Silpo
A major Ukrainian supermarket chain combining broad grocery retail with themed stores, premium delicatessen formats, private labels, direct imports, and digital services.
Last updated August 31, 2026
AI crawler reads
No AI crawler has read this profile since Oct 28, 2026.
Overview
Silpo is a Ukrainian grocery-retail chain operated by Silpo-Fud and belonging to Fozzy Group. Founded in 1998 with its first store in Kyiv, the chain expanded from a small metropolitan network into one of Ukraine’s largest supermarket businesses. By early 2025, it had 305 stores in 62 Ukrainian cities, although the network and its assets have been affected by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Silpo’s core offer covers food, fresh produce, beverages, household products, personal-care goods, prepared foods, and other everyday necessities. The chain serves a broad mass-market audience but differentiates itself through unusually strong attention to store design, food culture, imported products, and customer experience. A defining feature is its portfolio of individually themed supermarkets. Beginning with an art-led store concept in 2014 and becoming standard for new openings from 2018, Silpo has created locations inspired by subjects such as Kabuki theatre, Alice in Wonderland, The Little Prince, Mavka, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Brazilian and Japanese cultural motifs, neo-folk design, goblincore, steampunk, molecular gastronomy, glassblowing, and other artistic or popular-cultural themes. These stores use distinctive architecture, murals, installations, signage, and merchandising rather than a uniform international-style template. Silpo’s locations have repeatedly appeared in the Europe’s Finest Store rankings published by European Supermarket Magazine. The company also operates Le Silpo, a premium delicatessen format offering higher-end products from Ukraine and abroad, together with food prepared by in-house culinary specialists. Its retail proposition is supported by private-label brands, including Premiya, Premiya Select, Premiya Riki-Tiki, Povna Chasha, Popster, Feels Good, and Zelena Krayina. Silpo has expanded direct imports to obtain distinctive products without intermediary distributors; reference material states that its 2023 range included more than 12,000 imported stock-keeping units from approximately 60 countries. The Shop of Traditions initiative, known in Ukrainian as Lavka Tradytsii, gives smaller Ukrainian producers access to the chain and emphasizes regional and farm products. Silpo has invested steadily in customer technology. Its Vlasnyi Rakhunok, or Personal Account, loyalty program began as a pilot in 2006 and expanded nationally in 2007. The mobile application supports loyalty registration, promotions, bonus tracking, QR-based payment, and online ordering. Since 2020, the company has offered delivery and store pickup through its online supermarket, while LOKO, launched in 2022, combines rapid grocery delivery with meals from partner restaurants. The business has also experimented with self-checkout, in-store radio, FEELtrd coffee bars, payment services, and the Bank Vlasnyi Rakhunok neobank developed with Bank Vostok. The 2022 invasion created major operational and humanitarian challenges. Silpo temporarily closed dozens of stores in heavily affected regions, lost stores in active combat and occupied territories, and suffered the destruction of distribution infrastructure. It responded with generators, Starlink terminals, and Svitalni areas providing electricity, Wi-Fi, device charging, and workspace. The company has also supported hospitals, displaced people, charities, Ukrainian producers, and the armed forces. Its social initiatives include the Heroes of Today campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic, fundraising through special-product sales, and the Plus for Life medical-aid campaign. Silpo remains an active Ukrainian retailer whose identity is built around accessibility, visual creativity, food discovery, and resilience during wartime.
