Attendance at shopping centers in Kyiv decreased from 506 people per 1,000 square meters GLA at the beginning of 2022 to 362 people at the beginning of 2023, the press service of the Ukrainian trade guild told the Interfax-Ukraine agency. As UTG Director Evgenia Loktionova reported, the biggest drop was noted at the beginning of the war, as a result of the first quarter, attendance dropped to a historic low of 291 people.

“The expulsion of enemy troops from the territory of Kyiv region brought the population back to the capital, led to the opening of commercial real estate, and attendance gradually began to recover, reaching 362 people by the beginning of 2023,” Loktionova said. The expert noted that district-format shopping centers, which include a smaller number of international large-format department stores (Inditex, M&S, GAP, IKEA), show greater stability in attendance (496 people at the beginning of 2023) compared to regional (274 people) facilities.

According to the assessment of UTG experts, the centers of the district format, which are the concentration of goods and services of daily demand, remain the least prone to fluctuations in attendance. According to Loktionova, the post-war decline in attendance will be particularly noticeable in facilities that are morally outdated, losing popularity, and inconveniently located.

The UTG company was established in 2001. Developed more than 1,300 concepts of real estate objects. During the years of work, 4.7 million square meters of commercial space in Ukraine were leased with the participation of the company.