The Ukrainian chain of one-dollar stores Aurora (Vygidna Pokupka LLC) will invest UAH 3.2 billion (including VAT) in 2025, including UAH 1.3 billion in the restoration of the WestGate logistics center, according to the chain’s CEO Taras Panasenko.
“This is Aurora Multimarket’s response to the intensified attacks on Kyiv. We are investing. In 2024, we invested UAH 2.7 billion (including VAT) in Ukraine. The investment plan for Ukraine for 2025 is more than UAH 3.2 billion (including VAT),” he said on Facebook.
According to him, all the necessary permits have already been obtained, and Aurora has begun rebuilding the WestGate logistics center in the village of Stoyanka near Kyiv, which was completely destroyed in 2022.
“This is the same logistics center that was bombed by the Russians, where the GoodWIne warehouse was located. This year, investments in the reconstruction of WestGate will amount to more than UAH 1.3 billion. The rest will be invested in the network and technology. We will rebuild and create a thousand new jobs here. We plan to launch by January 2026,” he said.
In total, the company plans to create more than 2,500 new jobs in Ukraine in 2025.
“Our partners, Ukrainian manufacturers, of which there are currently more than 600, are also investing and creating new jobs. In addition, thanks to the active development of the Romanian company, our partners, Ukrainian manufacturers, are exporting to the European market for Aurora in Romania. We will stand firm,” Panasenko emphasized.
As reported, Aurora’s revenue for 2024 increased by 42.5% to UAH 38.5 billion (excluding VAT). In the first quarter of 2025, revenue grew by 32.5% to UAH 10.6 billion.
Aurora was founded in 2011 by Zhydenko, Taras Panasenko, and Lesya Klymenko. At the end of 2024, the chain had over 1,600 stores in Ukraine and 30 in Romania. The retail chain’s head office is located in Poltava.
According to Opendatabot, the owner of Vygidna Kupivlya LLC, which develops the chain, is the Cypriot company Avrorailt Investmens Limited, whose beneficiary is Zhydenko.
