Looking back at the 20 years of retailing change in Poland

Abstract

This article looks at the structural and behavioural changes in Poland's retailing since 1989 in the context of the country's economic and social transformation. The retailing changes are discussed using a three-phase model of the evolution of retailing. The phases include: 1) privatization and decentralization; 2) intensive internationalization; and 3) concentration and consolidation of retail trade. The phases capture a dramatic transformation of the retail sector in Poland over the past 20 years: from a ‘disorderly’, fragmented retailing system in the early 1990s, to the emergence and spread of Western-style large retail formats and chains in the late 1990s, to the expansion and consolidation of the chains, leading to a progressive concentration of retailing, in the 2000s. A fourth stage, being on the horizon, is also identified as that of innovation and modernization of retailing. The phases do not necessarily have a clear-cut start and end dates but rather tend to merge into each other. A description of the phases is followed by the authors' assessment of research into retailing change in Poland. Both English- and Polish-language publications on retailing over the 20-year period are reviewed and main research themes, as well as research gaps, are recognized. Many aspects of Poland's retailing change, identified in the study as under-researched, provide opportunities for future scholarly investigation.

Keywords:

• retailing change
• distribution channels in a transitional economy
• Poland

Notes

1. The entry into the Polish market of the Portuguese firm Jeronimo Martins is worth mentioning in this context, since the firm has subsequently developed one of the largest retail chains in Poland under the brand name ‘Biedronka’. In 1995, Jeronimo Martins established a joint venture with the UK company, Booker to operate cash and carry warehouses and discount stores acquired from local firms. In 1998, Booker sold its shares to Jeronimo (Dawson 2001, 263).

2. Relevant literature in other languages has been omitted. However, the authors note a fairly significant number of articles on retailing in Poland published in academic journals in French and German. Among the German scholars studying Poland's retailing, the works of R. Pütz should be particularly recognized.

3. This institute, whose name can be translated as an Institute for Market, Consumption and Business Cycles Research, was established in 2006 out of a merger between the former Instytut Koniunktur i Cen Handlu Zagranicznego (Foreign Trade Research Institute) and the Instytut Rynku Wewnętrznego i Konsumpcji (Institute for Home Market and Consumption). This is a public institution operating under a directive issued by the Minster of Economy.