Auchan - new shopping experience in Kiev.

[mattsh]

I've been here, and the place is enormous.  They do have some things I haven't seen anywhere else in Kiev. 

Getting lost in Auchan
by Maria Leontieva, Kyiv Post Staff Writer


Auchan is sure to amaze you with its enormous size, cheap prices and a selection of rare goods.

The world’s tenth largest retailer, France’s Auchan opened its first hypermarket in Ukraine near metro Petrivka and announced its plans to open 10 more throughout the country within the next two years. As of today, Auchan chain of hypermarkets is represented in 12 countries world wide including Russia and China.

The country's first Auchan is located on the former Ukrcable plant grounds, a hundred meters away from Alta Center shopping mall. You cannot miss the robin red breast logo on the center tower, and the store is enormous. Inside the store encompasses 15,000 sm stocked with 30,000 different items divided into suitable departments like food, children’s clothes, toys, literature, sport goods, bags, garden equipment, household devices, furniture and auto accessories. Up to 35 boutiques selling clothes, shoes, and other merchandise will open soon at the hypermarket.

Auchan has ample parking, for up 5,000 cars, probably a new city record and there is a petrol station on site.

For those who don’t come to the supermarket by car, there are free marshrutkas, running through Petrivka metro and to Troyeschina region and one running from Tarasa Shevchenka Square.

Auchan boasts 93 cashiers, but it turned out none of them has credit card terminals, accepting only cash payments. Hopefully the problem will be solved soon.

Full story here...  http://www.kyivpost.com/guide/general/28886/

[rjm]

Yes I was there the 1st week it opened and was impressed.

Lots of good stuff in the Bakery dept in particular!

The system of paying at the cash desk was a bit strange with those red baskets, it took me ages to get served and pay! Mind you should I expect anything different in Ukraine?

[Jarek]

And I'm not impressed.
Just typical Auchan, big super (-hiper?)market where you can find 50 kinds of cheap noodles but forget about chinese mie noodles, where you can have 100 different ukrainian wines but just few georgian, where...and so on.Quite comfortable place for shopping, spacy (but not a parking!), many cashdesks (no queues), but still nothing special.
I'm much more satisfied with Megamarket (Gorkogo St.) or Kraina (Magellan Shopping Mall).Among not such a super/hiper Velika Kishenya network is ok and I heard good things about Furshets - but I don't have them near my place.

[matlockk]

To echo what Jaek says, it's just Auchan. Same in Moscow. But that's how they work. They are not wine specialists but they knock out the most common brands at good prices. If you want something more specialist you have to go elsewhere, if you want a basket of goods at the best prices I think you could not find better.

What really pissed me off on my last visit was that my Mrs had her Burberry umberella with her and security insisted on tagging it to show she hadn't stolen it. I asked him if they sold such umberellas but I don't think he understood any sort of language. Then at the cash desk they couldn't remove the tag so another goon had to burn it off with his lighter! Why are security guards such mental defectives here?

Also, make sure you have cash as Auchan don't accept credit.

On the plus side we looked at what we got for 600 GR and it was twice as much as we bring home from Megamarket.

I hear Carrefour are on the way as well.

[ecocks]

Did someone say "Carrefour"?!?

WOOT!

[Admin]

Karavan still my choice

About credit cards in Auchan...I got feeling that they have separate cashdesks for clients with cards. I saw signs. 

[JonathanCampion]

You have all missed the most important detail here - surely it is the first Ukrainian establishment to boast about its cashiers...?

[SilverBullet]

Swedish IKEA next in Kyiv perhaps? Hip hip Hurray for the new mega stores. Wold like to see more less expensive and good furniture in Kyiv. Need to replace all the old stuff that came with my rental. 

[matlockk]

Swedish IKEA next in Kyiv perhaps? Hip hip Hurray for the new mega stores. Wold like to see more less expensive and good furniture in Kyiv. Need to replace all the old stuff that came with my rental. 

Dream on. IKEA have made so many enemies in Kiev they are struggling to find land. They keep barking on about Odessa(where Leningradskoe Schosse meets the ring road) but again nothing materialises. OBI will open on the ring road in Kiev 2009, and this year in Kharkov, Mariupol and Odessa(Stari Mikolavskoe).

[SilverBullet]

Swedish IKEA next in Kyiv perhaps? Hip hip Hurray for the new mega stores. Wold like to see more less expensive and good furniture in Kyiv. Need to replace all the old stuff that came with my rental. 

Dream on. IKEA have made so many enemies in Kiev they are struggling to find land. They keep barking on about Odessa(where Leningradskoe Schosse meets the ring road) but again nothing materialises. OBI will open on the ring road in Kiev 2009, and this year in Kharkov, Mariupol and Odessa(Stari Mikolavskoe).

Thanks for the update. Strange that they have problems finding land - there is plenty of it around Kyiv. I guess the local "mafia" don't want any more competition 

[Jarek]

That's it.Praktiker has the same problem.

[rjm]

Silpo and Velika Kishenya in the main are dreadful for service, Ive been known to stand 20 minutes plus in queues in both of them, the silpo at Lukyanivka is in particular very bad.

I agree with Jarek, Mega Market is excellent and have agood bakery also.

Despite the above comments by other posters if I had a car I would be using Auchan regularly!

 

[SilverBullet]

Despite the above comments by other posters if I had a car I would be using Auchan regularly!

 

It is located close to metro Petrivka. Isn't it close enough to go there without a car? 

[3000ftup]

Hey Matlock, is OBI a furniture store?  I have not heard of them.  Do you know any info about them?

[Jarek]

OBI is sth like Castorama, Praktiker, Leroy Merlin...Probably you know some of these networks.

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