The Brocard perfume store chain is preparing to open a store with an area of over 1,000 square meters in the Ocean Mall shopping center, based on the new Beauty Garden concept, the company’s press service told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“We are preparing to open Brocard in the new Beauty Garden concept. This is a different, more ‘young’, more emotional Brocard in terms of both style and content. Different colors, different design, but the same: the best brands, only original products, only official supplies, real beauty experts, and an exclusively transparent and responsible business,” said Olena Lada, director of strategic development at Brocard.
All key brands have been retained in the new format and are presented in separate personalized corners. The company is also actively working to attract new categories and brands to the concept, including those that are not traditional for Brocard’s audience: pharmacy care, dietary supplements, professional hair care brands, sexual wellness products, and an expanded range of accessories.
According to Olena Lada, the new format will help visitors experience the beauty of the world of perfumes and cosmetics, try products for every taste and at every price point.
“We want every customer to feel welcome, so we have completely rebuilt our approach to service,” she said.
For example, you can get a free skin and hair diagnosis and choose the best fragrance for yourself through the exclusive “Perfume Sommelier” service.
Brocard Business Manager Yuriy Gatkin explained the choice of Ocean Mall shopping center by positive partnership experience.
“We have been working with this team since 2003, since the opening of our first joint project in the Mandarin Plaza shopping center. Since then, we have agreed that we will be present in each of their facilities. It is a matter of trust, professionalism, and strategic partnership. Today, we are present in Mandarin and Blockbuster, and we are planning to open in Ocean Mall—and this is definitely not the end. We are confident in the quality of the projects and that we are moving forward together,” said Gatkin.
Brocard-Ukraine is an operator in the luxury segment of the Ukrainian perfume and cosmetics market (Brocard and Kiehl’s brands, the Brocard.ua online store, and the Brocard mobile app). The company has 68 stores in 22 cities across Ukraine, over 1,600 employees, and more than 2.5 million regular customers. The chain’s stores carry more than 480 brands of premium cosmetics, perfumes, skin and hair care products, and beauty accessories, including more than 100 niche perfume houses.
The ultimate beneficiary of the Brocard holding, which includes Brocard-Ukraine and Exagon, is French citizen Philippe Benacin, one of the key players in the global perfume and cosmetics market, chairman of Philippe Benacin Holding, and director of Interparfums SA.
Ocean Mall is a retail resort-style shopping center. Its total area is 300,000 square meters, with parking for 4,000 cars. The shopping center will combine 800 stores and 50 restaurants. Among the largest tenants are the Silpo grocery supermarket and flagship stores of the world’s largest retailers in the fashion, sports, and home goods segments. More than 30,000 square meters of the Ocean Mall shopping center is reserved for entertainment, including the Galaxy amusement park for the whole family and a 7-screen multiplex cinema.
Last week, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) increased its sales of foreign currency on the interbank market by $228.1 million, or 33.6%, to $906.6 million, according to statistics on the regulator’s website.
According to the statistics, this is the largest volume of currency sales since mid-February 2025, when the regulator sold a record $1191.30 million since the beginning of the year.
The data that the NBU has published during this time show that last week the balance of foreign exchange interventions was negative almost every day, except for Monday, when it amounted to $1.38 million. Already on Tuesday, the negative balance was recorded at $11.5 million, on Wednesday – $14.5 million, and on Thursday – $6.8 million.
The official hryvnia exchange rate against the dollar strengthened from 41.7842 UAH/$1 at the beginning of the week to 41.7514 UAH/$1 at the end.
On the cash market, the hryvnia strengthened by 5 kopecks over the week: buying to about 41.61 UAH/$1, and selling to about 41.70 UAH/$1.
“In July, the dollar to hryvnia exchange rate continued to demonstrate stability with a slight correction in a narrow range,” said experts from KYT Group, a major participant in the cash foreign exchange market .
In their opinion, in the short term (two to four weeks), the corridor of UAH 41.40-42.10/$ will remain in place in the absence of external shocks or surges in demand from importers.
KYT Group analysts predict that in the medium term (two to four months), the hryvnia exchange rate may gradually depreciate to 42.20-42.80 UAH/$ in the event of increased domestic budget spending, seasonal demand for the currency, or increased devaluation expectations among households and businesses.
