Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Demand for food delivery in Ukraine increased by 6–8% due to large-scale power outages

Demand for orders on the Glovo courier delivery service rose by 7.7% with the start of massive power outages in December, while on the Bolt Food online service it rose by about 6% compared to last year, the companies said in comments to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

“In general, during periods of power outages, we see an increase in demand for delivery,” said Vyacheslav Levchenko, general manager of Bolt Food in Ukraine.

Glovo added that it is seeing a gradual increase in the average check, which has grown by 1.7% since last month and by 19.4% compared to the same period in 2025.

Bolt Food reported that the average check has increased by approximately UAH 60 compared to last year.

At the same time, according to Glovo, the share of orders from restaurants decreased by three percentage points (pp) compared to the period before the massive power outages and by 6 pp compared to last year, Instead, Ukrainians began to order more often from grocery stores, whose share increased by 2 p.p. compared to the period before the blackouts and by 5 p.p. year-on-year, Glovo commented.

Bolt Food noted that a significant share of demand is generated by large chain establishments and well-known brands, including McDonald’s, KFC, BUFET, Eurasia, Lviv Croissants, Domino’s Pizza, and others.

“This choice is due to their wide representation, brand recognition, and stable service quality,” the company added in a comment to the agency’s request.

In addition, Ukrainians have recently been increasingly choosing hot and hearty dishes, with soups, burgers, pizza, and shawarma being the most popular, Bolt Food noted.

In addition, the choice of dishes is also changing, with demand for burgers falling by 10-15%. However, orders for soups, set meals, and main dishes (such as wok noodles or poke) have increased approximately threefold. As for the pizza and sushi category, the situation has remained almost unchanged, but there has been a 1-2% increase, Glovo said.

“People have started to order hot and nutritious meals through Glovo much more often — meals that can replace a full lunch, which is not always possible to prepare at home right now,” the company emphasized.

Glovo also recorded an increase in demand for pet products by more than 50% and for meat products by more than 48%.

As for the demand for essential goods, the indicator grew by more than 36%, medicines — by 25%, and the share of demand for alcohol increased by 6%. At the same time, the demand for flowers and frozen goods decreased by an average of 10-15%.

It is noted that Kyiv and Odesa show dynamics identical to the national ones. In Lviv, Dnipro, and Vinnytsia, there is also a stable interest in ordering dinners and lunches, and the demand for these dishes has doubled.

At the same time, in Kharkiv, demand for “fast” meals such as shawarma, pizza, tacos, and chicken dishes, on the contrary, increased by 30-35%, while ready-made complex lunches in the city began to be ordered less frequently, Glovo added.

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Glovo operates in more than 40 cities in Ukraine and generates 0.4% of GDP, according to company

The Glovo courier delivery service, which began operating in Ukraine in 2018, has invested more than EUR 160 million in the business during this time, said Marina Pavlyuk, CEO of Glovo in Ukraine, at the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) on Thursday.

“We are ready to invest more. This year, probably around EUR 25 million, but security and guarantees are still an open question. For now, we are relying on the initiative of investors and the dedication of our team, which is ready to convince investors that we need to work here despite all the challenges,” Pavliuk said, according to a correspondent from the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

According to her, six years ago, the relevant committees of the Rada began working on a mechanism that could regulate the issue of “self-employed” in this market, but only on October 15 this year did the relevant parliamentary committee recommend adopting the relevant bill in the first reading. According to Pavliuk, the bill takes into account the interests of various groups, including marketplaces.

“We are awaiting the second reading and finalization. We are in favor of digitalization, we are helping the state make the right decision, and we hope that there will be political will, because this means revenue for the country’s budget and stability in terms of long-term investments,” emphasized the CEO of Glovо.

Pavliuk added that the total amount of potential revenues to the state budget could be around UAH 7 billion.

According to the CEO of Glovо, as of 2024, the company was responsible for 0.4% of GDP.

In a comment to Interfax-Ukraine, Pavlyuk said that the company currently operates in more than 40 cities in Ukraine. In some cities, Glovо has ceased operations due to the occupation, particularly in Mariupol and Berdyansk.

