Varus invests $30 mln in creating separate platform for delivering grocery sets – co-owner

The Varus grocery supermarket chain plans to invest $30 million over three years in creating a separate platform for delivering grocery sets by subscription, the chain's co-owner Ruslan Shostak said.

"We at Varus want to create a place where our customers can meet their daily needs in two clicks – from ordering dinner to a comprehensive solution for 'guests for an hour' or 'healthy week.' Over the next three years, Varus will invest $30 million in transforming from a classic retailer into a technology platform," he said on Facebook.

According to Shostak, a separate structure will be created with its own IT team, marketing, courier delivery and grocery marketplace.

The new project will include a "meal by subscription" service and intelligent services that will integrate with the client's calendar and "smart home." In partnership with the startup Neomi, an AI agent will be developed – a digital assistant for planning purchases.

"Meal by subscription, automated dark stores in Kyiv, own courier delivery, which is gradually replacing outsourcing, are all part of the new Varus model," the businessman said.

Partnerships with local suppliers and craft brands are also planned.

Varus is a national supermarket chain represented on the Ukrainian grocery retail market by Omega. The first store of the chain was opened in 2003 in Dnipro, the total number is 114 supermarkets in different cities of Ukraine and DarkStore in Kyiv. The chain operates in several formats: classic supermarkets, To Go stores and the online store varus.ua.

According to Opendatabot, the owner of Omega LLC is the Cypriot Weygant Enterprises Limited, and the ultimate beneficiaries are Valeriy Kiptyk and Ruslan Shostak.

According to the company's financial results for 2024, its revenue increased by 14.3% compared to the previous year and amounted to UAH 20 billion. The company's net profit decreased by 80.9%, to UAH 38.2 million.