The “Aurora” supermarket chain has invested 13 million hryvnias in strengthening product quality control; the consumer product testing laboratory began operations in Poltava on June 2, according to the company’s press office.
“Our laboratory is about transparent quality control and trust. We want both manufacturers and shoppers to see how the quality of products that end up on Aurora’s shelves is determined. Moreover, anyone can bring a product in for testing—even if it wasn’t purchased in our stores. This helps foster a new culture of consumption based on openness, objectivity, and trust,“ emphasized Natalia Izyumets, Quality Director of the ‘Aurora’ supermarket chain.
The laboratory is located next to the ”Aurora” Support Office in Poltava and has a separate entrance for visitors. Large panoramic windows allow visitors to observe the product testing process in real time.
A distinctive feature of the consumer testing laboratory is its openness to visitors. Anyone can submit a request to have a product tested, specifying the testing criteria themselves. After the tests are conducted, the results can be received via email or discussed with specialists in person.
The lab team consists of six specialists in quality control and product testing. The lab’s specialists work with over 25,000 product SKUs across various categories—from electronics, children’s products, and tableware to cosmetics, household chemicals, and food products. Here, they verify safety, reliability, and compliance with declared specifications and current legislation. The data obtained is shared with suppliers and the chain’s commercial department, enabling the rapid improvement of the product range and enhancement of product quality.
“For example, when inspecting a cleaning product, in addition to weight and volume, we check the consistency—that is, whether there is any separation, whether there is sediment—because cleaning products should not normally contain sediment or lumps. If there is any, that’s not good. We record this, include it in the inspection results, and submit a request to the suppliers,” notes Anna Tokach, an incoming quality control specialist at the “Aurora” chain.
Professional equipment is used for testing, which allows for simulating real-world conditions for product use. Specifically, in the lab, they check product shelf life using a climate chamber, test wooden products for moisture content, USB cables for compliance with the stated power rating, cosmetics for acidity level using a pH meter, and electrical goods for compliance with technical specifications and safety of use.
Special attention is given to high-risk products. For example, products involving open flames are tested in a special combustion chamber equipped in accordance with all fire safety requirements.
The opening of the consumer testing laboratory is part of Aurora’s long-term strategy to raise quality standards and promote responsible consumption.
“Aurora” was founded in 2011 by Lev Zhydenko, Taras Panasenko, and Lesya Klymenko. As of the end of 2025, the chain has over 1,800 stores in Ukraine and more than 60 in Romania. The retail chain’s headquarters are located in Poltava.
According to Opendatabot, the owner of Vygidna Pokupka LLC, which operates the chain, is the Cypriot company “Aurorail Investments Limited”; its beneficial owner is Lev Zhydenko, and among the owners are funds managed by Horizon Capital.
In September, the Chinese economy showed higher-than-expected growth rates in industry and retail trade, indicating a gradual recovery in domestic demand and business activity.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, industrial production grew by 6.5% year-on-year, the highest rate since June. In August, growth was 5.2%, and analysts had expected a slowdown to 5%.
The largest contributors were:
manufacturing — +7.3%,
mining — +6.4%,
oil and gas — +8.9%,
automobile production — +16%,
computers and telecommunications equipment — +11.3%.
Growth was recorded in 36 of 41 sectors of the economy. Overall, industrial production increased by 6.2% in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
Retail sales in September grew by 3% year-on-year. This is slightly less than in August (3.4%), but still better than analysts’ forecasts (2.9%).
The largest increases were in sales of food products (+6.3%), jewelry (+9.7%), and clothing (+4.7%). Car sales rose by 1.6%, while petroleum product sales fell by 7.1%.
Since the beginning of the year, retail turnover has reached 36.6 trillion yuan (about $5.1 trillion), which is 4.5% more than a year earlier.
Investments in fixed assets as a whole declined slightly, by 0.5%, mainly due to a decline in the construction sector (-13.9%). At the same time, investments in infrastructure and manufacturing grew by 1.1% and 4%, respectively.
The unemployment rate in September fell to 5.2% from 5.3% a month earlier.
Experts from the Experts Club analytical center note that the Chinese economy remains stable despite the slowdown in global demand and difficulties in the real estate sector.
Reference: Experts Club.
For several years now, China has ranked first in the world in terms of economic size, calculated in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), ahead of the US and the EU. This confirms its status as the largest industrial and consumer center on the planet.
