Ukrainian retailer Varus will invest $30M to develop a food delivery platform.

The Varus supermarket chain plans to allocate $30M over the next three years to create a separate technology platform for delivering food kits on a subscription basis. The company aims to shift from traditional retail to a service that will allow customers to order everything they need in just a few clicks: from dinner to complex solutions like “guests for an hour” or “healthy week”. To achieve this, a dedicated team with its own IT department, marketing, courier service, and food marketplace will be established.

The project will include a food subscription service and smart tools integrated with a calendar and customers’ smart home elements. In partnership with the Neomi startup, they plan to develop an AI agent – a digital assistant for planning purchases.

Varus will open automated Dark Stores (an online order fulfillment centers) in Kyiv and expand its delivery network, gradually replacing outsourcing. Collaborations with local suppliers and craft brands are also planned. Currently, Varus operates over 110 supermarkets across Ukraine, including a Dark Store location in Kyiv.