Kyiv’s economic court said this week it had initiated bankruptcy hearings on a leading Ukrainian electronics retailer, Domotekhnika.

Kharkiv-based MKS Ltd., a large player on the computer, household appliances and system integration market, has claimed that the company has not been able to operate normallly since May 7, 2009 due to the actions of VTB Bank.

VolWest Group (Lutsk) investment group on May 16 opened a discount clothes wholesale center for small business at 1, Karbysheva Street in Lutsk, according to a press release of the group.

Sportswear firm Adidas has said profits in the January to March period fell 97% from a year ago after sales were hit by the economic downturn.

German retailer Metro AG said Tuesday its net loss widened in the first quarter as the economic crisis continued to dampen consumer spending and calendar affects shortened the number of trading days.

The municipal government is gradually taking control over street markets, transforming them into organized places for selling agricultural produce.

Retail chains Kaufland (Germany), Tesco (Britain), Wal-Mart (the United States), Carrefour and Castorama (both from France), and LIDL (Germany) have shown interest in the Ukrainian retail market.

One of the world largest discount retailers, German chain LIDL is interested in Ukrainian market. Lidl is currently negotiating JV with the Group of companies “Karavan”. Currently the form of cooperation is being discussed. Investments into opening of a of one 1,000 sqm store (800sqm GLA, 50-100 parking spaces) are estimated at $1M.

Germany’s leading retailer, Metro Group, plans to open its first Ukrainian hypermarket in August under the Real brand.

Carrefour’s current strategy places the Russian market as one of the most important for development.

Swedish retail giant IKEA is still interested in entering Ukraine and, if conditions are favorable, the company could invest around $2.5 billion into the local real estate market.

The German Rewe Group, which owns supermarkets network Billa, has reconsidered development strategy in the Ukrainian market.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. beat Wall Street expectations.

Laura Ashley has warned that it will miss its full-year profit target for 2008 due to the slowdown in the economy and its impact on consumer confidence.

On the 17-th of December the “Vester” network opened its first “Vester Hyper” hypermarket in Khmelnitsky and the third one in Ukraine.

Kyiv-based O'KEY Ukraine company plans to invest UAH 300 million in opening the fifth hypermarket of the chain in Simferopol (Crimea) in 2009.