As of Tuesday, August 25, the price situation in Ukrainian supermarkets remains broadly stable overall, though a noticeable spread persists between individual chains. According to RBC-Ukraine monitoring data, prices on basic items such as milk and bread at Silpo, ATB, Novus and Auchan have largely converged — shoppers can no longer save significantly by choosing one chain over another. At the same time, the difference in the bill for buckwheat, sunflower oil and eggs between hypermarkets remains substantial, reaching 15 hryvnias on certain items. It is precisely these products that create the main "price gap" that analysts identify when comparing the price lists of the four largest players in the market.
Where it is cheaper: comparing the chains
Comparing the price lists of Silpo, ATB, Novus and Auchan shows that no single chain is unambiguously the cheapest across the entire product range. The spread on milk and bread is minimal — the chains have effectively synchronized prices, which indicates intense competition on these high-traffic items. However, on buckwheat, sunflower oil and eggs, a shopper moving from one chain to another may end up with a bill that differs by tens of hryvnias for an identical set of products. This means that savings are now achieved not by choosing the "cheapest chain," but by carefully selecting a store tailored to a specific shopping list.
Dynamics: what is getting cheaper and what is getting more expensive
Looking at the trend over the past few weeks, the picture is mixed. According to monitoring data for August 18–20, sunflower oil and bread showed a tendency to become cheaper, while eggs, conversely, were rising in price, and milk showed mixed dynamics — it became cheaper in some chains and more expensive in others. By August 25, these processes had partially "evened out" on milk and bread, but the spread between chains on buckwheat, oil and eggs remained. Thus, the overall stability of prices masks active rotation within individual product groups.
Contradictory data
It is important to honestly point out the inconsistency in the assessments here. On the one hand, the summary conclusion for August 25 is formulated as "the price situation remains stable," and an actual convergence of prices between chains is recorded on milk and bread. On the other hand, the weekly monitors for August 18–20 recorded noticeable price movements: eggs and milk rose in price in several chains, oil and bread became cheaper, and the gap between hypermarkets on individual items reached 15 hryvnias. In other words, "stability" is an averaged assessment across the full range of products, while at the level of a specific product and a specific chain, prices continue to change. Both viewpoints are correct, but they describe different levels of detail: the macro picture is stable, while the micro dynamics are active.
What this means for the shopper
The practical takeaway for the consumer is simple: in a situation where the chains have converged on milk and bread, while the spread on buckwheat, oil and eggs reaches 15 hryvnias, maximum savings are achieved not by loyalty to a single brand, but by comparing price tags before purchasing. A shopper who knows which chain has cheaper oil or eggs in the current week can significantly reduce the final bill. For analysts, the key signal is that competition between chains has shifted from "overall cheapness" to targeted price promotions on individual product groups.
