Blockbuster Mall reduced vacancy by 20% and increased revenue by 25% in 2025, according to the mall’s press service.
“During 2025, new retail outlets with a total area of 14,459 square meters were opened, which was one of the factors contributing to the reduction in vacancy rates. Throughout 2025, our team focused on strengthening key categories and relocating brands to areas with higher commercial efficiency. As a result, we reduced vacancy rates by 20% compared to 2024,” said Blockbuster Mall CEO Dmytro Lashyn.
As of early 2026, Blockbuster Mall already cooperates with more than 150 retailers. In particular, two major international players launched in August 2025: Half Price opened the largest store in Ukraine with an area of over 2,269 square meters, and CCC strengthened its offering in the footwear and accessories category. Last fall, Blockbuster Mall launched an experiment with Ukraine’s first vegetarian KFC.
The company plans to commission approximately 17,500 sq. m of retail space in 2026. Among those already announced is the opening of Antoshka with an area of 1,577 sq. m.
“I will not say anything about IKEA at this time—they remain an important tenant for us and the Ukrainian market in general, but at this time, any details regarding the brand’s future decisions can only be announced after official statements from IKEA itself. At the same time, Blockbuster Mall maintains a working dialogue and has grounds for positive expectations regarding the development of cooperation,” Lashin said.
In general, according to him, the structure of tenants is changing: if previously the team focused on mass-market brands, now it is focusing on “mid-range+” brands.
Last year, there was steady growth in traffic (reaching +35% in peak months compared to the same periods in 2024) and turnover – by 25% overall compared to 2024. Lashin said that in 2025, there were periods of decline in revenue for the Epicenter construction supermarket, although it remains one of Blockbuster Mall’s key anchor tenants and accounts for about 17% of total turnover.
According to him, last year’s festivals had a significant impact on the shopping center’s performance. For example, the B-Mall Fest 2025 charity music festival attracted more than 120,000 visitors over three days, November 28-30, and Atlas sold nearly 72,000 tickets this year.
“During the festival days, the shopping center’s traffic increased by 30%, conversion in the fashion and beauty categories by 10-20%, and the food zone had twice as much revenue,” the CEO of Blockbuster Mall gave as an example.
Among the trends for 2026, he named the development of omnichannel retailing, format flexibility, the growth of the “mid-range+” segment, and the consumer’s focus on experience rather than goods.
“We in Ukraine are developing retail during the war, and after a 90% collapse in the first weeks of the invasion, we have already reached pre-war levels. And this is not about optimism, but about our ability to adapt. Yes, we work with a much shorter planning horizon, and while European retailers plan for 5-10 years, our horizon is 6-12 months. 2025 has shown that even in wartime, Ukrainians want to live a full life: they go to festivals, buy quality goods, and support brands. Our task as a shopping center is to create the right conditions and infrastructure for this,” said Lashin.
The total area of the Blockbuster Mall shopping center is 450,000 square meters, with a leasable area of about 150,000 square meters. The opening of the shopping center’s anchor tenant, the Silpo supermarket, took place on November 20, 2019. The shopping center has over 150 stores, a cinema, a food market and entertainment area, the GALAXY indoor family park, and Ukraine’s largest skate park and roller rink, Turbo X Spot. The shopping center also has the largest shelter in the country (certified by the State Emergency Service).
According to open registries, the beneficiaries of Investbud Garant LLC (the formal owner of Blockbuster Mall) are Oleksandr Spektor and Maryna Dorokhina.
The volume of foreign trade in dairy products in the first half of January 2026 amounted to $13.6 million, which is 59% less than in the first half of December 2025, according to the Ukrainian Dairy Industry Association (UDIA).
The industry association noted that dairy product exports in January 2026 decreased by 51% compared to December and by 43% compared to November 2025. At the same time, imports were 65.5% lower than in December and 49.5% lower than in November 2025. The trade balance for dairy products for the reporting period was negative $1.2 million.
According to industry analysts, there was a 56% decline in exports of milk and condensed cream, a 65% decline in exports of butter and milk fats, and a 46% decline in exports of all types of cheese. At the same time, exports of whey increased by 12%.
In the structure of imports in January of this year, there was a decrease in fermented milk products by 19% and all types of cheese by 65%. Imports of whey increased by 134%, the SMPU summarized.
Ukraine has opened up new opportunities for exporting meat products to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire, according to a press release from the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
According to the press release, Ukraine and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire have agreed on a veterinary certificate for the export of fresh, frozen, or processed beef and lamb meat and products, as well as a veterinary certificate for the export of fresh, frozen, or processed poultry meat and products.
