The total area planned for the construction of shopping and entertainment centers (SEC) by the "Epicenter" chain in the coming years amounts to 473,000 square meters.
"The company has established 'Epicenter Development' – a new concept for our markets. It will develop full-fledged SECs that have not yet existed in Ukraine. These will include both 'Epicenter' and Epiland – our family parks," said Sergey Usichenko, Deputy General Director of LLC 'Epicenter K', during the XXII Ukrainian CFO Forum in Kyiv on Thursday.
According to him, the first phase with the 'Epicenter' shopping center has already opened in Chabany (Kyiv region). The second phase, featuring a complete entertainment center, will soon be launched. Additionally, similar SECs are planned for future construction in Bucha (Kyiv region) and Lviv.
As Usichenko noted, the implementation of the company's plans depends on the pace of increasing funding.
"We are by no means halting investments. Typically, our investments consist of about 10-20% debt capital. The rest we finance ourselves. If there is an opportunity to attract funding in larger volumes at acceptable costs, we make these investments faster," he explained.
As previously reported, "Epicenter" has ambitious plans for the construction of new SECs in Lviv, Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, Zaporizhia, and other cities, as well as the refurbishment of outdated facilities within the network. For instance, the first phase of the SEC in Chabany opened on September 28, and the opening of a shopping center in Chernihiv is scheduled for November 9.
The Epicenter Group of Companies is an omnichannel ecosystem that unites the retail chains 'Epicenter' and 'Nova Liniya', the online store epicentrk.ua, the agricultural holding 'Epicenter-Agro', the factories producing ceramic tiles under Epicenter Ceramic Corporation, the woodworking enterprise CBM 'Osmoloda', and logistics capacities.
Prior to the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, the 'Epicenter' network comprised over 80 SECs across all regions of the country. The war destroyed seven SECs in Mariupol, Nikopol, Bucha, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson (two). Three other facilities (in Melitopol, Kramatorsk, and Kharkiv) remain closed due to the occupation of Ukrainian territories, shelling, or proximity to combat zones.
The retail network of the group includes 71 trading facilities under the brands 'Epicenter' and 'Nova Liniya'.
Despite significant losses, the retailer continues to invest in the economy: in 2022-2023, it allocated over 14.2 billion UAH to various projects. Overall, the investment plan of the GC 'Epicenter' for 2030 envisions the development of projects in the sectors of retail, manufacturing, agro-industrial complex, logistics, e-commerce, and energy, totaling approximately 100 billion UAH.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the participants of LLC 'Epicenter K' are Oleksandr Gereda (51.3%), Halyna Gereda (47.97%), and Tatyana Surzhik (0.73%).