Since 2020, small and medium-sized shopping parks have been dynamically developing on the Polish market. Although the retail market has already matured and is in a saturation phase, shopping parks and convenience formats effectively carved out their niche. The trend for convenience shopping was already noticeable before the pandemic, as evidenced by the decline in interest in large hypermarkets and a reduction in their space. Consumers are increasingly keen to make fast and convenient purchases of essential items. After March 2020, the trend of quick shopping close to home became even more significant. People began to discover the local retail offer in their area, as due to many restrictions, most customers stayed at home.
Shopping parks have become the answer to the growing demand for local and convenience-oriented shopping. They are usually located in key areas such as densely populated residential zones, commuter routes, or on the outskirts of cities, near main roads, often neighboring existing retail facilities. Their diverse selection of tenants aims to facilitate daily shopping in one convenient place. Additionally, the simple layout of these parks, with separate entrances to each premises and a parking lot directly adjacent to the stores, provides a quick and convenient shopping experience.
Despite their rapid development, shopping parks do not directly compete with shopping centers due to their different purpose and offerings. Evidence of this is the return of shopping center results to pre-pandemic levels. Shopping parks play a different role in the retail landscape compared to traditional shopping centers, where visitors seek not only basic items but also premium brands, gastronomic, entertainment, and recreational offerings. The different functions, sizes, layouts, and tenant selection of each format ensure that their offerings are complementary, not competitive.
The shift in shopping habits based on this classification of retail formats is becoming increasingly apparent. This is particularly important in the context of the development strategy of retail networks, especially for discounters and value retailers, whose offerings are present in both shopping parks and shopping centers. These brands must carefully assess their operating models to avoid cannibalizing stores, which is becoming an increasingly visible phenomenon.
Despite the growing importance of e-commerce, over 90% of retail sales in Poland are still made in physical stores. Before the pandemic, online shopping accounted for only 5.6% of total retail sales. After the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020, online sales soared, reaching almost 12% during lockdown periods. Since then, the share of e-commerce has stabilized and was at 8.8% in July 2024. Seasonal increases in online sales are still visible at the turn of the year, especially during events such as Black Friday, Christmas, or various promotions. The growing importance of e-commerce affects shopping centers in the context of omnichannel strategy, posing various challenges related to communication and branding aimed at improving the overall shopping experience.
Shopping parks, which are dedicated to basic shopping meeting daily needs, are not significantly affected by the growing role of online sales. Customers regularly visit shopping parks, and the convenience offer is characterized by immediate, stationary purchases. In addition, the off-price model and frequently changing assortment encourage customers to make spontaneous visits. The above consumer attitude was confirmed by Pepco’s resignation from developing online sales strategy. Pepco, being one of the most popular retailers offering low prices, withdrew from online sales after a year of operation. The off-price offer, being the basis of this network’s activity, combined with the relatively low average basket value, prevented the creation of profitable online sales – customers prefer to visit a physical store rather than incur delivery costs.
With time, the synergy between shopping parks and shopping centers is becoming more and more apparent. Some shopping center owners, like EPP and Greenman, increased their properties not through traditional expansions, but by building adjacent shopping parks. With appropriate commercialization, shopping parks attract customers and increase the overall attractiveness of the entire facility, leading to an increase in the total number of visitors. As a result, these parks play a vital complementary role in the offer of shopping centers.
Forecasts indicate that in 2025, the new supply of shopping parks will exceed 500,000 sqm, setting a record level of newly handed over space in this segment. At the same time, small convenience-type retail formats (below 5,000 sqm GLA) are gaining popularity across the country. Is there still potential for new shopping parks then? Key market participants indicate that the shopping park segment and convenience facilities are far from being saturated and will continue to develop intensely in the coming years. Accurate forecasting of market saturation remains a challenge.
“Investors are currently intensively purchasing assets, not paying special attention to the potential saturation of the market. The aim of these activities is to quickly secure the most attractive properties before market maturity becomes apparent. In the near future, older, more affordable shopping parks will hit the market, and at the same time, new facilities will be developed in their vicinity, attracting tenants. As a result, older shopping parks will have to look for alternative tenants, such as trampoline parks, kindergartens or other forms of activity. This transformation will be observed in the coming years.” – Artur Czuba, Associate Director, Investment at Avison Young.
Currently, nearly 18 million people in Poland live within a 15-minute drive from shopping parks, accounting for 47% of the population that has easy access to these facilities. This analysis includes both operating shopping parks and those under construction above 5,000 sqm GLA. When the travel time is extended or small convenience type facilities are included, the range zone significantly expands, covering also smaller towns and municipalities.
The development of shopping parks and convenience facilities in small towns requires comprehensive spatial analyses, as well as an appropriate size of the project and offering. Small towns often influence the surrounding rural areas, making the theoretical range of influence extend far beyond the city limits. Therefore, the demographic and economic potential of a location results from the analysis of the catchment area and local retail offer, considering the attractiveness of individual areas. Some small towns are characterized by a very high retail concentration index when retail turnover exceeds the purchasing power of the town’s inhabitants.
Source: https://managerplus.pl/od-hipermarketow-do-parkow-handlowych-ewolucja-nawykow-zakupowych-polakow-20395
