Ukraine’s top book retailers: Leaders in store expansion

Ukrainian bookstore chains continue to expand despite the challenging economic conditions in the industry. Throughout 2025, major bookstores opened new locations in large cities as well as smaller towns.

According to data from retail chains and publishers interviewed by Chytomo, as of early 2026, there are dozens of new bookstores operating in Ukraine that opened last year.

The majority of the openings made by the KSD

In 2025, the Family Leisure Club chain opened 29 new bookstores all around Ukraine and now has 93 stores in total. In 2026, the chain plans to open up to eight new bookstores in both major cities and smaller communities.

Knyholand: 16 new bookstores in 14 cities

In 2025, the Knyholand chain also saw strong growth, opening 16 new bookstores in 14 cities across Ukraine. These included three locations in Kyiv, along with new stores in Sheptytskyi, Zolochiv, Kovel, Chernivtsi, Dubno, Zviahel, Brody, Vynohradiv, Dolyna, Nadvirna, Kalush, Kolomyia, and Slavuta.

Representatives of the company stated their plans to continue opening new locations in the future: “In 2026, our aim is to open up to 20 bookstores, depending on the financial and economic situation. In terms of format, we plan to launch not only bookstores but also cultural spaces where locals can take part in events, meet authors, and join book clubs.”

The Knyholand chain has 52 bookstores in total.

Ye Bookstore: New cities and a space at the train station

In 2025, Ye Bookstore opened eight new locations, including Khust, Drohobych, and Bucha. The book retailer chain also launched a second store in Kremenchuk and third stores in Ternopil and Vinnytsia accordingly.

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Representatives of the Ye Bookstore have highlighted the opening of a location in Mykolaiv, in a city that hadn’t seen a new bookstore in over ten years, as well as the bookstore at the Kyiv train station, which began operations on February 14 — International Book Giving Day.

“The Ye Bookstore continues to pursue its goal of making Ukrainian books more accessible by opening new bookstores in cities and areas where access to a wide selection of books was previously limited,” bookstore representatives said. “We work not only with bestsellers and trending titles, but also focus on promoting niche literature and collaborating with small or new publishers. We believe that offering a diverse selection to a wide range of readers will accelerate and strengthen the growth of the Ukrainian book market.”

In 2026, the chain plans to open four new bookstores (in Odesa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mukachevo, and Lutsk). As for now, the chain has 87 bookstores in total.

Vivat: A cultural hub bookstore

In 2025, the Vivat bookstore chain opened eight new locations. Such cities as Rivne, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, Poltava, Cherkasy, Mukachevo, and Kamianets-Podilskyi were added to the chain’s network.

“Vivat Publishing considers growing its physical bookstore network a core strategy, emphasizing that books should be accessible not just online but also in cities and communities nationwide,” Ruslan Onoshchenko, director of the Vivat bookstore chain, explained their development strategy. “A bookstore is much more than a retail outlet for us. It is a cultural hub, a platform for events, discussions, meetings with authors, and the formation of local reading communities. We are investing in expanding our network while Vivat aims to make reading visible, accessible, and popular among millions of Ukrainians.”

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Currently, the chain has 27 bookstores and plans to open new ones in several more cities during March.

Small yet conceptually impactful networks

In 2025, the Readeat book chain launched Misto, its third bookstore in Kyiv at 5/2A Kniaziv Ostrozkykh Street. This location continues the legacy of the original Misto art bookstore at the same address. The new store retains a mosaic of Kyiv’s symbols, created by artists Diana Slonchenko and Tetiana Rodkina during the first year of the full-scale war’s blackouts.

The bookstore focuses on books about cities, especially about Kyiv, and hosts book tours and guided city tours conducted by writers and historians. Some of the most popular tours in 2025 include:

• “In the Footsteps of Lazarus” with writer Svitlana Taratorina;
• “Literary Pechersk” with writer and Kyiv expert Kyrylo Stepanets;
• “A Street That Tells Stories,” a literary walk along Andriivskyi Descent or Saint Andrew’s Descent with city guide Nataliia Naumchuk.

The bookstore chain does not plan to open new bookstores in 2026 while focusing on developing its existing locations and online store.

Other book chains

In 2025, the Old Lion Publishing House opened a bookstore in Kopychyntsi, Ternopil Oblast, and doesn’t plan to open more.

Book.ua has four bookstores in Kyiv.

“We plan to open three more locations in Kyiv this spring,” a representative of the Book.ua chain said. “At the same time, we are focusing on growing our network and are in discussions to open stores in several cities. We see significant demand for modern book spaces that combine a bookstore with a café and a social and event space, so we are gradually expanding book.ua’s presence in Ukraine.”

In 2025, according to Chytomo, the largest number of new bookstores were opened by:

• KSD — 29
• Knyholand — 16
• Ye Bookstore — 8
• Vivat — 8

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Main image: Vivat

Copy editing: Sheri Liguori