Resilient food retail – Lessons from Ukraine on entrepreneurial adaptation in times of war (RELENT)

The war in Ukraine constitutes a unique learning context for understanding how actors in the Ukrainian food retail sector act entrepreneurially in a crisis situation characterized by extreme uncertainty, resource scarcity, and the need for rapid adjustments. Through case studies of major food retail chains in Ukraine, located in regions affected to varying degrees by the war, the project explores how the retail sector can develop entrepreneurial strategies to withstand crises such as war and other societal disruptions.

Theoretically, the project is grounded in theories of entrepreneurial resilience, crisis orientation, and crisis management. These perspectives make it possible to understand how organizations interpret, act, and collaborate under conditions of extreme uncertainty, and how they can build capacity for future crises.

The project contributes new knowledge on how entrepreneurial initiatives can transform crises into learning, innovation, and more robust solutions within the food retail sector.