Epicenter plans to open five Food Markets in its shopping centers in 2025

The Epicenter group of companies plans to open five new Food Market grocery stores in its shopping centers in different regions of Ukraine in 2025, Director of the Food Retail direction of the Epicenter chain Oleh Shkarovsky said.

"In general, five new Food Markets are planned to be opened in different regions of Ukraine by 2025. However, more are possible if the security and economic situation in the country is more favorable," Shkarovsky said in an interview with the Ukrainian Retailers Association.

According to him, today the chain operates 26 Food Market facilities. Last year, three such facilities were opened, and another one has already opened this year in the Epicenter shopping center in Brovary.

Shkarovsky said the company is not yet considering opening individual grocery stores outside shopping centers.

"As of now, the issue of developing the project outside the Epicenter network is not being considered. After all, we still have significant potential for development within our own shopping centers. Especially in cities with a population of more than one million: Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Lviv. However, we plan to open Food Market in small cities as well. For example, this year we plan to open a store in Obukhiv, Kyiv region," he said.

In addition, the chain plans to continue developing the grocery segment in Epicenter Express stores within the shopping center. According to Shkarovsky, the food category in these outlets sometimes reaches 50%.

The Epicenter Group of Companies is an omnichannel ecosystem that unites the Epicenter and Nova Liniya retail chains, the epicentrk.ua online store, the Epicenter-Agro agroholding, Epicenter Ceramic Corporation ceramic tile factories, the Osmoloda woodworking enterprise, and logistics facilities.

Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Epicenter chain united over 80 shopping centers in all regions of the country. The war destroyed seven shopping centers in Mariupol, Nikopol, Bucha, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Kherson (two). Three more facilities (in Melitopol, Kramatorsk and Kharkiv) are not operating due to the occupation of Ukrainian territories, shelling, or proximity to combat zones.

As of the beginning of 2025, the retailer's chain united 71 operating shopping centers in Ukraine. According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the participants of Epicenter K LLC are Oleksandr Hereha (51.3%), Halyna Hereha (47.97%) and Tetiana Surzhyk (0.73%).