The VARUS chain is a regular participant in Favorite Food&Drinks and is expanding its presence in the southern and central regions. What successes has it had?
Since the beginning of 2024, the VARUS supermarket chain of Valeriy Kiptyk and Ruslan Shostak has announced its expansion into the southern and central regions of the country and its desire to gain a foothold in them.
There are currently five VARUS supermarkets in Odesa, three of which opened this year. In addition, in 2024, a store was opened in Zaporizhzhia and Pokrova in the Dnipro region.
“In early November, we also returned to expanding our network in Kyiv region and opened the first VARUS Home supermarket in Bilohorodka, Bucha district. In the future, VARUS will continue to open new stores in the regions where we operate and renovate the existing ones," said Anna Luhanska, Marketing Director of VARUS supermarket chain.
The chain's supermarkets operate in three formats: a regular classic supermarket, VARUS Home and To Go. Currently, mainly the first two are being opened.
The classic format combines a supermarket and a food hall with its own kitchen. This is a large store area with a wide range of products for large purchases. VARUS Home is a convenience store format. These stores are smaller and have a less extensive product range.
In the VARUS chain, this format is also distinguished by its design. The focus is on a homely atmosphere - from soft lighting to wicker baskets for bread. There are also cafes in stores of this format.
The To Go format is designed primarily for quick purchases. Supermarkets in this format are also smaller and offer fewer items. The focus is on ready-to-eat meals, coffee and snacks.
When choosing where to open a store and what format to use, the chain is guided by the target audience, potential store traffic, existing retailers nearby and customer demand.
"The analysis also takes into account such factors as the average footfall of the location, the cost and terms of rent and utilities, repair costs, convenience and cost of logistics, and much more. For such a comprehensive analysis, VARUS employs its own specialists, and if necessary, we can also turn to external consultants," says the marketing director.
In the new regions, the biggest competitors are national chains such as ATB and Silpo.
"If we talk about the Odesa region, Tavria B is also a serious player there, and it is a significant competitor to the other 'giants'," says Luhanska.
To stand out from the competition, the chain combines several approaches. The first is its own trademarks, which offer a combination of price and quality. VARUS has 12 own brands, which in total include more than 2,000 product items. Another is to minimise queues at self-service checkouts.
They also use digital solutions: in the chain's app, you can scan goods, add them to a virtual basket and pay at a self-service checkout.
"In VARUS supermarkets in Dnipro, the service allows you to pay directly on your smartphone without having to wait in queues. Now the company is actively scaling this feature across the entire network - by the end of the year, this option will be available in Kyiv," says Anna Luhanska.
Source: biz.liga.net