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During the war, the number of shoppers at the shopping center noticeably declined \u2014 which is understandable. Furniture, even in peacetime, wasn\u2019t a basic necessity, and during the war, the need to buy new items dropped even further. On top of that, many Ukrainians experienced a significant decline in purchasing power.
Still, the spacious retail spaces of B-52 did not become empty \u2014 not in terms of visitors, and even more importantly, not in terms of tenants. The shopping center continues to offer favorable conditions not only for retail, but also for offices, storage, and other commercial uses.<\/p>\n
We asked B-52 director Liubov Makerova to share what new steps her team has taken to strengthen their leasing position.<\/p>\n
– We understand how difficult it is right now for our core clients \u2014 furniture businesses \u2014 to stay afloat. Nearly every second furniture company is experiencing financial difficulties. That\u2019s why the most important thing we did was reduce and stabilize the rent. It was crucial to ease the burden on our tenants without becoming unprofitable ourselves. The decision proved timely and effective \u2014 hardly any tenants left our center, except for a few companies that ceased operations entirely. On the contrary, in 2023 alone, we signed new leases totaling over 1,200 square meters.<\/em><\/p>\n Some of our long-time tenants include Konstanta, Taburetka, SimYa, Divanoff, Bis M, UkrIzra, Birka, and many others.<\/em><\/p>\n I should also mention a special benefit we call \u2018renovation holidays.\u2019 It means that when a company moves in, they can set up their rented space however they like. And during this setup period \u2014 one or even two months \u2014 rent is charged at a discounted rate. It\u2019s definitely a convenience.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 And what about attracting more visitors and potential buyers?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n – We invited Nova Poshta to open a branch in the shopping center, which has been operating since the beginning of the year. We also reached out to Ukrposhta. A division of the Main Service Center of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Ukraine operates on our premises, attracting motorists. They can also access services from the insurance company Oranta. Additionally, experts from the Kyiv Scientific Research Forensic Center of the MIA consult on-site. There\u2019s also a financial institution \u2014 a branch of Kominbank. Visitors and our clients can also shop at an ATB supermarket, which recently moved under our roof. It’s essential that both visitors and tenants can access all these services \u2014 this adds even more appeal to our center.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 Among your three leasing directions \u2014 retail, office, and storage \u2014 have any priorities shifted during the war?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n – Not really. Retail space is still the most in demand. But there is one common trend: potential tenants are mostly looking for smaller rental areas.<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 You\u2019ve already done a lot to attract new tenants and make current ones feel more comfortable, and to draw more visitors. But we assume you\u2019re not stopping there?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n – Exactly. We recently renovated a large section of the roof \u2014 about 5,000 square meters \u2014 which, as you can imagine, wasn\u2019t cheap. We replaced all windows with more energy-efficient ones and upgraded the water supply system to avoid unexpected issues.<\/em><\/p>\n Soon, we plan to enhance our energy resilience by installing solar panels to use solar energy.<\/em><\/p>\n We\u2019re also preparing projects for rebranding the halls, the facade, elevators, landscaping, and advertising. As soon as the war ends, we\u2019ll begin bringing those ideas to life.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\t\t\n
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