Fourteen months after the start of the full-scale war, the Ukrainian retail sector has reopened 88% of the shops that were closed in March 2022, increasing the proportion of open stores to 97%.
This is evidenced by the survey of the Association of Retailers of Ukraine.
"According to the latest survey of retail network members of the association, after 14 months, out of 16.7 thousand retail outlets in the entire industry, 16.2 thousand are already operating. The percentage of operating outlets is 97%, while closed ones account for 3%," as stated on the association's website.
Thus, 88% of the shops closed in March 2022 have resumed operations. To date, 556 shops remain closed for various reasons, compared to 4.4 thousand in the same period in 2021.
According to the association's research, the total number of open outlets increased by 26% over 14 months. The number of newly opened grocery stores increased by 19%, pharmacies by 22%, non-food retail outlets by 26%, jewellery stores by 60%, household appliances and electronics stores by 30%, clothing stores by 58%, building materials shops by 24%, petrol stations by 10%, and entertainment centres by 81%.
The survey was conducted among a hundred business owners and CEOs who are members of the Association of Retailers across Ukraine.
Background. Following the full-scale invasion, Ukraine's e-commerce market underwent changes. Initially, there was a colossal loss of traffic – 87%, but later, indicators began to return to pre-war levels.