Velyka Kyshenia

Velyka Kyshenia, whose Ukrainian name Велика Кишеня translates roughly as “Big Pocket,” is a Ukrainian grocery-retail brand and retail network based in Kyiv. The business emerged in April 2000 when the first Kyiv supermarket was opened through Kviza-Trade LLC. It developed as a supermarket and hypermarket operator serving Ukrainian consumers and became one of the country’s significant food-retail chains. The broader retail group associated with the brand has also operated other formats, including VK Express convenience-oriented stores, VK Select premium stores, and the Velmart supermarket and hypermarket chain. The company’s early growth was reflected in the scale of its turnover. Reported trade turnover reached UAH 1.4 billion in 2005, while network revenue was reported at UAH 2.4 billion in 2006. These figures belong to the historical development of the business and are not treated as current financial data. In the early summer of 2010, the chain began a brand redesign intended to refresh the visual and retail identity of the “Big Pocket” network. During the 2010s, Velyka Kyshenia operated within the Retail Group controlled by businessman Roman Lunin. Retail Group pursued a multi-format strategy rather than relying solely on the original Velyka Kyshenia supermarket format. In 2012, VK Express and VK Select formats appeared online, and in 2013 the group described expansion of these concepts as a strategic priority. That same year, Retail Group acquired four Milky Way stores and two Stolychny delis in Kyiv, broadening its presence in neighborhood and premium food retail. The group’s chief financial officer said the planned expansion budget for that period was between US$5 million and US$10 million, although the cited material does not establish how much was ultimately spent. A major later development was the conversion of selected Velyka Kyshenia stores into Velmart supermarkets and hypermarkets. In 2015, locations in Obukhiv and Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region were reformatted as Velmart hypermarkets as part of retail-space optimization. The combined area of the Velmart sites opened that year was reported as 5,500 square meters. Retail Group subsequently planned to rebrand additional individual Velyka Kyshenia supermarkets into Velmart stores, with six openings or conversions targeted by the end of 2016 and reported investment of UAH 24 million for Velmart development that year. By 2021, the group was planning to close four of its thirteen Velyka Kyshenia stores in Kyiv and replace them with Velmart locations. The same reference material stated that Retail Group had 35 stores across its network at that time, though it does not clearly specify how many carried each brand. Retail Group revenue was reported at UAH 12.2 billion in 2020, compared with UAH 11 billion in 2019; these figures refer to the group rather than necessarily to Velyka Kyshenia alone. Forbes Ukraine estimated Retail Group’s assets at US$150 million in 2021. The available material does not provide a current store count, current ownership structure beyond Retail Group, or a confirmed standalone website for Velyka Kyshenia. The brand’s documented positioning is mass-market grocery retail, with its historical network complemented by convenience, premium, and hypermarket formats under related names.

Velyka Kyshenia began in April 2000 with the opening of its first Kyiv supermarket on the basis of Kviza-Trade LLC. The chain developed as a Ukrainian supermarket and hypermarket operator and expanded its presence in the country’s grocery-retail market. Its Ukrainian name means approximately “Big Pocket,” a name that became associated with the chain’s mass-market food and household retail proposition. The network recorded substantial reported growth during its first decade. Trade turnover reached UAH 1.4 billion in 2005, and revenue was reported at UAH 2.4 billion in 2006. The available source presents these as historical company figures and does not provide a current standalone financial series for the Velyka Kyshenia brand. In 2010, the chain initiated a redesign of its brand identity, signaling an effort to modernize the customer-facing presentation of the network. Velyka Kyshenia later operated as part of Retail Group, associated with businessman Roman Lunin. Retail Group developed several complementary retail concepts. VK Express served a more local or convenience-oriented role, while VK Select targeted a premium segment. Both formats appeared online in 2012, and in 2013 the group stated that expansion would focus particularly on these concepts. Retail Group also expanded through acquisitions, purchasing four Milky Way stores and two Stolychny delis in Kyiv in 2013. Four of the acquired delis were located in the Pechersk district. From the middle of the 2010s, Retail Group increasingly used Velmart as a hypermarket and supermarket growth platform. Two Velyka Kyshenia stores, in Obukhiv and Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, were converted into Velmart hypermarkets in 2015. The conversions were described as part of an optimization of retail space, and the Velmart locations opened that year had a combined area of 5,500 square meters. Retail Group then planned further rebranding of selected Velyka Kyshenia stores, targeting six Velmart openings or conversions by the end of 2016 and reporting UAH 24 million in investment for Velmart development during that year. The same strategic direction continued into 2021. Retail Group planned to close four of thirteen Velyka Kyshenia stores in Kyiv and introduce Velmart outlets in their place. The source material reported 35 stores for the broader Retail Group network at that time. It also reported group revenue of UAH 12.2 billion in 2020, up from UAH 11 billion in 2019, and a Forbes Ukraine estimate of US$150 million for Retail Group’s assets in 2021. These numbers concern the parent group and should not be interpreted as Velyka Kyshenia-only results. The available record therefore presents Velyka Kyshenia as an established Ukrainian grocery-retail brand whose role within Retail Group evolved over time. Rather than remaining the sole vehicle for expansion, the brand became part of a portfolio strategy combining the original Velyka Kyshenia network with VK Express, VK Select, and Velmart. The cited sources do not establish a current store count, a current standalone website, or the precise extent to which the Velyka Kyshenia name remained in use after the planned 2021 conversions.

