The ATB supermarket chain has officially refuted online reports claiming it has fully ceased operations in Kherson. As reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing a statement from ATB-Market, the information about the total closure of all stores in the city is untrue. The stores continue to serve residents in all locations where the security situation permits.
What the company says about the closure of individual stores
ATB emphasized that the closure of certain stores is driven exclusively by safety concerns. This applies only to premises that were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian shelling: under such conditions, full and safe operations for customers and staff are currently impossible. The company explicitly stated that ATB is not leaving Kherson, and all stores that can guarantee an adequate level of protection continue to operate. Residents of the city were urged not to fall for manipulation and to rely solely on the company's official sources.
Contradictory data
Two versions coexist in the public sphere. The first, circulating on social media, claims the "closure of all stores" of ATB in Kherson and the chain's complete withdrawal from the city. The second, the official position of ATB-Market, as stated in statements cited by RBC-Ukraine and 24tv, says that only individual objects damaged by shelling are affected, rather than a systematic cessation of operations. Thus, the discrepancy concerns scale: a mass withdrawal versus targeted closures for safety reasons. At this point, the confirmed version is the company's official position.
Context: restrictions on groceries and eggs across Ukraine
It is worth recalling that ATB Market previously introduced temporary restrictions on the sale of groceries and eggs across Ukraine. The limits apply both in physical supermarkets and to online purchases. The company explained the decision by the mass bulk buying of socially significant products by wholesale resellers, which put ordinary customers at risk of being left without essential goods. Like the closure of damaged stores in Kherson, the company links this measure to ensuring product availability and safety, rather than to a withdrawal from markets.
The chain's role in the market and the pattern of rumor refutation
It should be noted that ATB remains one of the largest players in Ukrainian retail, with origins dating back to the 1990s: today the company is among the top-10 food retail giants in the country, controlling a significant share of the retail market. The refutation of rumors about closures in Kherson fits into a broader pattern: previously, major retailers, including ATB, Silpo, Aurora, and Novus, have already refuted similar reports of mass store closures, pointing to isolated cases. This underscores that such reports are manipulative in nature and do not reflect the actual dynamics of the chain.
