Poland

In 2023, the Polish yoghurt market was dominated by three main players: Zott Polska, Bakoma, and Danone. Lactalis Polska had substantially bolstered the drinking yoghurt mix segment. Bakoma offered premium yoghurts in several flavours, including…

There was modest volume growth in 2022, partly due to an influx of Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian invasion and partly as a result of a post-pandemic return to regular school and work patterns. However writing instruments saw a decline in…

Having experienced a slowdown during the height of the pandemic, wound care showed signs of greater stability in 2023. This was largely attributable to the rollback of stringent pandemic-related restrictions and a gradual decrease in the public's…

As inflation in Poland continues to outpace the EU average, many Polish consumers are curtailing their expenditure on non-essential items like apparel. They are opting for more affordable brands, private label, and second-hand items. Women's wear…

In 2023, wipes in Poland recorded double-digit retail value growth, with these high levels of growth driven by ongoing price rises. General purpose wipes continued to experience positive retail volume growth as consumers increasingly appreciated the…

Wine saw strong growth in current value terms in 2023 but this was the result of price hikes rather than an increase in demand with sales declining in total volume terms as financial pressures led to consumers adopting a more cautious approach to…

The prevalence of obesity has been increasing in Poland in recent years, with around 25% of the adult population estimated to be obese. Indeed, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), life expectancy in Poland…

Smart wearables are seeing continuous, strong growth in 2023. The growing focus on health and wellness is a significant driver for smart wearables in Poland. Consumers are increasingly interested in monitoring their physical activity, heart rate,…

Following a remarkable surge in demand for vitamins during the peak of the pandemic, growth remained fairly modest in retail volume terms in 2023. While vitamins remain a staple in many Polish households, the immense initial demand set a high…

Robust sales continue for video games in Poland in 2023, showing ongoing resilience despite inflationary pressures. That said, economic uncertainty has resulted in consumers becoming more selective in their purchases, prioritising value and quality.…

In 2023, vending recorded strong sales in current value terms. Vending value sales are being driven by the increase in the number of vending machines offering drinks and snacks, as well as the technological replacement of hot drink machines with…

Vacuum cleaners witnessed a recovery in 2023, as inflationary conditions eased slightly. Despite the essential status that vacuum cleaners have in virtually all Polish homes, the high inflation that swept across Europe during 2022 put pressure on…

The resumption of travel is a key factor in 2023, along with the associated evolution in consumer behaviour since the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. The lockdowns made people realise how important it is to achieve a healthy work-life balance, along…

Traditional toys and games in Poland maintained healthy growth in 2023, despite the landscape being shaped by inflation and geopolitical uncertainties which have influenced consumer spending habits overall. Despite these challenges, the category…

For traditional and high-end watches, brick-and-mortar retailers remain the preferred distribution channel in Poland, with jewellery and watch specialists accounting for the large majority of sales in 2023. The tactile experience of seeing and…

Toys and games in Poland maintained robust sales in 2023, in part driven by the significant growth of online games and subscriptions. This surge is largely due to the increasing shift towards digital platforms in general, as consumers engage with…

Domestic travel is recovering at a faster rate than inbound tourism in Poland. In 2023, Polish consumers are seen to be eager to book stays in domestic tourist resorts, go on city breaks, and travel to visit family or friends and, at the same time,…

Retail value growth was double-digit in 2023, driven by rising price points and inflation. While consumers became increasingly price-conscious, retail volume growth remained positive, with the outbreak of COVID-19 having a heightened awareness of…

Sales of cigarettes in Poland declined slightly in 2023 in retail volume terms. In 2022 the influx of refugees from Ukraine strongly revived sales of cigarettes in the country, but the impact of this weakened in 2023. A similar picture was seen in…

In 2023, the tissue and hygiene landscape in Poland recorded positive, double-digit retail value growth, driven by rising price points. As such, while value sales were high, retail volume was challenged in areas viewed as unessential, including…

Tea registered stable volume growth in 2023, aided by its popularity in Poland where it is widely consumed. Retail volume growth has slowed, however, with consumers facing higher prices in the tea category as part of a broad rise in the cost of…

Glass jars is the dominant pack type in jams and preserves, which remains the main sweet spreads category – but thin wall plastic containers are growing in popularity as a cheaper alternative, with this latter pack type again recording double-digit…

In the first half of 2023, sweet spreads in Poland witnessed a surge in innovative flavour profiles, highlighting a trend towards experimental taste combinations. Bartnik Mazowiecki, notably, introduced Kokosowy Orzeszek, a unique blend of hazelnut…

The sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks category in Poland has seen innovation and the emergence of novel flavours, which helped to maintain sales volume towards the end of the review period and contributed to growth in 2024. Brands such as…

Over 60% of consumers in Poland reduce food waste and recycle items, while the majority aim to positively impact the planet, shaping their sustainable purchasing decisions. These habits have led over 40% of consumers to identify as Zero Wasters,…