History
Silpo was established in 1998 and opened its first supermarket in Kyiv. It reached five stores by the end of its first year and expanded to 23 supermarkets by 2002, with locations in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia. By 2005, the network had grown to 81 stores and covered most Ukrainian regional centers. This expansion established Silpo as a national grocery chain rather than a Kyiv-only retailer. The company began building its own retail ecosystem in the mid-2000s. In 2006 it introduced several private-label lines, including Premiya, Premiya Select, Premiya Riki-Tiki, and Povna Chasha. Its Vlasnyi Rakhunok loyalty program was piloted in 2006 and rolled out nationally in 2007. By the end of 2008, Silpo had 150 stores. In 2011, openings in Dnipro and Sievierodonetsk gave the chain a presence across all regions of Ukraine. The Shop of Traditions initiative, launched in 2011, added a channel for regional and small-scale Ukrainian producers. Silpo broadened its formats in the following period. It introduced Le Silpo, a premium delicatessen concept, with initial locations in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and Kyiv during the early 2010s and a later Odesa location. In 2014, a Kyiv store using a pop-art concept marked the beginning of Silpo’s individually themed supermarket strategy. An Alice in Wonderland store opened in Lviv in 2015, around the same period that food halls and more extensive prepared-food experiences became part of the supermarket model. From 2016 onward, Silpo increasingly presented itself as an innovative and experiential retailer. Three stores appeared in the Europe’s Finest Store ranking in 2017, and the first True&Local regional gastronomy festival was held that year. In 2018, the chain introduced self-checkout at two Kyiv stores, launched its mobile application, enabled digital payments, and opened what reference material describes as Ukraine’s first in-supermarket recycling station. New stores from 2018 increasingly used original thematic concepts. In 2019, Silpo and Animagrad opened a store inspired by the Ukrainian animated film Mavka. The 2020–2021 period brought further digital, environmental, and service initiatives. Silpo opened a recycling-oriented supermarket certified under the BREEAM environmental standard, launched a radio station and FEELtrd coffee bars, and expanded online ordering. It also partnered with Bank Vostok on Bank Vlasnyi Rakhunok. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Heroes of Today campaign recognized frontline workers, while the company reported substantial support for hospitals and protective equipment. In 2021, it opened 35 designer supermarkets, and a Merman installation associated with Burning Man was placed in a store at Respublika Park in Kyiv. Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 disrupted the chain’s operations. Silpo temporarily closed 38 stores in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. Most were reopened by August, but 31 supermarkets were lost in active combat zones or temporarily occupied territories, and a distribution center near Brovary was destroyed. The company continued reopening and developing stores where conditions permitted, while adding generators, Starlink connectivity, and Svitalni customer zones during attacks on energy infrastructure. LOKO rapid delivery was launched in 2022. Silpo continued opening unusual designer locations in 2023 and 2024, using concepts linked to goblincore, neo-folk art, Gaudí, glassblowing, cyberculture, claymation, prehistoric art, and molecular gastronomy. It also expanded direct imports, became an official Ukrainian partner of Vivino, and adopted Nutri-Score labeling for certain private-label products. In 2024, a Kherson store displayed an “I’m Fine” mural after having been damaged during occupation and shelling. A later missile strike destroyed a frozen-goods warehouse in the Boryspil district. The chain continued renovations and new concept openings in 2025, including themes associated with Through the Looking Glass, chindōgu, local majolica, the Lypky district, and pumpkins. Its present identity combines national supermarket scale, artistic store design, premium food retail, digital convenience, and wartime resilience.
- 2025
Themed-store program continues
[1]Silpo continued opening or renovating concept stores, including Through the Looking Glass, chindōgu, local majolica, and Lypky-inspired locations.
- 2024
Warehouse destroyed by missile strike
[1]A frozen-goods warehouse in the Boryspil district was destroyed during a December missile strike.
- 2022
Silpo adapts to full-scale war
[1]The chain temporarily closed stores in heavily affected regions, lost stores and distribution assets, and added generators, Starlink, and Svitalni zones.
- 2022
LOKO launches
[1]Silpo introduced rapid delivery for groceries and restaurant meals.
- 2020
Online retail and environmental formats develop
[1]The company expanded online ordering, opened a BREEAM-certified recycling-oriented supermarket, and launched additional service concepts.
- 2018
Digital and recycling initiatives expand
[1]Silpo launched its mobile app, introduced self-checkout in selected stores, and opened an in-store recycling station.
