Friday, 8 May 2026
Consumer spending in Poland continued to grow in March, although the benefits were unevenly distributed across retail formats, according to new data released by the Retail Institute.
The report points to a broader structural shift in the Polish retail market, with e-commerce and high street locations gaining market share while shopping centres and retail parks experienced weaker performance.
The Retail Institute said total shopper spending across all retail channels increased by 11.1 percent year-on-year in March. The number of transactions rose by 6.7 percent, while shopper numbers increased by 9.9 percent. The findings broadly align with recent data from Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS), which reported retail sales growth of 8.7 percent during the same period.
Online retail remained the strongest-performing channel. According to the Institute, customer spending in e-commerce increased by 25.6 percent year-on-year in March, supported by a 19 percent rise in both shopper numbers and transaction volumes.
High street retail also recorded positive results. Spending in commercial street locations increased by 14.4 percent, while transaction volumes and shopper numbers rose by 11.1 percent and 15.5 percent respectively. The report suggests that part of urban consumer spending is increasingly shifting toward neighbourhood-based retail and service formats rather than traditional enclosed shopping centres.
By contrast, retail parks and shopping centres recorded weaker results during the month. Spending in retail parks declined by 9.8 percent year-on-year, while shopping centres saw a 6.9 percent decrease. Both formats also experienced lower shopper traffic and transaction volumes.
At the same time, shopping centres continued to generate higher-value purchases. Average transaction values in shopping centres increased by 2.7 percent, while spending per customer rose by 3 percent, indicating that consumers visiting malls may be making fewer but larger purchases.
Anna Szmeja, President of the Retail Institute, said the results reflect increasing market maturity and changing consumer behaviour.
“In the saturation phase, the market does not offer the same growth potential to all retail formats and channels,” Szmeja commented. “Today, it is no longer enough to analyse footfall and turnover alone. The industry needs to better understand the role of shopping centres within the broader urban ecosystem.”
The Institute said it has shifted its analytical focus away from traditional shopping-centre-only indicators and now analyses transaction data across multiple retail channels, including e-commerce, high streets, shopping centres and retail parks. According to the organisation, its database includes more than 500 million transactions from over 2,100 retail locations across Poland.
The findings contrast with some other market reports, which have indicated that shopping centres in Poland continued to record stable or modestly positive footfall growth during the first quarter of 2026. However, the differing conclusions may reflect varying methodologies, with the Retail Institute comparing shopping centres against the wider retail market rather than measuring performance solely within the mall sector itself.
Despite softer March figures, retail parks remain one of the most active development segments in Poland’s retail property market, supported by lower operating costs, convenience-led formats and continued expansion into regional cities.
The report nevertheless highlights the growing fragmentation of consumer spending patterns and the increasing pressure on traditional retail assets to adapt to changing shopping habits, omnichannel retail strategies and evolving urban lifestyles.
