On December 17, the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award ceremony, organized by Forbes Ukraine, took place in Kyiv. Lev Zhydenko and Taras Panasenko, co-founders of "Aurora Multimarket" were named the best entrepreneurs of Ukraine in 2024.
This year has been a landmark one for Aurora, marked by significant achievements. Our chain, now the second largest in Ukraine by the number of stores, includes over 1,600 locations.
Aurora Multimarket has embarked on international expansion, opening 30 stores and a distribution center in Romania. Additionally, we launched our e-commerce platform AVRORA.UA and are working on developing a mobile application to make shopping even more convenient for our customers.
To support the company's growth, we invested in a large logistics complex near Kyiv, which we plan to restore by 2026. Notably, in the first half of 2024, our revenue increased by 46.7%, reaching16.9 billion UAH.
We also support Ukrainian suppliers by helping them enter international markets: thanks to Aurora, 25 companies have started operating in Romania.
“I told our 15,000-strong Aurora Multimarket team that this recognition is entirely their achievement. It’s a testament to their ambition, determination, and absolute obsession with delivering the best to our millions of customers in Ukraine and now in Romania. Endless gratitude to our defenders, who every day, every moment, for nearly three years, have protected us at the cost of their lives, time, and health, so that we can build a better country with a strong economy,” wrote Taras Panasenko in a Facebook post about the award.
“On the one hand, it’s exciting, and on the other, it’s an opportunity to share our vision and approaches with more Ukrainians, gradually moving towards becoming a nation of successful entrepreneurs. I take this opportunity to thank the big and amazing Aurora Multimarket team because there was a time when many thought Taras and I were crazy for planning to become a leader in Eastern Europe with just 11 stores. But we faced all these challenging times together, learned, and improved—and although we’re still just as crazy, at least we now have proof that some of our ideas work,” wrote Lev Zhydenko in a Facebook post about the award.
This recognition is the achievement of every member of our team and proof that growth is possible even in the most challenging circumstances. We thank our partners, customers, and employees for their trust and collaboration. Together, we are moving forward and shaping the future!
