Supermarkets, a small  part of daily life anywhere else in Europe, seem to be a big hit in Ukraine. Many international chains, such as Billa, Furshet, Mega Market and Silpo, have newly opened up attracting hordes of eager buyers. Offering the convenience of many departments under one roof, these supermarkets are a great alternative to traditional shopping which usually  requires long hours of browsing through stalls of several grocery stores and open-air vegetable markets. Ever since their introduction in the late 1990s, these supermarkets have been growing, there are 50 of them in Kiev alone. Even though visitors might not find them  as fascinating as the locals, supermarkets in Ukraine are  interesting from a sociological point of view. Otherwise,  top brand names are best found in  the capital.
 
Further places in Ukraine definitely worth a try are the souvenir and gift shops. The best ones are in the capital, Kiev, in the central areas of the Shevchenka Boulevard, the Kreschatik Street and Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. However, Andreevsky Spusk remains the ultimate place to buy gifts from: here you will find genuine Soviet memorabilia as well as carefully decorated folk objects. On leaving Ukraine, you might also want to take one of the famous souvenir bottles of gorilka (Ukrainian vodka). The drink is locally hailed as the quintessence of Slavic culture and a bearer of many national values. Other, less evocative, alcohol brands can be found in department stores, shopping centres, and in the capital’s grocery and liquor stores. Good places to purchase local produce are  Ukrainian wineries and distilleries.

Kiev is a glittering and awe-inspiring city, packed with history and splendour. In terms of shopping, the city contains the country’s oldest department store, the Ukraine, erected during the Soviet era in1960-1966. This recently renovated structure is now  a major consumer nexus, with modern interiors and an unsurpassed  assortment of shops and goods. Currently an ultramodern recreation and shopping centre, the place has recently  doubled in size to 42,291 sqare metres. The five-storey structure is equipped with a supermarket, a drugstore, a bookstore, food court, a restaurant, a disco and a cinema. Otherwise, the city is an eclectic blend of smaller traditional shops and upscale designer outlets, with loads of perfumeries, jewelry and gift shops, clothing shops, household products and designer pottery, bookstores, etc.