Regional shopping and entertainment centers have become the most resilient format in the Ukrainian market during the war. This was reported by the director of UTG, Yevgenia Loktionova, during RAU Expo 2025.
This is reported by Business • Media
Visitor Numbers and Vacancy Rates
The average visitor rate for regional shopping malls currently stands at 315 people per 1,000 square meters, while district shopping malls attract an average of 552 visitors. Regional centers have an area of over 50,000 square meters, while district centers typically range from 20,000 to 30,000 square meters.
According to Loktionova, in the fourth year of the war, the average vacancy rate for retail space in Kyiv’s shopping malls is 13%. This is significantly better than at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia from February to May 2022, when this figure reached 17-21%. However, regional shopping malls have a higher share of vacant space at 16%, while district centers demonstrate a much better result with an average vacancy rate of only 6%.
Factors of Resilience and Financial Indicators
The high resilience of district shopping centers is attributed not only to their accessibility but also to their ability to quickly adapt to wartime conditions. The main focus is not on expanding the product range but on providing the widest possible array of services and goods for visitors.
“The main emphasis is not on the assortment but on offering as wide a range of services and goods as possible”.
Over the past year and a half, rental rates for retail spaces in Kyiv have returned to pre-war levels. The average rental cost is $32 per 100 square meters. The highest revenues come from the grocery segment, electronics, and pharmaceutical products.