• 2021

  Kyiv network reconfiguration announced

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  Four of thirteen Kyiv Velyka Kyshenia stores were planned for closure and replacement by Velmart outlets.

• 2016

  Further Velmart development planned

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  Retail Group planned six Velmart openings or conversions and reported UAH 24 million in development investment for the network.

• 2015

  Two stores rebranded as Velmart hypermarkets

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  Velyka Kyshenia sites in Obukhiv and Bila Tserkva were reformatted under the Velmart brand.

• 2013

  Retail Group expands through acquisitions

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  The group acquired four Milky Way stores and two Stolychny delis in Kyiv.

• 2012

  VK Express and VK Select formats appear online

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  Retail Group introduced online versions of the VK Express and VK Select concepts.

• 2010

  Brand redesign begins

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  The retail network began redesigning the Big Pocket brand.

• 2006

  Network revenue reaches UAH 2.4 billion

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  The network’s reported revenue reached UAH 2.4 billion.

• 2005

  Trade turnover reaches UAH 1.4 billion

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  Historical reporting placed the company’s trade turnover at UAH 1.4 billion.

• 2000

  First Kyiv supermarket opens

  [1]Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org

  The first Velyka Kyshenia supermarket opened in Kyiv through Kviza-Trade LLC, marking the beginning of the network’s development.

Mass-market Ukrainian grocery retail, historically spanning supermarkets and hypermarkets and supported by related convenience and premium formats within Retail Group.

• Supermarkets · 2000

  Velyka Kyshenia supermarkets

  The core Velyka Kyshenia format consists of supermarkets selling groceries, fresh food, packaged consumer goods, household products, and other everyday necessities. The format formed the foundation of the network after the first Kyiv opening in 2000 and remained the brand’s principal historical retail expression.

• Hypermarkets

  Velyka Kyshenia hypermarkets

  The hypermarket expression extended the chain’s grocery proposition with a larger retail footprint and a broader assortment of food and household goods. Some locations were later converted or rebranded as Velmart hypermarkets during Retail Group’s network optimization.

• Convenience retail · 2012

  VK Express

  VK Express was Retail Group’s smaller, neighborhood-oriented format associated with convenient local shopping. The concept appeared online in 2012 and was identified in 2013 as one of the group’s principal expansion priorities.

• Premium food retail · 2012

  VK Select

  VK Select was the group’s premium-oriented retail format. It appeared online in 2012 and complemented the broader Velyka Kyshenia supermarket network by targeting customers seeking a more upscale shopping proposition.

• 2010Big Pocket brand redesign

  Ukraine

  The network started a redesign of the Velyka Kyshenia brand during the early summer of 2010.

  Outcome. The available source confirms the redesign process but does not describe its final visual system or measured commercial results.

  Source

• 2021

  Planned closure and replacement of Kyiv storesStrategy

  Background

  Retail Group was continuing to consolidate and optimize its brand portfolio.

  Action taken

  Four of thirteen Velyka Kyshenia stores in Kyiv were planned for closure and replacement with Velmart locations.

  Aftermath

  The plan indicated a reduced role for the Velyka Kyshenia name in Kyiv and a stronger emphasis on Velmart, but the source does not confirm the final implementation.

  Source

• 2016

  Planned expansion of the Velmart networkStrategy

  Background

  Retail Group was shifting expansion emphasis toward the Velmart format and planned to rebrand selected Velyka Kyshenia locations.

  Action taken

  The group planned six Velmart openings or conversions by the end of 2016.

  Aftermath

  Reported investment in Velmart development for 2016 was UAH 24 million, although the source does not provide a final completion count.

  Planned Velmart development investment. UAH 24 million (2016)

  Source

• 2015

  Conversion of selected stores to VelmartGeneration change

  Background

  Retail Group was optimizing its retail space and developing the Velmart supermarket and hypermarket concept.

  Action taken

  Velyka Kyshenia stores in Obukhiv and Bila Tserkva were reformatted as Velmart hypermarkets.

  Aftermath

  The converted sites contributed to Velmart’s reported 5,500 square meters of openings in 2015.

  Source

• 2013

  Acquisition of Milky Way stores and Stolychny delisM&A

  Background

  Retail Group sought to expand its presence in Kyiv and across multiple food-retail formats.

  Action taken

  The group acquired four Milky Way stores and two Stolychny delis from businessman Oleksandr Malitsky and his family.

  Aftermath

  The acquisitions strengthened Retail Group’s Kyiv footprint, including in the Pechersk district, while the group continued to prioritize VK Express and VK Select expansion.

  Source

1. 1Velyka Kysheniaen.wikipedia.org