“In general, the last places we expanded to were Pavlohrad in the east and Kovel in the northwest,” she said.

According to her, it is important for the company to have other businesses operating in the city, partners.

“We often exchange signals with our partners. They give us a better understanding of which cities we can potentially launch in. There are currently several cities of the same size (IF-U) in the works, so we’ll see how it all goes next year,” Pavlyuk clarified.

 

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GLOVO COURIER DELIVERY SERVICE ACQUIRES COMPETITOR

Glovo courier delivery service is acquiring the Ukrainian company Zakaz (product delivery service Zakaz.ua), the main co-owner of which is Chernovetskyi Investment Group.
According to AIN.UA, Glovo has agreed to take over Zakaz.ua, payments to shareholders will be made both in cash and directly in Glovo shares, the deal is valued at up to $50 million.
As it became known to Interfax-Ukraine, Glovo plans to announce the takeover of the Zakaz.ua service at a press conference on January 27.
Interfax-Ukraine has not yet been able to get comments from Chernovetskyi Investment Group.
Market participants said the takeover of Zakaz.ua will strengthen Glovo’s position in the Ukrainian market and help the service develop the Q-commerce segment (delivery from dark stores).

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GLOVO IN UKRAINE REACHES BREAK-EVEN – GENERAL MANAGER

The Glovo delivery service in Ukraine has reached breakeven considering the large investments in the growth and development of the company, General Manager of the company Dmytro Rasnovsky has said.
“Now our income minus all costs is a little more than zero, because we are intentionally reinvesting in growth. On the one hand, our unit economy is healthy, and we could, in theory, earn more if we wanted to. But on the other hand, we actively invest in our partners and we reinvest everything that we have. Therefore, we have negative EBITDA,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv last week.
Rasnovsky also said that the global company is investing “millions of euros” in Ukraine, including through profitable European markets and attracting global investments.
According to him, due to the coronavirus crisis, the company grew in Ukraine faster than the plan by 40-50%, while in terms of operating profit per order, it underperformed its financial indicators by about 20%.
“From the point of view of profitability, it would be worth waiting for an increase in prices. But from the point of view of the current economic situation, I do not see the possibility and reason to increase the cost of Glovo delivery services. We came to Ukraine for a long time. For us this is a marathon, not a sprint. Therefore, we will invest to create a market, and now is not the time to raise the tariffs,” Rasnovsky said.
Glovo is an international fast courier delivery service that allows purchasing any item or product within the city and has it delivered. In this case, the object should not exceed the parameters 40x40x30 cm and weigh no more than 9 kg.
Glovo is already represented in 298 cities in 22 countries on three continents: Europe, Africa, Central and South America. Glovo started operating in Ukraine in October 2018.

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GLOVO DELIVERY SERVICE LAUNCHES IN KHERSON

Glovo international delivery service started its operations in Kherson, a company’s press service reported.
“Since October 1, residents of the city can use Glovo delivery services. This is the eleventh city on the Ukrainian map, where the Spanish service will operate delivering whatever you want within the city limits,” the report said.
Glovo couriers deliver almost everything that fits the size of a backpack up to nine kilograms. The cost of the Courier service is fixed and totals UAH 69.
Glovo (Spain) international delivery service started operation in Kyiv in October 2018.
Mykolaiv is the eighth Ukrainian city to welcome Glovo. The service has been already launched in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhia, Poltava, Mykolaiv, Chernihiv and Kherson.

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GLOVO INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY SERVICE LAUNCHES IN MYKOLAIV

Glovo international delivery service started its operations in Mykolaiv, a company’s press service reported.
“Since August 12, residents of the city using a mobile application can receive their ordered favorite food, necessary products in less than an hour or to please close ones with a pleasant gift,” the report said.
Glovo couriers deliver almost everything that fits the size of a backpack.
Mykolaiv is the eighth Ukrainian city to welcome Glovo. The service also was launched in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Lviv, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhia.

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