- In the retail purchasing power ranking, Poles are behind Slovaks, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
- Retail purchasing power is the proportion of GfK's overall purchasing power that consumers can spend on purchases in the retail sector.
Residents of Romania have the lowest amount to allocate. There are significant differences not only between the 25 countries analyzed, but also depending on the region of a given country. This data comes from the first "GfK Retail Purchasing Power Europe" study.
The average purchasing power for retail is EUR 6,517 per inhabitant
Residents of 25 European countries included in the GfK – an NIQ Company study have a total amount of almost EUR 3.4 trillion in retail spending. The average purchasing power for retail is EUR 6,517 per inhabitant. Luxembourg is the leader of the ranking – its citizens have EUR 12,067 at their disposal, i.e. over 85%. above average.
The average Pole spends EUR 4,051 in stores a year
Switzerland and Denmark are in second and third place. Germany is closest to the average with EUR 6,667. The average Pole spends EUR 4,051 in stores a year.
– Compared to other European countries, retail spending in Poland is below average. If we relate this amount to the overall purchasing power, it turns out that Polish consumers spend a significant part of their net income on retail. A similar situation occurs in many Eastern European countries, in Hungary it is even more than half. This is mainly due to the fact that Eastern Europeans have lower incomes. In turn, in Switzerland, Great Britain and Germany, the share of retail expenses in the total purchasing power is relatively low – explains Agnieszka Szlaska-Bąk, Client Business Partner in the geomarketing team at GfK – an NIQ Company.
According to a study by GfK – an NIQ Company, 13 out of 25 countries analyzed have above-average purchasing power for retail purchases. There are 12 countries below the average, with Romania in last place with a score of EUR 2,986, which corresponds to less than 46%. average.
Moreover, significant differences also occur within the analyzed countries. A breakdown by region in the UK shows that purchasing power in West London is twice as high as the national average and is up to 2.6 times higher than in the last-placed region of Sunderland.
Data from GfK – an NIQ Company also show that regions in and around European capitals often have above-average purchasing power in retail. Outside Great Britain, such a situation occurs, among others, in France, Hungary and the Scandinavian countries.
– Also in Poland, the disproportions between counties are large. Interestingly, residents of the largest agglomerations spend much more on shopping in stores, but as a percentage of their overall purchasing power, these expenses constitute much less than in poorer regions of the country. This happens not only because of higher income, but also due to a different style and higher expenses on services and broadly understood entertainment – comments Agnieszka Szlaska-Bąk.
The GfK Retail Purchasing Power Europe study is available for 25 European countries and also covers their regions, with data on overall purchasing power, purchasing power for retail products, as well as residents and households.
