Children's entertainment becomes main anchor of Ukrainian retail real estate – expert
Children's entertainment facilities and food courts are becoming the main anchors of retail real estate in Ukraine mid the rapid development of e-commerce, said Kateryna Cherniak, director of the Epiland network, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
"A key trend is the rapid development of e-commerce. As shopping increasingly moves online, consumers have fewer reasons to visit shopping malls. Therefore, if retail used to be the main 'anchor' of commercial real estate, now this role is shifting to entertainment and food courts, which become the driver that motivates people to leave their homes and gain at least some positive experience," she said.
According to the expert, this is a global trend affecting both the reformatting of existing properties and the development of new ones.
"Not long ago, family indoor amusement parks in European shopping malls were a rarity, but now they are actively developing within existing facilities and occupy areas of optimized grocery stores or shops that have changed their formats due to e-commerce. Likewise, in new shopping malls, more and more space is being allocated to family entertainment and social entertainment. By the way, the Ukrainian market moved in this direction even earlier than the European one, since entertainment centers in shopping malls, as an integral part of retailtainment, began appearing as far back as 10 years ago," she noted.
In her assessment, the industry will continue to grow, but the pace of growth will depend on many factors.
"Of course, we place our hopes on Ukraine's postwar recovery, but we understand that the entertainment industry will not be a priority in this process, as there are many other critically important sectors for recovery. Therefore, there is a sense that the entertainment market will be developed by Ukrainian investor-enthusiasts who see this primarily as a mission and a higher purpose," Cherniak said.
An important prerequisite for business development is the potential size of the market: many children have left the country, and it is unlikely that all of them will return.
"Ukraine's population has declined significantly due to the war, migration, and low birth rates. At the same time, Ukrainians' consumption model has already changed. People strive to live here and now, so they buy fewer things and spend more on experiences. Moreover, it is not only children who seek entertainment. Teenagers and adults represent another huge segment that is only beginning to take shape, and we have already started working with it," the Epiland director said.
Epiland is a relatively new project of the Epicenter group of companies, launched in 2024. Since then, the Epiland family leisure park network has grown to three facilities in Ukraine (in Kyiv at 20-D Poliarna Street, in Chabany, and in Obukhiv). The network's team is currently working on a project in Lviv, which, after opening, will become the largest themed indoor park in Europe.
The Epicenter group of companies is an omnichannel ecosystem that includes the Epicenter and Nova Linia retail chains, the epicentrk.ua online store, the Epicenter-Agro agricultural holding, Epicenter Ceramic Corporation ceramic tile plants, the Osmoloda woodworking enterprise, and logistics facilities. As of December 2025, the retailer's network comprises 72 shopping centers in Ukraine.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the shareholders of Epicenter K LLC are Oleksandr Hereha (51.3%), Halyna Hereha (47.97%), and Tetiana Surzhyk (0.73%).
