By KYIV. Dec 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Epicenter chain is starting to develop a new format of stores under the Grand Furniture Center brand, aimed at the middle and premium segments, the company’s press service reported.
The first Grand Furniture Center will open on December 2 in the capital’s shopping center Epicenter at 20d Poliarna Street. It will occupy an area of 15,000 square meters, which is almost four times more than the company’s standard furniture centers in major cities. The press service notes that approximately the same area was occupied by the entire first Epicenter, which opened in Kyiv in 2003.
“In the future, we plan to develop this format in all major cities of Ukraine, opening four more Grand Furniture Centers in Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa. Today the company is the largest furniture seller in Ukraine with a share of up to 10%. In the next three to five years, we plan to double our sales both by opening new store formats and by entering new price segments,” says Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, director of the Furniture department at Epicenter K.
The Grand Furniture Center plans to sell not only finished products, but also custom-made furniture. A new trade model for Ukraine will also be presented – turnkey sale of interiors (furniture with decor, paintings, carpets, etc.).
Great emphasis will be placed on the service component – the number of professional personnel will increase significantly. At the same time, the brands presented in the store will provide their sales representatives for consultations with visitors.
The retail space of the new store will be divided into four large zones: Market (ready-made furniture for the mass market segment), Family (mid-price furniture for the whole family), Custom (custom-made furniture) and Design (ready-made interiors). Each of these zones will be highlighted in a separate color, and intuitive navigation will help visitors quickly find the desired department and product.
Epicenter K LLC was created in 2003 and opened its first hypermarket in Kyiv in December of the same year. Today it is developing the country’s largest network of shopping centers, Epicenter, which is a market leader in the retail trade segment of household goods and repairs.
