The Lviv-based group "Eurotek" announced the closure of all four of its retail networks — supermarkets Arsen, Fresh, Soyuz, and Kvartal. For Arsen, this marks the end of 24 years of operations on the Ukrainian market.
The company has not published an official explanation, but the context is clear: the full-scale invasion has shrunk the consumer market in the Lviv region, logistics costs have risen, and competition from federal chains — ATB, Silpo, Novus — has only intensified. Regional players have found themselves in a structural trap: too small to get the best conditions from suppliers, and too inflexible to quickly reformat themselves.
Arsen opened in 2001 and became part of the everyday geography of Lviv residents — not just a store, but a landmark in the neighborhood. There are fewer and fewer such networks in Ukraine: since 2022, regional retail has suffered disproportionately greater losses than national giants.
The closure of "Eurotek" is not merely a business failure. It is a symptom of how the war reshapes not only the front line, but also the economic map of the rear: medium-sized businesses are being washed away, leaving either major players or small-scale trade.
How many people will lose their jobs and whether they will receive appropriate compensation remains unclear. This is the most pressing question now: if "Eurotek" is liquidated without settling its obligations to employees, the scale of the closure will take on a different dimension.
