When the fairly large BILLA supermarket was long under construction in Zaporizhzhia and then finally opened, it became something of an upscale place and a symbol of “eliteness” — perhaps because it was a branch of a Kyiv chain, perhaps also because it was located underground beneath the avenue, in a spot that was awkward to reach by public transport when you had shopping bags.
And now in Kyiv, Billa is a store I genuinely avoid, only going there when I’m in a hurry or simply too lazy. A store like any other, nothing to set it apart. The closest one to us, and yet — the least visited….