In just 7 days, thanks to the mechanics of "1 hryvnia from every 100 hryvnias of revenue," it was possible to accumulate over 6.1 million hryvnias. The funds were immediately converted into technical assistance for the units holding the country's aerial shield. According to official requests from the military, the raised funds were transformed into a powerful technical reinforcement. In particular, material and technical assistance has already been received by:
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Anti-aircraft missile battalion of the 151st Separate Mechanized Brigade, Dnipro
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Operational Command "East" (2 battalions)
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1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment, air defense unit
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UAV Interceptor Division of the 1030th Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Army Corps
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96th Anti-Aircraft Missile Kyiv Brigade
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1021st Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment
To reinforce the units, the following was purchased and delivered:
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62 interceptor drones (high-tech "eyes" for eliminating aerial targets);
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8 powerful pickups (vehicles for mobile groups that promptly deploy to intercept missiles and Shaheds).
"In wartime crisis marketing, there is no luxury of spending weeks approving briefs or sketching designs. We transformed our despair into action in a matter of hours because we understood: every minute of delay means an unprotected sky. VARUS's position on charity is steadfast: we cover exclusively official needs of units based on their direct requests. We never choose equipment at our own discretion or for the sake of loud headlines. If the military stated exactly what kind of equipment they need to shoot down targets effectively, we simply put it into action. As a result, 8 pickups and 62 drones are already operating on the front line," notes Anna Luhanska, Marketing Director of the VARUS chain.
Despite the significant destruction of its own infrastructure, the retailer's team managed to reconfigure logistical processes within hours, avoid product shortages, and simultaneously launch a large-scale social initiative, engaging millions of its customers to support the Air Defense Forces. The company emphasizes that this fundraising campaign became another proof of the resilience of Ukrainian business and society: the enemy can damage iron and concrete, but the values of Ukrainians remain reinforced concrete.
Background Info
VARUS is a national supermarket chain represented in the Ukrainian grocery retail market by the "Omega" company. The first store of the chain opened in 2003 in Dnipro; currently, the total number is 119 supermarkets in various cities of Ukraine. The VARUS chain operates in several formats: classic supermarkets, To Go stores, and is developing the conscious shopping service VARUS.UA.
HeroCar is a charity program aimed at providing the Armed Forces of Ukraine with reliable and durable wheeled vehicles. The program works directly with the command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and official requests from the military. HeroCar has already delivered more than 1,500 units of wheeled vehicles to the front, mostly pickups. You can join the fundraising on the project's website.