Why the EKO market despite the risks, decided to operate in frontline cities and in de-occupied territories, how renovation has affected the turnover and how the overcome the staffing crisis in the full-scale war.
In the present time the supermarket EKO market network counts 81 stores. In the time of full war the opened two new supermarkets and more than 20 have undergone full or partial renovation. Because of that the team focused on work in the central regions of Ukraine, they were forced to leave the western areas. A A because of complicated circumstances a part of supermarkets were closed in eastern regions. In interview RAU Inna Miroshnichenko, President EKO market, said about the humanitarian commission of the network, how the work in the direction of the barrier, about the reinforcement of the trend for all Ukrainian and why the introduced the project The Red Price Store.
About renovation of the network and work in front cities and in Occupied territories
– Network EKO market, despite frequent alarms, risks of destruction continues to operate in frontline cities and in de-occupied territories. Why was this decision made?
– Our stores have not sometimes been targeted by the enemy: drones hit in supermarkets in Sumy, a rocket hit a store in Chernigov, and stores in Kherson survived the period of occupation. Despite all these calls, we continue to work in the front cities and in de-occupied territories, because it is the principal position of our network. We have no moral rightsto leave people without access to the most essentials, which is why EKO market was one of the first to return to the de-occupied territories.
In today there are 19 stores in the front cities and in the de-occupied territories :
- Kherson – three supermarkets;
- Chernigov – five;
- Sumy – six;
- Kramatorsk – – two;
- Nikolaev – -two;
- Shostka – one.
Do last worked our store in Pokrovsk. There was the most difficult situation, but were forced to leave after the introduction of almost round-the-clock commandant hour.
For us working in frontline cities is not about business or profit. This is a humanitarian mission, which we will not deny. And our staff prove that even in these conditions development is possible. For example, the stores in Kherson have repeatedly become leaders in charity collections and all employees dutifully adhere to the fulfillment standards of the network. Also it is the Khersonians first called for our colleagues to wear embroidered shirts.
– Do You have insurance in case of injury due to military action?
– – Unfortunately, standard insurance in Ukraine does not cover damage induced by military action. But we understand the risk, which is why a special recovery fund was established to support the employees in the case of unforeseen incidentssituations.
Restoration of our facilities is provided at our cost and the team will respond quickly to remove the damage caused by Russian shelling.
In addition, we are open to partnerships and actively cooperate with local authorities, volunteers and other businesses to minimize the consequences and get back to work as quickly as possible.
– In the end of spring in 2023 the network announced the strategy of the renovation project. How many stores have been renovated?
– We have been working on the renovation of our stores for about two years. When I became the head of EKO Market in 2020 year, it was clear that we were a little bit distant from the market. So updating has become for me and my team’s task number one. In this time we have conducted renovation of over 25% of supermarkets and this process is actively continuing.
For us renovation is not just about visual changes or modern design. It’s about a more deeper transformation, which affects the entire concept of the EKO market. In the past our stores were associated primarily with the “thrifty supermarket”, but today we are turning EKO market into an affordable store in the broadest meaning of that word. Inclusion, affordable prices and competent staff are the three basic principles on which we build our development.We We want every customer regardless of their abilities to feel comfortable in our stores, find the essentials at a honest price and receive quality service.
For us this is not just an update, it is a step forward, determining which service we will use to.will EKO market tomorrow – modern, open and careful for every customer.
About barrier-free and service
– Can you tell us more about how you work in the barrier-free field?
– – So, in conjunction with the scale renovation, EKO Market has chosen the strategy of barrier-free, the goal of which is to make stores accessible to everyone regardless of physical ability or age limitations. So far 70% of our stores are equipped with ramps, but this is not all.
In the renovated stores we have:
- Wider aisles. The distance between rows is increased to 1,2 m, which provides comfortable movement for everyone, including people in wheeled chairs;
- Tactile tile. Assists people with sight impairments to orient in space, in particular at stairs and panduses;
- Contrasting signs. Interior elements, automatic doors and other important areas are highlighted with contrasting colors for better visibility;
- Self-service cashiers. The payment terminals are adapted so that they can be used conveniently by people wheeled chairs.
But we are not only adapting space, but and investing in people. More than 1020 1020 employees of the network are older people, more 420 420 parents of young children, and more more 120 employees are people with disabilities. They all receive specialized training to help thembetter understand the needs of low-mobility populations.
And the first store completely compliant with the standards of barrier-free, was the market in the city Ukrainka, opened summer 2024 year after renovation.
In 2024 year this experience we scaled up: we opened a renovated store in Bucha, which became the second affordable superstore in the network. And After that were opened and two barrier-free supermarkets in Kiev: on Obolon and on Troeshchina.
And on that we do not plan to stop: EKO Market continues to work on creating an accessible space, because we need everyone to feel comfortable and safe.