- 2017
Silpo enters Europe’s Finest Store rankings
[1]Three Silpo locations appeared in the European supermarket-design ranking, and the True&Local gastronomy festival was launched.
- 2014
Themed-store strategy begins
[1]A pop-art supermarket in Kyiv marked the start of Silpo’s individually themed-store concept.
- 2012
Le Silpo format launches
[1]Silpo introduced its premium delicatessen format, initially in Kharkiv.
- 2008
Network reaches 150 stores
[1]Silpo’s store count reached 150.
Products and positioning
A design-led Ukrainian supermarket brand with broad everyday assortment, premium and imported food options, strong private labels, and an experience-oriented retail environment.
Supermarket retail · 1998
Silpo supermarkets
The main Silpo format offers a broad grocery and household assortment, including fresh food, packaged food, beverages, household products, personal-care items, prepared foods, and imported specialties. Stores are designed for frequent everyday shopping but often include food halls, tastings, culinary counters, and distinctive interior concepts.
Experiential retail · 2014
Designer supermarkets
Since 2014, Silpo has developed stores around individual artistic themes rather than a single standardized visual identity. Concepts have drawn on literature, animation, games, national cultures, artistic movements, internet subcultures, and local history. From 2018, original design concepts became a regular feature of new stores.
Premium delicatessen retail · 2012
Le Silpo
Le Silpo is a premium-format delicatessen chain with elegant interiors, high-end domestic and imported products, and food prepared by in-house culinary specialists. It extends Silpo’s grocery proposition into specialty food and upscale entertaining.
Private-label grocery products · 2006
Private-label portfolio
Silpo develops and sells private-label goods under names including Premiya, Premiya Select, Premiya Riki-Tiki, Povna Chasha, Popster, Feels Good, and Zelena Krayina. The portfolio spans everyday grocery, premium, children’s, snack, and lifestyle-oriented categories.
Loyalty program · 2006
Vlasnyi Rakhunok
Vlasnyi Rakhunok, meaning Personal Account, rewards shoppers with bonus points known as balobonuses. The program is integrated into Silpo’s mobile application and related financial services, allowing customers to track benefits and use them toward subsequent purchases.
E-commerce and delivery · 2020
Silpo online supermarket
Silpo’s online service provides home delivery and store pickup for grocery orders. The company has expanded delivery coverage and offered longer-distance delivery from regional centers in selected Ukrainian regions.
Rapid delivery · 2022
LOKO
LOKO is a rapid-delivery service combining Silpo grocery products with prepared meals from partner restaurants. It was introduced during the wartime period as part of the company’s convenience and digital-retail strategy.
Local-producer program · 2011
Shop of Traditions
Shop of Traditions, or Lavka Tradytsii, gives small Ukrainian and regional producers shelf access through Silpo stores. The program emphasizes farm products, local identity, and food produced by smaller suppliers, and joined the Slow Food movement in 2021.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Plus for Life
Ukraine
Silpo partnered with the Ptakhy initiative to raise funds for tactical medical supplies for Ukrainian defence and volunteer formations. A contribution was linked to purchases of specially marked products.
Outcome. The campaign set a UAH 40 million fundraising target for medical supplies.
- 2023Soledar salt fundraising
Ukraine
Silpo sold a special batch of salt sourced from the mines of temporarily occupied Soledar.
Outcome. Reference material reports that the campaign raised UAH 58.5 million for kamikaze drones.
- 2023Instoryky
Ukraine
The educational charity project used fundraising to support medical needs during the war.
Outcome. Reference material reports UAH 5 million raised for 7,000 medical kits.
- 2020Heroes of Today
Ukraine
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Silpo highlighted medical and other frontline workers and supported hospitals and protective-equipment provision.
Outcome. Reference material reports UAH 100 million in support for hospitals and personal protective equipment.
- 2017True&Local
Ukraine
Silpo launched a regional gastronomy festival celebrating Ukrainian local producers and food traditions.
