The Ukrainian grocery chain Best Market is opening its first store in Prague, continuing its expansion into the European market following the chain’s growth in Poland, according to Czechia Online.
The grand opening of the store is scheduled for June 6. Best Market’s first store in the Czech Republic will be located in Prague 4 on Budějovická Street. According to the publication, the chain is focusing on traditional Ukrainian and Eastern European products: meat products, specialty sausages, smoked and dried fish, pickles, dairy products, and sweets.
Best Market began operations in 2019 with a single store in Kraków, Poland. Over the past few years, the chain has grown to three dozen stores in Poland, targeting both Ukrainian immigrants and local shoppers interested in Eastern European cuisine.
The expansion into the Czech Republic reflects a broader trend in the development of Ukrainian small and medium-sized businesses in Central European countries. After the outbreak of full-scale war, a significant number of Ukrainian entrepreneurs began developing services, retail projects, cafes, stores, and logistics solutions in countries with large Ukrainian communities, primarily in Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia.
The Czech Republic has become one of the largest centers of Ukrainian migration within the EU. This creates steady demand for familiar food products, culinary concepts, and services tailored to Ukrainians. At the same time, such stores are gradually expanding beyond an exclusively immigrant audience: Eastern European products are becoming appealing to local shoppers as well, especially in major cities.
For Prague, the opening of Best Market means increased competition in the niche of specialty food retail. International and ethnic stores are already operating in the Czech capital, but Ukrainian chains can compete thanks to their recognizable product range, direct work with suppliers, ready-to-eat products, and focus on shoppers seeking regional flavors.
On opening day, the store management plans to host tastings, children’s activities, and meetings with special guests. The first customers are promised gifts, which should help the chain draw attention to the new format in the competitive Prague market.
The development of such projects shows that Ukrainian business in Europe is gradually shifting from adaptation to scaling up. For retailers working with Ukrainian and Eastern European products, the key markets remain countries with a large Ukrainian diaspora, developed logistics, and high demand for a specialized product range.
Best Market is a Ukrainian grocery chain that began operations in Poland in 2019.
The rental market in Prague in 2025 remains one of the most dynamic in Central Europe. Demand exceeds supply, especially in the central districts of the city — Prague 1, Prague 2, and Prague 3, which traditionally attract both locals and foreigners, according to analysts at Relocation.com.ua, citing data from Global Property Guide and the Czech Statistical Office.
The average asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Prague in 2025 is around CZK 26,500 (≈ €1,050) per month. This is 8-10% higher than in 2024, when the average was around CZK 24,000.
Two-bedroom apartments in central areas (Prague 1, 2, 5) cost between €1,300 and €1,900 per month, while in residential areas such as Prague 9 or Prague 10, rents for similar accommodation range from €850 to €1,200.
According to the Sreality.cz portal, during the first half of 2025, the average rent in the capital rose by 5.7%, and compared to 2023, by more than 15%. The main drivers are the rising cost of new construction, high mortgage interest rates (which keep people in the rental market), and a steady influx of foreign workers.
The share of renters in Prague continues to grow and already exceeds 25% of households, which is the highest figure in the Czech Republic. Young professionals under the age of 35 account for more than half of all renters, while among foreigners, the most active groups are Ukrainians, Slovaks, Indians, and EU citizens.
The profitability of renting in Prague remains attractive to investors: according to Global Property Guide estimates, the average gross yield ranges from 4.8% to 5.4%, depending on the area and type of property.
Among the trends for 2025 is increased discussion around the regulation of short-term rentals (Airbnb): the municipality is considering options for limiting the duration of apartment rentals in tourist areas in order to balance the interests of local residents and the tourism business.
Experts predict that the housing shortage and growth in rental demand will keep the market buoyant until at least mid-2026. New construction in the center remains limited, with most growth in supply expected on the outskirts of the city, particularly in Prague 9, 10, and 13.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/prague-rental-housing-market-analysis-by-relocation/
Join UP!, one of the leaders of the Ukrainian travel market, is opening a company in the Czech Republic, with an office in Prague, the company’s press service toldInterfax-Ukraine.
“Entering the Czech market is an important stage in the brand’s development. Although this is the ninth country where we have started working since the creation of Join UP! tour operator in 2010 in Ukraine, this story is not only about growth for us. Scaling the Join UP! travel experience to other markets also reflects our commitment to transforming the travel industry and encouraging people to travel, because we sincerely believe that travel is not just entertainment, but also a way to take care of yourself and your loved ones, to live every day of your life to the fullest, despite all the challenges of recent years,” comments Alina Alba, co-founder of Join UP! Alina Alba, co-founder of Join UP!
