Monday: Visit Intermarché
Our tour started with an overview of the Polish retail market with the CEO of the Intermarché chain. We analyzed the development of Polish retail, the expert shared valuable insights on strategies for network development, optimization of business processes, looked at successful and not very successful practices and cases of the Polish market.
The second watering of the day was spent visiting the franchised chain of grocery supermarkets Intermarché. This network, part of the Musketeers Group, has impressed us with a large number of own-brand products, which ensures competitive prices. We learned that in many stores you can find products from local producers, which is very attractive to consumers who value local production. It was especially interesting to learn about their environmentally friendly practices, such as reducing the use of plastic and implementing energy-saving technologies. Insight of the day: The growing importance of environmental initiatives in retail.
Tuesday: RELEX Solutions and Biedronka
The second day began with a meeting with RELEX Solutions, a company that provides a unified platform for supply chain planning and retail. We learned how their advanced software solutions help optimize operations, reduce costs, and improve customer service. It was a great example of how technology can dramatically change business performance.
After that, we visited the Biedronka store with the marketing director of Private Label of the company, talked about the statergy of development and the choice of products for Private Label of the largest retail chain in Poland. This chain, owned by the Portuguese company Jerónimo Martins, has impressed us with its combination of excellent quality and low prices. Biedronka actively uses modern technologies to optimize inventory management, logistics and customer service, which makes the customer experience even more pleasant.
Insights of the day: The importance of innovation in ensuring competitiveness.
It is not necessary that Private Label immediately catches the eye of the buyer as “a product created by this particular network”, but more as “a cheaper alternative to expensive brands that does not differ in quality”.
Wednesday: Żabka and Netto
We spent Wednesday visiting Żabka, one of the largest and most successful mini supermarket chains in Poland. This retailer is actively implementing modern technologies such as mobile applications, loyalty systems, contactless payments and self-service to improve customer experience. We have seen this “shop near home” format become increasingly popular among consumers. Also visited Żabka Nano stores - shops without sellers, which are equipped with dozens of cameras per m2, are installed in the most passable places (stations, airports, etc.) and provide customers with the most necessary goods.
Next, we visited Netto, a Danish retail company that has been present on the Polish market for 26 years. The company operates almost 1,400 different stores and has about 660 stores and five distribution centers in Poland. Netto has established itself as one of the largest retailers in the country, offering about 95% of products from Polish suppliers. An important step in Netto's development was the acquisition of Tesco stores in 2020-2021 (245 stores).
Insight of the day: The importance of supporting local growers to build trust among consumers.
Thursday: Frisco.pl
Thursday was dedicated to visiting the innovative RC of Frisco.pl, the largest online supermarket in Poland. This national leader in online food shopping has impressed us with its convenient and modern product ordering platform. Frisco.pl offers a convenient mobile application with personalized offers and quick access to your favorite products. Participants had the opportunity to see with their own eyes all the warehouses and RC of the company, to see how the packaging of the order to the buyer goes (and even to pack several orders themselves 🙂), to see the conditions of delivery of the order to the buyer.
Insight of the day: the growing importance of e-commerce and mobile applications in modern retail, automation at all levels.
Friday: Shopping and Summing Up Safari
We spent the last day of the tour visiting stores that were not in live format, together with an expert. This gave us the opportunity to gain more knowledge about the Polish retail market and see other innovative approaches.
In the evening, all participants gathered for dinner to summarize the tour. We discussed what was seen and heard during the week, shared our impressions and discussed possible ideas for implementation in our own companies.
This tour gave us an in-depth understanding of the Polish retail market and showed how innovation and support for local producers can be key factors for success.