In the long term (more than six months), experts do not expect a reduction in external financial support, so the most likely scenario is a gradual controlled devaluation of the hryvnia to 43.00-44.50 UAH/$. At the same time, the NBU’s exchange rate policy and the government’s signals on the macroeconomic course for 2026 may remain important deterrents.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1089251.html
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree appointing Oleksandr Shcherba Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the Republic of South Africa.
The corresponding decree No. 537/2025 was published on the President’s website.
In 1996-2000, Oleksandr Shcherba was an attaché and third secretary at the Embassy of Ukraine in Germany (Bonn, Berlin).
In 2008-2009, he worked at the EU Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.
In 2013-2014, he was an advisor to the First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Arbuzov, a participant in negotiations with the IMF and the EU on the preparation for the signing of the Association Agreement.
In 2014-2021 – Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Austria.
Interest in the roadshow being held by Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest telecommunications operator, and its parent company VEON, has been several times higher than expected, according to Ogi K. Fabel II, CEO and founder of VEON, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“We held dozens of meetings with investors to tell the story of Kyivstar, and there were many more meetings than we had originally planned… There are many investors who believe in and want to be part of this because they see the profits and are attracted by the protection of full transparency of public listing,” he said.
Fabela disagreed with the view that investor interest in Ukraine has declined recently due to the protracted war.
“Our experience shows enormous interest and enthusiasm… We see great interest in exploring opportunities from investors who understand the situation:
they want to invest in Ukraine not only to help, but also because they see business prospects for themselves,” said the founder of VEON.
Kyivstar CEO Alexander Komarov emphasized that the company discloses all security risks, but almost three and a half years of war have proven the resilience of the team, the business, and Ukraine as a whole.
“Kyivstar’s history is very successful. And we want to be an example to others that even in times of war, it is still possible to run a profitable business, not only in our sector, but also in many other sectors, such as energy, construction, defense technologies — there are many opportunities for successful investments… We are telling the world: look at the extraordinary nature of what can be done in Ukraine. And all this during a war, so imagine what amazing opportunities there would be in peacetime, when the economy would be more vibrant,” said Fabel.
He specified that on the way to listing Kyivstar on NASDAQ, it remains to obtain approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which reviews all submitted documents, roadshows, and the process of meetings with shareholders.
“Everything is going according to plan, and by the end of this year, we should be ready to complete the listing preparation process… Kyivstar’s indirect listing, which we hope will take place this year, is an opportunity to show the world that it is possible to do legal and profitable business in Ukraine,” the VEON CEO concluded.
As reported, in January 2025, VEON announced the signing of a memorandum of intent to list a portion of Kyivstar’s shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange. In mid-March, a Business Combination Agreement (BCA) was signed with Cohen Circle, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) listed on NASDAQ, for the indirect listing of Kyivstar on the exchange.
Kyivstar’s parent company will be Kyivstar Group Ltd, which will be registered on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol “KYIV” instead of Cohen Circle’s current ticker symbol (CIRR). VEON will own at least 80% of Kyivstar Group’s issued and outstanding capital. At the time of closing, Kyivstar was valued at $2.21 billion.
In mid-July, VEON and Cohen Circle announced the signing of non-redemption agreements (NRAs) totaling approximately $52.3 million with accredited institutional investors, including Helikon and Clearline.
At that time, it was noted that the listing was expected in the third quarter of this year. As of March 2025, Kyivstar served approximately 22.7 million mobile subscribers and more than 1.1 million Home Internet subscribers.
The company provides services using a wide range of mobile and fixed technologies, including 4G, Big Data, Cloud solutions, cyber security services, digital TV, etc., and has announced investments in new telecom technologies of $1 billion for 2023-2027.
VEON provides converged communications and digital services to nearly 160 million customers in six countries, home to more than 7% of the world’s population.
The Ukrainian company Monomakh has declared its openness, readiness to cooperate with law enforcement agencies and determination to protect its business reputation exclusively in the legal field to protect the business from economic damage caused by the distortion of information in the media about the company’s activities.
“We are determined to defend our reputation in court. The Ukrainian state should stand by those who create jobs, support the Armed Forces and act transparently,” the company’s website says.
