The possible price for the renovation of Zhytniy Market has been announced: Yevhen Klopotenko has found investors and will speak at the Kyiv City Council
10 April 2024 18:27
ЕКСКЛЮЗИВ
On 15 April, a new auction for the lease of Zhytniy Market for 15 years is due to take place, during which a potential tenant is expected to be granted a part of the building’s premises, subject to major repairs.
From the very beginning, the auction caused a great deal of discussion and dissatisfaction in society, with the allegation that the Zhytniy Market is simply going to be destroyed for construction. A well-known restaurateur and chef Yevhen Klopotenko, who succeeded in postponing the initial auction, insisted on transparency of the competition and requirements for the winner, also spoke out on this issue. In an exclusive comment to Komersant ukrainskyi 
during the War & Food Mastermind, Klopotenko said that he was actively preparing for the auction, had already found investors and even calculated the price of the future renovation of Zhytniy Market.
“I have found investors, talked to three architectural companies that are ready to make the project, they are just waiting for the final decision. It’s very difficult to estimate the cost of renovating Zhytniy Market because its condition changes every year. It takes about a million hryvnias just to assess it and another million to make a project. In general, the figures range from $6 million to $15 million,”
– said the restaurateur.
Yevhen Klopotenko noted that he had already spoken to both the mayor and the President’s Office about the situation around Zhytniy Market.
“I talked to Vitali Klitschko about Zhytniy Market, he called me himself. And I will speak at the Kyiv City Council myself, and we will present the things that civil society wants to see happen to keep Zhytniy Market alive. I have already addressed the President’s Office on this issue and talked to them about the President’s position, and I have spoken to almost all the people involved in the Zhytniy Market. The main position is this: Zhytniy Market will exist when it belongs to people. If there are no people, nothing will happen,” he added,
– he added.
The restaurateur also noted that he is not afraid of the auction because he is confident of winning.
“I’m not afraid that competitors will win, because when you have civil society behind you, there is nothing to be afraid of. I know for sure that the amount will increase, I know for sure that there will be a struggle, but we are confident in our position. Why do I say “we”? Because somehow it happened that I became a representative of the public, I was dubbed a person who represents public interests in all departments of culture and government offices.”
Why Klitschko cancelled the first auction
The initial auction was supposed to take place on 25 March, but it caused outrage in the community because there was critically little time to prepare for it – the relevant lot appeared on the exchange’s website on 18 March, meaning less than a week to prepare. And Yevhen Klopotenko suspected that the winner of the auction had been determined in advance, so he addressed the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, and called on him to engage in dialogue.
“But some people are not satisfied with this piece of land (because that’s how they feel about it). Unexpectedly, for many who are really concerned about the fate of the market and have their finger on the pulse, a tender for a 15-year lease was announced. The deadline for submitting bids is 5 days, and given that the starting price of the auction is UAH 2.5 million, there are thoughts that it may be an auction for a specific winner. This is the case when you really want to be wrong,”
– klopotenko wrote on his Facebook page.
The restaurateur was supported by a large community, including businessmen, who also emphasised a possible preliminary agreement on the winner of the auction.
In the end, the auction was postponed, so we will find out who the winner will be soon.
Read more: The ryemarket wants to live: Klitschko summoned to talk about the building's fate
What makes Zhytniy Market interesting
The Zhytniy Market is the oldest market in Kyiv and the largest indoor market in Europe, and the new market building, which was built in 1980, is a monument of modernist architecture. Despite the fact that the market is still functioning, it is in a rather dilapidated state: lack of repairs, problems with the roof, and despite the presence of tenants. In 2022, the tender for the lease of the market was won by Tangierin, a company owned by beer magnate Florian Bolen. He planned to renovate the building, overhaul it, and open a beer pub and food court. However, according to market representatives and Yevhen Klopotenko, Florian Bolen did not even pay the rent, which has accumulated over UAH 4 million in arrears. Despite the fact that the lawsuits against the beer magnate are still ongoing, the lease agreement is still in force
“Now the city is putting another part of the market up for auction, but the potential tenant is also required to carry out major repairs. How the two tenants should share the repairs is an issue that the mayor’s office has promised to sort out,”
– says Klopotenko.
What exactly is being auctioned
According to the published lot, the lease of more than 11 thousand m² of non-residential premises is up for auction.
The starting rent per month is almost UAH two and a half million. The purpose of each floor of the Zhytniy Market is to remain unchanged:
- ground floor – sale of agricultural products and essential consumer goods;
- second floor – placement of trade facilities, restaurant establishments, and provision of services to the public;
- storage premises for temporary storage of agricultural products, food and non-food products.