The Retail Association of Ukraine (RAU) has launched a project to create a database of Ukrainian manufacturers, designed to unite retail chains and product owners, the association’s press service reported.
According to a press release, the implementation of the project will help trading companies quickly find the right manufacturers and suppliers in Ukraine, and manufacturers will increase their ability to supply products to national networks and regional players.
The project is also designed to support the Ukrainian manufacturer to ensure its stable sales of products and, as a result, the preservation of production, jobs and filling the local and state budgets.
To join the project, a manufacturer or supplier must fill out a form, where, in particular, indicate the list of products, the possibility of organizing delivery, etc.
SPAR International and SPAR organizations in Europe are helping to solve the issue of employment for Ukrainians who had to move to European countries due to the war, according to a company release.
The company is currently accepting applications (temporary and long-term) from displaced Ukrainian citizens in the 17 EU countries where SPAR operates.
The applications consolidate information about the places of residence of internally displaced persons, the level of language proficiency and professional skills. As reported in the release, SPAR pan-European HR directors are united in an international working group to coordinate applications and place retail specialists from Ukraine in their network.
Founded in the Netherlands in 1932, SPAR International Grocery Store operates over 13,000 retail outlets in 52 countries. Since 2017, the network has been developed in Ukraine by the investment group VolWest Group (Lutsk). The network has 68 stores.
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine in December 2021 increased by 5.1% compared to the same month in 2020 in comparable prices, while in November the growth was 5.8%, the State Statistics Service reported.
According to its data, in December, compared to November 2021, retail trade turnover increased by 19.3%.
The agency reported that in 2021, compared to 2020, retail trade turnover increased by 10.7%, to UAH 1.443 trillion.
The largest growth in the retail trade turnover of enterprises (legal entities and individual entrepreneurs) in 2021 compared to 2020 was recorded in Chernivtsi (by 25.7%), Ternopil (by 23.2%), Zakarpattia (by 20.7%), Vinnytsia (by 18.5%), Lviv (by 17.3%), Poltava (by 15.1%), Rivne (by 15%), Zhytomyr (by 14.2%), Cherkasy (by 13.3%), Chernihiv regions (by 12.4%).
According to the State Statistics Service, the leaders in absolute terms of retail turnover in 2021 were Kyiv city (UAH 279.124 billion), Dnipropetrovsk (UAH 132.258 billion), Kyiv (UAH 120.074 billion), Odesa (UAH 107.05 billion), Kharkiv (UAH 97.838 billion) and Lviv (UAH 89.465 billion) regions.
The service clarified that the turnover of retail trade enterprises (legal entities) in December 2021 compared to December 2020 increased by 5.8%, from November 2021 – by 19.3%, amounting to UAH 110.935 billion.
In general, in 2021, the retail turnover of enterprises increased by 10.9% (relative to 2020), to UAH 1.044 trillion. The wholesale turnover of enterprises for the year decreased by 6.8% and amounted to UAH 3.341 trillion.
As reported, in 2020, the retail trade turnover in Ukraine increased by 8.4% compared to 2019, to UAH 1.211 trillion.
The State Statistics Service recalls that the data are given without taking into account the temporarily occupied territories of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the city of Sevastopol, parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Retail trade turnover in Ukraine in December 2021 increased by 5.1% compared to the same month in 2020 in comparable prices, while in November the growth was 5.8%, the State Statistics Service reported. According to its data, in December, compared to November 2021, retail trade turnover increased by 19.3%.
The agency reported that in 2021, compared to 2020, retail trade turnover increased by 10.7%, to UAH 1.443 trillion.
The largest growth in the retail trade turnover of enterprises (legal entities and individual entrepreneurs) in 2021 compared to 2020 was recorded in Chernivtsi (by 25.7%), Ternopil (by 23.2%), Zakarpattia (by 20.7%), Vinnytsia (by 18.5%), Lviv (by 17.3%), Poltava (by 15.1%), Rivne (by 15%), Zhytomyr (by 14.2%), Cherkasy (by 13.3%), Chernihiv regions (by 12.4%). According to the State Statistics Service, the leaders in absolute terms of retail turnover in 2021 were Kyiv city (UAH 279.124 billion), Dnipropetrovsk (UAH 132.258 billion), Kyiv (UAH 120.074 billion), Odesa (UAH 107.05 billion), Kharkiv (UAH 97.838 billion) and Lviv (UAH 89.465 billion) regions.
