On October 14, the Lake Plaza shopping mall in Kyiv hosted the opening of the photo project “People for People” by the VARUS supermarket chain. The project explores the power of kind words, genuine emotions, and humanity — the qualities that can change the world around us.

The idea began with the internal campaign “Your Strength Is in People!”, dedicated to the VARUS team. Over time, the initiative evolved into a broader social project — an expression of gratitude from one person to another.

The series of black-and-white portraits features real VARUS employees — people we’re used to seeing in familiar roles: cashiers, salespeople, colleagues, or customers. Each shot captures a moment of inner transformation — a “before” and “after” — when the subjects heard words of support, gratitude, or simply felt seen.

“We wanted to capture that instant when one person truly sees another. When you look a cashier in the eyes — not as a client to an employee, but simply as a person to a person — something changes. The distance disappears. A connection appears — empathy, humanity. ‘People for People’ is about exactly that: the ability to notice, to listen, to look attentively. And this, in fact, is the simplest form of kindness,”
said Anna Luhanska, Marketing Director at VARUS.

During the opening, guests viewed the portrait series, met the artist behind the project, and took part in a creative improvisation called “The Art of Gratitude.” The event’s atmosphere became a true extension of the project’s message — to be people for people: sincere, attentive, and open-hearted.

The exhibition will run for two weeks — until the end of October — at Lake Plaza shopping mall. Everyone is welcome to visit, see the portraits in person, and feel how much strength lies in simple words and genuine emotions.

About VARUS
VARUS is a national supermarket chain represented in Ukraine’s grocery retail market by the Omega company. The first VARUS store opened in Dnipro in 2003. Today, the network includes 116 supermarkets across Ukraine and a DarkStore in Kyiv. VARUS operates in several formats: classic supermarkets, To Go stores, and the conscious shopping platform VARUS.UA.