It is reported that the new tour operator will soon present a summer selection of its top destinations to the Czech market. Among them are direct flights from Prague to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, as well as to the Mediterranean resorts of Greece, Turkey, and Cyprus. It is also noted that from Katowice, Poland, the tour operator offers flights to Egypt, the Dominican Republic, Greece, Turkey, Tunisia, Bulgaria, Spain, Montenegro, and Cyprus. Such a flight program opens up additional opportunities for our compatriots to spend their holidays in the Czech Republic. In particular, from Ostrava, where there are many Ukrainians, it is an hour’s drive to Katowice, Poland, which is almost four times closer than Prague.
The Join UP! brand is developing on the principle of localism by combining a global strategy with the local cultural context. The brand’s international expansion already covers 8 markets: the Baltic States, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Preparations for the launch in Slovakia and Hungary are nearing completion.
Also in Poland, in Katowice, in 2024, the brand opened the first franchise agency on the international market.
Join UP! LLC was established in 2013, with an authorized capital of UAH 72 million 671 thousand. The ultimate beneficiaries are Yuriy and Oleksandr Alba. In 2023, revenue increased to UAH 16 million 639 thousand, which is 2.3 times higher than in 2022.
Czech railroad operator RegioJet has made its first flight on the Prague-Chop route. The night train from Prague with 120 passengers arrived at the Chop station on schedule at 10:35 Kyiv time, the press service of the railway operator reported on Thursday.
As reported, starting March 27, RegioJet is launching a second line to Ukraine via Slovakia to Chop in addition to the existing one via Poland’s Przemysl. The flight has three cars with 140 seats, which follow the Prague-Kosice train. Ticket prices range from EUR18.9 to EUR67.9 including meals.
The night train Prague – Chop departs from Prague (Czech Republic) at 21:52, from Košice (Slovakia) at 06:38 in the morning and arrives in Chop at 10:35. In the opposite direction, departure from Chop is at 17:35, from Kosice at 21:37, arriving in Prague at 05:46 the next day.
JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” launches a special connecting train No. 345/346 Chernivtsi – Chop – Uzhhorod, which will connect with the new international route Prague – Chop.
The connecting train No. 346 Chernivtsi – Chop – Uzhhorod will depart from Chernivtsi daily at 05:30, go through Ivano-Frankivsk (08:13-08:27), Stryi (11:20-11:50), Mukachevo (15:13-15:18), Chop (16:28-16:57), and arrive in Uzhhorod at 17:20. In the opposite direction, departure from Uzhhorod is at 11:05, followed by Chop (11:28-12:03), Mukachevo (13:00-13:10), Stryi (16:15-16:40), Ivano-Frankivsk (19:22-19:27), arriving in Chernivtsi at 21:32.
Train stops are provided at the stations Batyovo, Karpaty, Svalyava, Volovets, Slavske, Skole, Morshyn, Bolekhiv, Dolyna, Rozhnyativ, Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kolomyia.
The mayors of Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava are visiting Kiev, the Polish TV channel Polsat News has reported.
Details of the mayors’ visit to the Ukrainian capital are not yet known.
According to media reports, this is the first visit of Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski to Kiev after the war started.
On February 15, 2022, Trzaskowski, accompanied by Prague mayor Zdenek Grzyb on behalf of the Pact of Free Cities went to meet with Kiev mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.
Ukrzaliznytsia in cooperation with Czech carriers plans to launch a train from Prague to Chop.
As noted in the message in the telegram channel of Ukrzaliznytsia, the start date of this train will be announced additionally.
In addition, from December 11, 2022 will run trains: Vienna (Austria) – Chop and Kosice (Slovakia) – Chop.
In addition, the following trains run through the Chop station:
– No. 59/60 Kiev – Chop;
– No. 749 Kiev – Vienna;
– No. 4/3 Zaporizhzhya – Uzhgorod;
– No. 45/46 Uzhgorod – Kharkiv;
– No. 81/82 Kiev – Uzhgorod;
– No. 749/750 Kiev – Uzhgorod;
– No. 265/266 Kovel – Uzhgorod (newly appointed).
