In November 2023, Budhouse Group, one of Ukraine's largest real estate developers, conducted a survey of subscribers to its Nikolsky shopping center in Kharkiv. The main goal of the survey was to determine the location and plans for the return of city residents.
The issue of Ukrainians returning to their homes is becoming important for the recovery and development of retail real estate and retail in Ukraine. According to the UN, more than 6.2 million Ukrainians have fled abroad as a result of the war, including 5.8 million in Europe.
Although Kharkiv's population declined after the outbreak of the war, it is now experiencing some recovery. According to city officials, the city is currently home to between 1.1 and 1.2 million people. The survey showed that the majority of Nikolsky's subscribers are located in Kharkiv and the region (68%), while 12% are now in other regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv (2.7%) and Poltava (1.8%). The rest, 20.3%, are still abroad, with the largest representation in Germany (5.7%) and Poland (2%).
The geography of Kharkiv subscribers of Nikolsky shopping center includes more than 40 countries, mostly European.
The results
According to the survey, a third of Kharkiv residents have not left the city, and another third have already returned. 3% plan to return in the near future regardless of the situation at the front. Approximately half of the people who have not yet returned associate their return with the security situation, planning to return after the shelling of the city stops or after the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine. The other half is ready to return only after the official end of the war, while only 2% indicated that they do not plan to return under any circumstances.
"A large number of people have quickly returned to the city! I hope that their return is facilitated by the rapid restoration of infrastructure, including shopping centers. Investments are a signal to people that the city has a future. But it would not have been possible without the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the resilient citizens of Kharkiv," comments Anatoliy Shkriblyak, President of Budhouse Group.