The average vacancy rate of shopping and entertainment centers in Kyiv that continue to operate in 2025 was 12.8%, which is 0.3 percentage points less than the previous year, UTG company reported.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday, the vacancy rate is approximately 12.8%. We see that development is not stopping, and most likely, the new offer will put pressure on the vacancy rate, and it will gradually increase. However, we also see another trend, when many brands that have put development in Ukraine on hold will gradually enter our domestic market. Therefore, most likely, the trend will be positive, and by 2027 we expect a realistic vacancy rate of 11.5%,\u201d said Kostyantyn Oliynyk, head of the strategic consulting department at UTG, at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency in Kyiv on Wednesday. According to him, taking into account the facilities that are currently not operating, the average vacancy rate is 13%. The vacancy rate continues to be pressured by restrictions caused by the war (closing during air raids and curfews), as well as uncertainty in the work of entertainment operators, which has actually been ongoing since the era of Covid quarantine.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the capital\u2019s market is experiencing a leveling of vacancy in facilities of various formats. Thus, the highest indicator was recorded in regional shopping centers \u2013 14.9%, and district facilities \u2013 13.9%. The level of free space in specialized SECs is on average 10.1%. Traditionally, the lowest vacancy is characteristic of district shopping centers (6.5%), located near places of concentrated population residence.<\/p>\n
As Oliynyk reported, the highest vacancy in Kyiv is inherent in large SECs and facilities that are currently undergoing reformatting\/reconceptualization: Blockbuster Mall, Promenada Center, \u201cMarmelad\u201d, \u201cAtmosphere\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe largest facilities simply do not have enough large operators to fill the space,\u201d the expert explained.<\/p>\n
In addition, due to the war, some developers from the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine are starting to consider other regions for development.<\/p>\n
In the future, the increase in the level of free space in shopping centers will be influenced by the opening of large-format facilities against the background of a limited range of retailers and the need for post-war reformatting and reconception of shopping galleries, including the restoration of facilities, according to the UTG study.<\/p>\n
The UTG company was established in 2001. It has developed more than 1.3 thousand concepts of real estate facilities. Over the years of work with the company\u2019s participation, 4.7 million sq. m of commercial space in Ukraine has been leased.<\/p>\n