As Ukraine looks toward 2025, many citizens will be wondering if the new year will bring the opportunity to start rebuilding their cities.
For one Ukraine shopping centre group, the rebuilding never stopped.
Retailer and shopping centre developer, Epicentr, recently announced that it has built a new megastore in Novosilky near Chernihiv, Northern Ukraine.
The new facility, which has replaced a shopping centre which was destroyed by the war, will supply home and building products to the local community.
What makes Epicentr’s efforts so remarkable is the fact that the firm has now completed seven large-scale shopping centre projects since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. These have gone some way to replace the ten Epicentr stores and shopping centres destroyed so far by the war.
Centre expansion
The rebuilt centre has also been expanded by nearly 50%, allowing for the introduction of all Epicentr’s shop-in-shop concepts, including Pharmacy 100+, Lapki pet store, Bouquet florists, Furniture Center, electronics store CE TE, Deco Gallery, Intersport, children’s shop E.Pic, tool shop Expert, and departments for electronics, flooring, plumbing, gardening, construction, and finishing materials.
The new shopping centre, inaugurated on 9 November, also features a large food market covering 2,400 m2 with its own food court.
Other services offered include Multiservice for dry cleaning, clothing and shoe repair, Keymaster, and House of Water. In the future, the shopping centre will also feature a drive-in arena covering 3,300 m2 for collecting and loading goods.
Project challenges
Dmytro Tanko, Epicentr’s retail director, describes some of the project’s challenges. ‘After the destruction of the only Epicentr in the city, we received numerous requests from residents to restore its operation.
‘Despite substantial losses and wartime risks, we made the strategic decision to build an even more modern and secure retail facility. The opening of Epicentr will support residents of the city and region in restoring their homes, which currently face a shortage of building materials,’ he adds.
Black Friday
Sales across several segments at Epicentr stores across Ukraine increased by 35.5% during the first days of the group’s Black Friday promotion (November 22–24) compared to the same period in October, according to company data.
Notably, sales of seasonal items – such as Christmas trees, decorations, and toys – soared 16-fold during this period. Additionally, sales of cosmetics, gifts, textiles, and children’s toys roughly doubled.
Automotive products also experienced robust growth, driven by the onset of colder weather and seasonal demand for items like windshield wipers (up 4.5 times), washer fluid (up over threefold), and winter tires (nearly doubled).
Following a new wave of missile strikes targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the return of rolling blackouts, demand for energy-related products spiked. Sales of power stations quadrupled, while sales of power banks and generators tripled. Gas cylinders and portable stoves saw sales increase by 2.5 times. There was also notable growth in sales of battery-powered lamps and lighting, as well as winter clothing and footwear.
‘Seasonality and external factors, such as weather changes or rolling blackouts, significantly influence the dynamics of related product categories. Black Friday sales in Ukraine are also heavily impacted by external conditions, including media coverage, consumer sentiment, and the frequency and duration of air raid alerts,’ Tanko explains.
Omnichannel strategy
Omnichannel retailer and holding firm Eipcentr Group owns the Epicentr and Nova Liniya retail networks, and the e-commerce site epicentrk.ua, as well as agribusiness Epicentr-Agro, Epicenter Ceramic Corporation tile manufacturing facilities, Osmoloda wood-processing enterprise, logistics capacities, and other assets.
Epicentr remains the largest retail chain in Ukraine, with 71 shopping centres covering a total area of 2,2 million m2. The company is the exclusive representative of Intersport in Ukraine and also owns the Intersport retail network in Poland. Epicentr has further plans to expand in Ukraine with additional brands, including 4F and The Athlete’s Foot.
