Ukraine: Retail Foods Report
Ukraine is a developing country with a market-oriented economy. Following several years of recovery from the 2014 – 2015 economic crisis, the retail food sector has recently demonstrated slow growth. Ukrainian citizens spend more than 50 percent of their income on food and beverages. In general, consumers choose to shop at supermarkets over traditional markets due to competitive prices and longer hours of operation. Consumers increased the frequency of visits to discounters: from 9 times a month in 2016 to 11 times a month in 2017, but supermarkets remain the most important shopping channel. Over 55 percent of consumers consider supermarkets to be the main type of stores for grocery shopping. Health-conscious consumption is a new trend in big cities, with more consumers looking for organic, gluten-free, lactose-free and low sugar content products.
