According to NIQ data, large-format stores control approximately 58% of the FMCG market, and small-format and specialist stores approximately 42%. Aggressive pricing policy or even the delay in transferring the restored VAT rate on food to consumers causes large stores, and especially discount stores, to grow. The number of small stores is decreasing at an increasingly faster rate, and those still operating on the market are increasingly in debt.
Close to where I live
According to the results of UX retail research in Poland published in April 2024, the majority of respondents (66%) prefer and choose local stores that are located near their place of residence. This sounds encouraging for small entrepreneurs, but subsequent conclusions from the same study are not so optimistic. In such establishments we make rather small purchases, and for those worth over PLN 100 we go to large stores – most often to discount stores. The reason for this are lower product prices and promotions, which are crucial for approximately 2/3 of Poles. Nearly 40% of consumers would appreciate the possibility of receiving a discount for regular customers, and for a large group, convenient, free parking is important, which is difficult to find in front of a local grocery or grocery store.
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Different shopping assortment
As CMR data from this year show, stimulants, i.e. alcohol and tobacco products, are still responsible for almost half of the sales of small stores. In the case of large establishments, the diversity in the products sold is much greater. As many as 10 categories account for almost half of the turnover, including, apart from alcohol, dairy products, drinks, sweets, spices, cereal products, fats and meat products. Functional drinks, energy drinks, impulse ice cream, water and iced coffees and teas also sell well in small stores.
Thefts affect all stores, but not equally
"Rzeczpospolita" reports that as many as 80% of offenses related to theft of goods occur in large stores. This may be due to the fact that thieves feel more anonymous there and believe that it is easier to hide among many shelves and aisles. However, they generate huge losses that stores will not absorb and will pass on to consumers. Statistically, large retail chains indicate that their annual losses due to theft of goods are approximately 10% of the annual turnover, but currently it may be as much as 14%. It is worth remembering the scale here – the largest players record annual revenues of several dozen billion euros. It is worth noting that thieves steal really high-value goods and it is not surprising that the value of these losses is later visible in the prices of other products.
– However, we forget about small, local stores, for which the loss of 10 or as much as 15% of annual revenue may mean the end of business and the closure of the store. You do not need to secure every item of goods, as the largest players do, but focus on those products that generate the greatest losses. The halo effect will automatically work in the store – and the thief, seeing security measures that are not fakes, will move to a facility where the risk of being caught will be significantly lower – comments Robert Głażewski from Checkpoint Systems.
However, we cannot forget about large institutions. Due to the scale of their business, they can more easily pass on the costs of losses to consumers. Small increases in several or even a dozen or so thousand products will not be that bothersome for consumers. Prices in discount stores also start from a different, clearly lower level than those in local stores. However, this does not mean that large players intend to continue to allow it.
– We see that more and more retail chains are no longer able to tolerate the year-by-year increases in theft levels and the gigantic losses they cause. I expect that in a relatively short period of time it will be increasingly difficult to find a supermarket or discount store that does not use advanced methods of protecting goods, adds Robert Głażewski.
