Turkish shoe retailer FLO is reducing its presence in the Ukrainian market: as of October 2025, it has only one store left in Ukraine — in the Fontan Sky shopping center (Odessa), whereas the company had previously planned to open up to 50 retail outlets.
According to publications, the closure of the company’s stores was influenced by extremely low sales: for example, the FLO hall in the Nikolsky shopping center in Kharkiv had an area of about 1,200 m², but its turnover was 4-5 times lower than expected.
According to data from the state register, in January-June 2025, the Ukrainian division’s revenue amounted to 53.3 million hryvnia, a decrease of 39.3% compared to the same period last year; the company’s loss during this period amounted to about 43 million hryvnia.
FLO is a Turkish footwear chain founded in the 1960s, with more than 850 stores in over 30 countries. It is one of the leading footwear retailers in the Middle East, African, and Eastern European markets. In 2020, FLO entered the Ukrainian market, opening its first stores in Lviv and Kyiv.
Shoes and clothing are the most popular online purchases for Ukrainians, with 70% of Internet users ready to make such purchases. That’s compared to only 24% who are willing to buy food online, according to results of a survey conducted by GfK Ukraine released on Monday. “Interestingly, for the food category, 13% of respondents say they would like to buy this category, but do not have this opportunity. Most likely, the reason is the insufficient convenience of the ordering and delivery of goods in this category, as well as the insufficient number of sites for such purchases,” GfK’s press release said. Only 6% said the same applies to buying shoes and clothing online.
Electronics and home appliances are also popular online purchases, with more than half of Internet users are ready to purchase them online. They are followed by cosmetics – about 38%, toys and children’s products – more than 25%. The study indicates the inability to buy goods in these categories is lower than in the case of clothing and shoes and food.
According to GfK Ukraine, 66% of the population of Ukraine used the Internet in 2018 (61% in 2017), of which 34% make online purchases.