“The opening of the first markets for the export of meat products to Côte d’Ivoire is another step in expanding the presence of Ukrainian producers in international markets. This is the result of consistent work by the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ukrainian diplomatic institutions, and relevant ministries, and is also a confirmation of confidence in the Ukrainian food safety control system,” said Serhiy Tkachuk, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection.
The agency emphasized that the opening of these areas creates new opportunities for Ukrainian producers and exporters of meat products and contributes to the strengthening of Ukraine’s trade and economic relations with countries on the African continent.
Exports to Côte d’Ivoire of fresh, frozen, or processed meat, as well as poultry products, beef and lamb, and products made from them, are subject to a number of established requirements. Before exporting, exporters registered in Côte d’Ivoire must obtain a permit issued by the Côte d’Ivoire Ministry of Animal and Fish Resources. Each export operation is subject to the mandatory obtaining of an import permit issued prior to shipment.
The State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection has drawn the attention of exporters to the fact that the approved forms of veterinary certificates have already been published on the official web portal of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the section “Certificates for export from Ukraine” at the link: https://dpss.gov.ua/mizhnarodne-spivrobitnictv/veterinariya-ta-bezpechnist/sertifikati-na-eksport-z-ukrayini .
One of the priority areas for investment by Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, is currently renewable energy sources (RES), in particular solar and wind energy, as well as energy storage systems, according to the company’s CEO, Alexander Komarov.
“We want to somehow reduce the risk of electricity supply and the risk of price increases, which is the fastest growing element of our operating costs,” Komarov said during a discussion at the Ukrainian House in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, according to a correspondent from Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the CEO, the company is also interested in the e-commerce category and is currently looking for suitable offers.
At the same time, Komarov stressed that Kyivstar plans to strengthen its presence in every area in which the company operates.
In the third quarter of 2025, Kyivstar served 22.5 million mobile subscribers, which is 3.6% less than in the previous year, while the number of 4G customers increased by 2.4% to 15 million.
In the third quarter of 2025, the company’s EBITDA was UAH 7.1 billion, which is 21.5% more than in the third quarter of 2024, and in dollars, the growth was 20.4% to $171 million.
The main shareholder of Kyivstar Group, with an 89.6% stake, is the telecommunications holding company VEON, which was its 100% owner before Kyivstar was listed on the stock exchange.
From January 19-22, Ukraine House Davos 2026 is operating in Davos, co-organized by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation, the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund, and Horizon Capital.
Imports of electric generators and rotating electrical converters to Ukraine in 2025 increased 2.3 times compared to 2024, reaching $1.691 billion, according to data from the State Customs Service.
According to statistics, the largest suppliers of these products in 2025 were Romania (21.8%, or $369.2 million), the Czech Republic (17.9%, $301.8 million), and Poland (11%, $191.4 million). In 2024, China (17.7%, or $130 million), the Czech Republic (16.6%, $121.5 million), and Turkey (13.5%, $99 million) were the leaders.
In December 2025, imports of electric generators and converters fell by 30.6% compared to December 2024, to $177.5 million.
The State Customs Service also recorded a slowdown in growth rates during the year: in January 2025, imports exceeded the January 2024 figure by 8 times, and the high rate (about 7-7.5 times) continued until July, after which it began to decline.
Exports of electric generators from Ukraine in 2025 remained insignificant and amounted to $3.6 million (in 2024 – $1.7 million). The main destinations for supplies were the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Bulgaria; there were no exports in December.
As reported, at the end of July 2024, Ukraine exempted the import of electric generator equipment and batteries from customs duties and VAT. According to the State Customs Service, in 2024, imports of electric generators and converters amounted to $732.5 million, which is 3.7% more than in 2023.
Imports of electric batteries and separators to Ukraine in 2025 increased by 55% compared to 2024, to $1.476 billion, according to data from the State Customs Service.
According to statistics, China remained the main supplier of batteries in 2025, accounting for $1.12 billion, or 76% of imports. Next came Vietnam ($97 million, 6.6%) and Taiwan ($54.6 million, 3.7%). In 2024, China’s share of imports was 84.3%, followed by the Czech Republic (2.6%) and Bulgaria (2.5%).
In December 2025, imports of these products increased by 74% compared to December 2024, to $243.5 million, which is also 37% more than in November 2025.
Exports of batteries from Ukraine in 2025 amounted to $52.7 million, compared to $41.6 million a year earlier. The main destinations for exports were Poland (34.1%), Germany (12.5%), and France (11%). In 2024, Ukraine exported batteries mainly to Poland (30.5%), France (almost 15%), and Germany (11.2%).
As reported, at the end of July 2024, Ukraine exempted the import of power generator equipment and batteries from customs duties and VAT. According to the State Customs Service, in 2024, battery imports more than doubled compared to 2023, amounting to $950.6 million.