Outcome. The festival became part of Silpo’s food-culture and local-producer positioning.
Brand decisions
2023
Expand direct imports and nutrition labelingStrategyBackground
Silpo was seeking differentiated assortment and clearer information on selected private-label foods.
Action taken
The company expanded direct imports, entered an official Ukrainian partnership with Vivino, and introduced Nutri-Score color labels on eligible private-label products.
Aftermath
The measures reinforced Silpo’s food-discovery, transparency, and differentiated-assortment strategy.
2022
Adapt stores and logistics to wartime conditionsStrategyBackground
Russia’s full-scale invasion caused temporary closures, occupation-related losses, infrastructure destruction, power disruptions, and supply-chain risks.
Action taken
Silpo reopened viable stores, installed generators and Starlink terminals, created Svitalni support areas, and launched LOKO rapid delivery.
Aftermath
The chain maintained operations in many locations while continuing humanitarian support and selective expansion.
2020
Develop online ordering and resilience-oriented formatsStrategyBackground
Changing consumer behavior during the pandemic increased the importance of delivery, pickup, health, and environmental measures.
Action taken
Silpo expanded online ordering, opened a BREEAM-certified recycling-oriented store, and introduced additional service concepts.
Aftermath
The company strengthened its omnichannel and sustainability-oriented positioning.
2018
Expand digital shopping and self-serviceStrategyBackground
Silpo was developing a more convenient, digitally connected shopping experience.
Action taken
It piloted self-checkouts, launched a mobile application, added loyalty and QR-payment functions, and developed digital ordering.
Aftermath
The app and digital services became central components of the chain’s loyalty and online-retail ecosystem.
2014
Adopt individually themed supermarket designStrategyBackground
Silpo sought to distinguish its stores through experiential retail rather than relying solely on assortment and price.
Action taken
The company opened a pop-art-inspired Kyiv store and subsequently developed distinct concepts for individual locations.
Aftermath
The approach became a signature of the brand and a recurring feature in European supermarket-design rankings.
Recent events
- 2024
Russian missile strike destroys a Silpo frozen-goods warehouse[1]
Other
A December missile strike destroyed a frozen-goods warehouse in the Boryspil district and caused losses reported by reference material as exceeding UAH 400 million.
- 2023
Silpo introduces Nutri-Score labeling on selected private-label products[1]
Regulation · Product launch
Silpo became one of the first Ukrainian retailers authorized to use color-coded Nutri-Score labels on its private-label goods.
- 2022
Silpo responds to wartime disruption with resilient-store infrastructure[1]
Other
After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Silpo installed generators and Starlink terminals and created Svitalni areas offering charging, connectivity, and workspace for customers.
- 2022
Silpo launches LOKO rapid delivery[1]
Product launch
LOKO began offering rapid delivery of supermarket products and prepared meals from partner restaurants.
- 2022
Silpo adapts its retail network after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine[2]
Other
The invasion led to temporary or permanent closures of stores in occupied, frontline, or damaged areas, while Silpo continued operating and reopening locations where security and logistics permitted.
- 2022
Silpo adapts store operations during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine[2]
Other
The chain suspended or modified operations at locations affected by hostilities, occupation, damage or security constraints while maintaining and restoring service in safer areas.
- 2021
Silpo expands its themed-supermarket program[1]
Product launch · Other
The chain opened 35 designer supermarkets during the year, continuing its strategy of using distinctive artistic concepts as a core retail differentiator.
Silpo continues developing distinctive themed supermarkets[2]
Other
The chain continued to use individually designed store interiors and thematic concepts as a visible element of its customer proposition.
Silpo continues development of themed supermarket stores[2]
Campaign · Other
The retailer continued using distinctive, subject-based interior concepts as a brand and customer-experience feature across selected locations.
Sources3 sources
Cite this profile: Cite the canonical profile. /brand-wiki/silpo · Editorial policy · How profiles are compiled