Artur Hatunok, founder of Yabluka, confirmed to Forbes Ukraine his intention to acquire the Citrus retail chain, stating: “I would put it differently — it’s Citrus absorbing Yabluka. We will develop Citrus’s business model.”
According to a senior executive from one of the five largest electronics retailers, negotiations continued until the very last moment. “Yabluka managed to reduce the price to $10–20 million, but no final agreement has been reached yet — anything can still change,” the executive noted.
Hatunok declined to disclose the deal amount.
As of June 2025, Citrus operates around 40 stores across Ukraine, while Yabluka runs about 30.
The Odesa-based Citrus chain has been active since 2000, founded by Hryhoriy Topal and Dmytro Zinchenko. The retailer stood out from competitors with its vibrant brand, dynamic approach, and innovation, as noted by Comfy CEO Ihor Khizhnyak in an April 2025 interview with Forbes.
In summer 2020, Citrus’s security service barred Zinchenko from accessing his workplace. Zinchenko accused Topal of a “raider takeover” of the business. From 2021, Hennadiy Korban became involved, purchasing a 50% stake in Citrus’s key legal entity at the time — ZT-Invest — from Zinchenko. Zinchenko claimed Korban was helping him regain ownership of the company.
To date, Korban has lost all court cases related to the dispute, and no active legal proceedings remain. “Korban had claims against specific legal entities, but the current deal involves different entities and a different business structure,” Hatunok explained.
The primary legal entity of Citrus as of June 2025 is Importmax.
One of Citrus’s key advantages is its online store, which attracts about 600,000 monthly visitors — twice as many as Yabluka’s website.