Retail value growth was double-digit in 2023, with retail value driven by rising price points. With the high inflation rate impacting consumer purchasing power, there was a growing trend towards value-driven surface care solutions in 2023. Consumers…

Supermarkets recorded strong growth in value sales in 2023. The upward trend in the number of supermarkets also continued in 2023 with supermarkets recording the highest growth in grocery retailers during the year. Proximity supermarkets, ie local…

Sunglasses continue to exhibit robust growth in eyewear in Poland in 2024, albeit at a slightly slower pace compared to the previous year. Despite economic challenges stemming from the cost-of-living crisis, the category remains one of the…

After witnessing significant declines in 2020 in the first year of COVID-19, sun care in Poland saw continuous robust retail volume and current value growth from 2021 to 2023, recovering fully in current value terms, but not rebounding completely…

Sugar confectionery in Poland saw robust current value growth in 2024, albeit at a slower rate than the previous year of the review period. However, volume sales saw modest decline, dragged down by a weak retail performance.

Street stalls/kiosks was among the better performing areas of Poland’s foodservice market in 2023, in part because comparatively low prices ensured it was somewhat less exposed to the cost-of-living crisis. Given the importance of on-the-go…

During 2022, there remained no store cards in circulation in Poland as the entire store cards concept is seen as obsolete and there are currently no issuers or operators with any interest in offering store cards to consumers. Previously, Sygma Bank…

In 2023, the Polish government implemented new regulations aimed at supporting bakeries and pastry shops amid escalating gas prices. Effective from April 7, these regulations broadened the eligibility criteria for purchasing gas at a regulated price…

Despite Poland's sustained high inflation in 2023, the prices for sports and sports-inspired clothing continued their upward trajectory, albeit at a slower pace than in 2022. Consequently, sportswear experienced significant sales growth in value…

Sports nutrition continued its upward trajectory in 2023, with every type of product seeing enhanced growth in retail volume terms. With the COVID-19 crisis having largely abated, consumers began to pay more attention to their health and wellbeing,…

Despite being an emerging product in Poland, sports drinks saw volume sales growth slow in 2023, due to ongoing inflation and diminishing purchasing power. Nevertheless, it was still one of the top performing categories in soft drinks. The importance…

The average unit price of spirits in Poland rose sharply in 2023 due to high inflation, an increase in production costs, and a further increase in the excise tax rate by 5%. Although these price rises translated into strong growth in current value…

In 2024, spectacle lenses maintained their position as the primary growth driver within spectacles, surpassing frames and readymade reading glasses in both retail value and volume terms. The necessity for regular replacement of spectacle lenses due…

The PET bottle is the dominant pack type in Polish soft drinks, in the retail channel in particular. PET bottles are seen as a convenient option for many soft drink products, such as carbonates and bottled water, as they come in various pack sizes,…

Soft drinks in Poland witnessed a decline in volume sales in 2023, following a second year of double-digit inflation. The steep growth in unit prices led to weaker demand for soft drinks, with some categories suffering more than the previous year.…

The year 2024 saw growth for the entire snacks category, although the gap in growth of volume and current value sales widening. The 5% VAT rate on some foodstuffs, paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, was reinstated on 1 April in categories including…

Closed system single use e-cigarettes turned out to be a big winner in 2023 with the category recording dynamic growth for the second year running. These products are perceived as the easiest e-vapour product for new vapers to approach and use. The…

In 2023, small local grocers recorded low growth in retail value sales. Double-digit inflation has changed the shopping habits of Poles. Consumers purchase less, save money, buy cheaper alternatives or limit their consumption. In 2023, sales of beer…

In general terms, small cooking appliances are seeing steady growth trend in retail volume terms, with demand underpinned by the elevated interest in cooking a home that has been seen among the population of Poland since the onset of the COVID-19…

A high proportion of Polish population suffer from sleep disorders, and this problem intensified during the review period. During the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers were forced to deal with high levels of anxiety and stress, which resulted in many…

Skin care in Poland flourished throughout the review period, seemingly unaffected by the impact of the pandemic and prevailing economic challenges, and retail volume and current value growth continued in 2023, with increases in sales across all…

Self-service cafeterias was one of the strongest performers among the main foodservice categories in Poland in terms of growth in transactions and current value sales in 2023. Like limited-service restaurants, it weathered the cost-of-living crisis…

In 2024, savoury snacks saw growth across all metrics in Poland, although volume growth increase was marginal while current value growth slowed but remained robust.

There was a sharp acceleration in the rate of growth in demand for sauces, dips and condiments packaging during 2020, as consumers spent more time at home and prepared and ate more meals and snacks there. This continued in 2021, with the COVID-19 and…

In the first half of 2023, sauces, dips, and condiments witnessed significant growth. A key factor contributing to this trend was the introduction of numerous innovative products that redefined traditional offerings, appealing to the increasingly…