According to the study “UX retail in Poland. Poles on building experiences in retail facilities”, commissioned by Cushman & Wakefield, among all types of stores, Polish consumers most often visit small, local stores close to their place of residence. 66 percent respondents declared that they go there once or several times a week. According to experts, the reason why small local shops are visited so “willingly and often” is primarily “convenience”.
“Many shopping centers are currently deciding on recommercialization”
According to the report, 36% of people shop online at least once a week. Poles, and half – once or several times a month. Parks and shopping centers achieve similar results; respectively 32 percent and 33 percent Poles go to them at least once a week.
“Discount stores are definitely the preferred place for larger grocery purchases – 62% of respondents choose them for large purchases over PLN 100,” noted Ewa Derlatka-Chilewicz from Cushman & Wakefield.
Experts believe that among the features that determine the attractiveness of a shopping facility is a large selection of stores. The study showed that an appropriate tenant portfolio is important for nearly 70 percent. respondents. Slightly fewer people indicated easy access and good infrastructure, as well as free parking at the facility (both 63%). 56 percent consumers value the location close to home (no further than fifteen minutes' drive from their place of residence). The gastronomic offer also ranked high, important to almost 40 percent. respondents, and one in 5 people indicated the entertainment offer.
“Many shopping centers are currently deciding on recommercialization, repositioning (…) and reconstruction to better meet the expectations of their guests,” said Michał Masztakowski from Cushman & Wakefield. In his opinion, the Polish trade sector can already be classified as a “mature market”. This means that an increasing number of buildings require rethinking their concepts or refreshing their interior design to increase the chance of attracting a larger group of customers, Mashtakowski noted.
First of all, a retail park should enable efficient shopping at good prices
As the respondents pointed out, a retail park should, above all, enable efficient shopping at good prices – low product prices and promotions are “key” for about 2/3 of Poles. Nearly 40 percent would appreciate the opportunity to receive a discount for regular customers. The study also showed that in the case of this retail format, large parking lots are also an important advantage, noted by nearly 1/3 of respondents. In turn, for almost 40 percent Consumers are encouraged to visit a nearby retail park by having good knowledge of the space, enabling efficient and quick shopping. “It is also worth limiting changes in this area – especially since almost 60 percent of consumers do not like them,” experts noted. “Compared to shopping centers, their advantage may be less variability in the arrangement of premises with similar availability of parking spaces and low, competitive prices,” concluded Derlatka-Chilewicz.
The authors of the study pointed out that there are currently 440 centers on the market and they are most often located in the very center of large cities or on the outskirts of agglomerations, which, in their opinion, translates into time-consuming travel. According to data from Cushman & Wakefield, at the end of the first quarter of 2024, 40 commercial facilities were under construction, of which 25 properties were parks.
Cushman & Wakefield is an international company providing services to owners and tenants of commercial real estate. It employs approx. 52 thousand. employees in 400 offices and 60 countries around the world. In 2023, its revenues amounted to $9.5 billion.
author: Anna Bytniewska