The company emphasized that it does not cooperate with Russia and Belarus, does not have any official representative offices or affiliated companies, marketplace partners in these countries, and has not carried out any transactions after February 24, 2022.
“We are convinced that the court will make an appropriate assessment of the information attack in the media with signs of manipulation of public opinion,” the company said and called on journalists to adhere to professional standards, verify information, address inquiries directly to the company and not disseminate unconfirmed data.
Monomakh is currently operating as usual.
As reported, on June 16, the Security Service of Ukraine put Taras Barabash, co-owner of the Monomakh tea producer, on the wanted list.
The NV media outlet, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) and a ruling by Kyiv’s Solomyansky District Court, reported that the company may have been involved in the sale of its goods to Russia and Belarus since September 2018. The court noted that since September 2018, Monomakh has been conducting business activities with both Ukrainian resident companies and foreign economic activities with non-resident entities, in particular through the hidden transit of goods through Poland to Belarus and further to the territory of Belarus and the Russian Federation.
Monomakh JSC published a response on its website, accusing the media of an “aggressive information attack” with “unfounded accusations that are a planned pressure on Ukrainian business.” The company added that there are currently no court decisions establishing the guilt of Monomakh officials, and announced its intention to protect its business reputation and legal interests in the manner and in accordance with the applicable law.
JSC Monomakh was founded in 2000 in Brovary district of Kyiv region. Its principal activity is the production of coffee and tea, wholesale of tea and coffee under the trademarks Monomax, Lovare, Stefano, Ferarra, Three Elephants, Tea Masterpieces, Coffee Masterpieces, and Coffe & Tea. The ultimate beneficiaries of the company are Taras and Bohdan Barabash.
According to the Opendatabot service, in 2024, the company’s revenue increased by 26.3% to UAH 2.271 billion, net profit increased 1.7 times to UAH 303.13 million, debt increased by 14% to UAH 426.87 million, and assets increased by 53.6% to UAH 1.594 billion. The number of employees increased by 32 people to 382.
Almost half of all Polish companies founded by Ukrainians were established during the Great War
About 30 thousand companies founded by Ukrainians were registered in Poland as of the beginning of July 2025, according to the Polish register of legal entities Krajowy Rejestr Sądowy (KRS). Almost half of them were opened after the start of the full-scale program. Most Ukrainian businesses are concentrated in three voivodeships: Mazowieckie (Warsaw in particular), Małopolskie (Krakow and the region), and Dolnośląskie (Wrocław and the surrounding area).
29,044 companies with Ukrainian citizens as ultimate beneficiaries are currently registered in Poland. Almost half of them have been opened by Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale war – 13,014 businesses. A total of 208,251 companies have been opened in Poland over the past 3.5 years. Ukrainians accounted for 6% of new businesses during this time.
Most companies were registered by Ukrainians in 2022 – 4,780 businesses. This is a third more than in 2021.
Most often, Ukrainians register an analog of the Ukrainian LLC – spółka z ograniczoną odpowiedzialnością – 27,656 or 95% of all Ukrainian businesses in Poland.
The number of charitable organizations founded by Ukrainians in Poland has also increased significantly: since 2022, Ukrainians have established 486 foundations. This is 4 times more than before the start of the full-scale program.
Most Ukrainian companies are concentrated in three voivodeships: Mazowieckie (including Warsaw) – 11,568 companies, Małopolskie (Kraków and the region) – 3,200 businesses, and Dolnośląskie (Wrocław and the surrounding area) – 3,019.
Most of the Ukrainian companies registered by Ukrainians after the start of full-scale business in Poland are small businesses. Almost 10 thousand companies have an authorized capital of less than 10 thousand zlotys. Only 133 businesses have a capital of more than 500 thousand zlotys.
In total, the capital of all Ukrainian companies in the Polish register is over 7.34 billion zlotys. Of this amount, 533 million zlotys are accounted for by businesses opened after the start of full-scale trade. It is worth noting that although 45% of companies were established after the outbreak of the war, their total capital is 12 times less than that of the “pre-war” Ukrainian business in Poland.
As a reminder, in 2024, Ukrainians paid almost 1.65 billion zlotys ($414 million) to the Polish state budget in personal income and corporate income taxes, according to the analytical center of the international employment company Gremi Personal, citing the Polish Ministry of Finance.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/ukrainian-business-in-Poland
