Significant growth is expected in the Ukrainian retail sector - in 2025, 14 new shopping centers with a total area of ​​​​about 250 thousand square meters are planned to be put into operation. In general, the country is currently under construction for almost a million square meters of retail space, which corresponds to 56 new shopping centers, work on which began or was resumed after 2022.

Maksym Gavryushin, the chairman of the Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers and the chief operating officer of the Budhouse Group development company, spoke about these prospects in an interview with LIGA.net, Delo.ua reports. He noted that in 2026, further market growth is expected with the commissioning of about 280-290 thousand square meters of retail space.

At the same time, despite active development, the level of saturation of the Ukrainian market with retail space remains significantly lower than in European countries. Before the full-scale invasion, the figure was approximately 130 sq. m per 1,000 inhabitants. Now, taking into account about 6 million sq. m of retail space (including temporarily occupied territories), this figure has increased to 150–170 sq. m per thousand inhabitants, depending on the country’s estimated population of 35 to 40 million.

According to Gavryushin, even this level is about half the average in Europe, where it is over 300 sq. m per 1,000 inhabitants. In some countries, such as Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom, the level of saturation with retail space reaches from 700 to 1,000 sq. m.

It is worth noting that the saturation with retail space varies significantly depending on the city. The highest figures are observed in large cities - Kyiv, Lviv, Odessa. According to pre-war data, these cities had more than 500 sq. m of retail space per 1,000 residents.

In smaller cities, where saturation rates reach 300-400 sq. m, problems with vacancy of retail space often arise, leading to temporary or permanent closure of some facilities. Such an imbalance indicates the need for a more balanced approach to the development of the shopping mall market in the regions.