POLAND

RETAIL POTENTIAL IN POLAND

FCI’S first webinar on Poland’s retail market discussed the opportunities in Eastern Europe for floral breeders, growers, exporters, and wholesalers.

AUTHOR: RACHEL WAKEFIELD Poland is an important trading partner for flowers and plants. Since the collapse of the Iron Curtain in 1989, the Polish economy has rapidly transformed from a centrally planned economy to a free-market economy. Tomasz Szacon deals with international commercial networks. In Poland, the discount stores covers approximately 70 per cent of all fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) food sales, and the flower sales are ‘impulse buys’. Selling your product to these merchants is tough. Szacon warns that you need to know your figures if you want to stand out from the competition. The expected consumer prices for flowers in these stores decrease from PLN 19.99 to PLN 9.99. He adds: “All Polish discounters work through a central warehouse. So, when calculating cooperation costs, you must consider that the delivery will always be to the main warehouse.” Collaborating with hypermarkets is a different matter. These are destination shops in good locations; with whole aisles for fresh flowers and gardening. The demographic is much older, but Szacon underlines, “Hypermarkets are often franchised, too, so individual stores can buy without the consent of the head office. The downside is that they won’t need to buy a whole truckload of a product.” Consumers do go to DIY stores and garden centres to specifically buy ornamentals and plants. Robert Radkiwiecz is co-creator of Polish Garden Centre, where he trains many family-run firms on the importance of a customer experience and how to signpost plant displays better. He says, “The customers are ‘demanding’, looking for new products and what is fashionable in the current season” He adds, “Polish garden centres are going through massive development, not only due to the pandemic but also because of the wealth of the potential client’s wallet, which in the garden store is higher than other retail outlets.”

(left to right) Tomasz Szacon, consultant of Retail Poland. Robert Radkiwiecz, co-creator of Polish Garden Centres.

Table by Tomasz Szacon for FCI webinar.

Watch the webinar on-demand, https://youtu.be/c5L72CFLNb0

TRADE MISSION

FCI in association with Fresh Market Poland is organising B2B meetings between flower and plant professionals and buyers from supermarkets, DIY stores and garden centres at the 2022 edition of the Fresh Market B2B Meeting and Fair on 21 & 22 September in Warsaw, Poland. Visit, https://aiph.org/ floraculture/trade-mission/ trade-mission-poland/

TOP DISCOUNTERS

Biedronka - 3,150 stores Biggest discounter, this figure is from 2020

Dino - 1,880 stores Fastest growing discounter - 360 stores opened in 2021 - that’s almost one a day.

Lidl - 810 stores

Netto - 380 stores This chain took over the TESCO stores.

TOP HYPERMARKETS

Carrefour - 935 stores Currently the most points of sales.

InterMarche - 220 stores

Auchan - 108 stores Recently taken over by Real.

E.Leclerc - 48 stores A small network with some good locations.

LARGEST DIY STORES

Bricomarche – 171 stores

Mrówka - 307 stores The majority of these are franchise points.

Castorama - 76 stores

LeroyMerlin – 60 stores