– Renovation of EKO Market – is not only a renovated look or modern design, but also significant changes in service. Tell me, what has changed?
– We We have set our goal to make the service of our customers as comfortable and convenient as possible. For this we have created a special training department responsible for the continuous development of qualifications of employees at different levels. In 2023 We launched Corporate University – a platform that allows our employees to gain new knowledge, improve service skills and improve communication with clients. This helps us to improve the quality of service even in the most difficult conditions.
We also have improved the feedback system with customers and continually monitor the situation in our stores. Today we receive feedback about the status and problems in stores from most of our stores.ten different sources. And we are working to increase the variations of how our customer can say their opinion or share their impressions about their purchases. This and the hot line, and the survey in the app, and social networks, and chatbot, and also special projects, like “Let’s honest” the service for collecting feedback.
Thanks to this we can respond quickly to any comments or suggestions, improve processes and create a more comfortable space for shoppers.
Also a pecialty of the last year are partnerships, which we are actively developing, to make the stores more convenient for our customers. We launch collaborations with large business players – postal services, banks, payment systems and other important partners. For example, it is now possible to not only shop in our supermarkets, but and receive parcels, withdraw cash money, receive bonuses and gifts from our partners. And this is just the beginning.
– A Have any recent examples of how they responded to a negative review?
– We have created a specialized fast response team to resolve any issues. For example, recently we received a report that the toilet of one of the supermarkets was flooded with water. After a few minutes we connected with the operative problem solved by the director of the store quite “in two clicks”.
In each store has a manager, who is responsible for the comfort and satisfaction of customers.
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-Share the results, how has renovation impacted on turnover?
– Briefly, our key indicators increase by 25% after implementing renovation of each store. A And we receive many approving feedback from the internal customer – our employees, who are more comfortable working in the renovated stores.
About “Shop Chervornykh prices” and assortment
– The Network launched “Shop Chervornykh prices”. Tell us more about the project.
– Last year we launched the “Shop Chervornykh Prices” with the important message: “People are more important than money”. In the framework of this project we began to sell social goods at prices maximally close to the cost. For example, wheat, sugar and other basic products have become affordable for everyone. At the same time, we increased the frequency of promotions and special offers in all our stores, which also received warm response from our customers.
“Shops chervonykh tsin” operate and today, and the assortment of products with red prices is constantly changed, to cover a wide choice: from sausage and oil to coffee and candy. We strive to ensure every client can find what they need at an affordable price.
– Network is constantly working on expanding assortment. And what is the ratio of goods Ukrainian manufactured and imported?
– – More than 70% of products on the shelves of our network are goods created in Ukraine.In addition, we actively support the National Keshback Initiative, helping to develop the economy of the country and encouraging our customers to choose quality and their customers to choose quality andAVAILABLE.
About attracting and retaining staff
– Almost all Ukrainian retail in the full-scale war is problems with staff. Which what vacancy is the hardest to find people for?
The hardest to find candidates, as usually, for these jobs, like bakers and butchers meat are unspecialized occupations and require determined experience and skills. It is also difficult to find cashiers and salesmen because of high competition in the market of labor. Also Warehouse workers – Packers, Loader Drivers (stackers).
– How How do you retain staff?
– Different. The EKO market team has internal training and development programs for employees, providing opportunities for increasing skills and advancing the career ladder. We also introduce new topics and update training programs. Of course, the important factor is maintaining a stable income, so our iron rule is timely payment of wages . In addition, in peak retail seasons we attract office employees to work in stores, to support the staff and to better understand the specific processes at the locations.
– How many employees are in the Ranks of WWS and how is the company supporting them?
– – As of today this day 167 employees of the network are in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We are proud of their courage and patriotism and do everything possible to support our heroes and their families. First and foremost, the company is retaining their jobs so that they can return to their jobs after their completion.service. Also we have established a special support fund, funds from which are directed to financial assistance for the families of our military personnel, to cover non-emergency needs ormedicalneeds.
– In2024yearturnoverincreasedby6%comparedwiththesameperiod2023year.Butweareworkingonthenextyeartoperformmorebetter,developingournetworkandimprovingthequalityofservices.
-Whatwillthenetworkfocusonin2025year?
-The maingoalofEKOmarketin2025yearistostandandmoveforwards.Weunderstandallofthechallengesbeforeus,butthisonlystrengthensourfaithanddetermination.Wewilldoeveryefforttomakethenextyearmoresuccessfulforoursupermarkets-bothinsalesgrowthandintherenovationofstores.
Ourteamisfocusedonthemain focus-tocreatestores that areaccessibleandconvenientforeveryUkrainian.Wewill continue tokeepprices down,workonbarrier-freeanddoeverything possibletosatisfytheneedsofourguests.Togetherwearecreatingsupermarkets that arenot onlyaplacetoshop,butalsoasymbolofhopeandcareinthesetoughtimes.
Wehaveasupermarket.
