Kyiv said goodbye to a legend: the last Continent store closed after 30 years of operation

21 November 2025 18:36

One of the city’s oldest supermarket chains, Continent, has finally ceased to exist in Kyiv. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to a post on the chain’s official Facebook page.

The brand has left the market after more than 20 years of operation, and all of its retail sites are being taken over by Silpo, which is already preparing new stores there.

The chain started in 1993 with a small store, and in 1996 opened the first full-fledged supermarket on Uborevycha Street (now Yefremova Street). The chain grew gradually: retail stores were opened on Jakub Kolas Street (1998), Svobody Avenue (2004), Dmytrivska Street (2011), and another location on Kudriashova Street (2013).

In 2016, Continent tried to relaunch through rebranding, but lost the competition to large national retailers and is now saying goodbye to customers.

The Ukrainian Council of Shopping Centers confirms that all five of the chain’s premises are being taken over by Silpo. The popular supermarket chain is already recruiting staff, and maps show that Kontinent stores are marked as permanently closed. For Silpo, this is a common strategy: to take over ready-made locations after smaller players leave, expanding rapidly in convenient areas. Analysts believe that familiar addresses help retain former customers.

The story of Continent is another example of how local networks are being pushed out by large corporations with large resources. For Kyiv residents, this is both a farewell to a part of their everyday life and a transition to a more modern shopping format with a wider range of products and services. For Silpo, it means strengthening its position in the capital. After all, their branded designer supermarkets will open on the site of the old Continents.