holding completed a 100% consolidation of Arbuz Group shares, embedding the grocery service into the Freedom SuperApp ecosystem. Today, Alexey Lee oversees Freedom Holding’s unified lifestyle division, spanning Aviata, Arbuz, and Ticketon.
