Poland is entering a phase of accelerated demographic change that is permanently reshaping consumer demand structures. According to the latest report “Generation 40+ in the Spotlight” by Cushman & Wakefield, the increasingly affluent and influential cohort of mature consumers is shifting the retail focus away from entertainment and towards pragmatism, convenience, and proximity. This marks a strategic inflection point for both brands and retail property owners, who must now adapt to the era of “care-and-convenience driven” demand.
An aging society is reshaping demand
The data is unequivocal: Poland is rapidly aging. Moody’s estimates that the share of people aged 65+ will reach approx. 22% by the end of 2030, and according to Poland’s Central Statistical Office (GUS), it may climb to nearly 36% by 2060. As a result, today’s 40- and 50-year-olds — caring simultaneously for children and elderly parents — are redefining purchasing priorities. Longer professional activity (66% of people approaching retirement age declare willingness to continue working) and advancing financial stability make them a wealthy segment, but their most precious currency is time.
Over the next 10–20 years, this will usher in the age of care-and-convenience consumption. Longer life expectancy and longer careers translate into greater purchasing freedom and stronger household budgets among consumers 40+. However, this is paired with increasing caregiving pressure on the so-called “sandwich generation” — today’s 40–55-year-olds — shaping demand in profound ways.
In practice, this means two things:
• rising spending on health, wellness, home care services, and home-comfort solutions
• a clear preference for local, time-saving retail formats — either neighborhood convenience or multi-category centers that allow efficient one-stop shopping
“The shifting lifestyle and preferences of an aging society should already be pushing brands to simplify the entire purchasing journey,” comments Ewa Derlatka-Chilewicz, Head of Research, Cushman & Wakefield.
Shopping quietly, locally, and efficiently
Survey data shows that consumers aged 50+ are the most loyal to neighborhood and traditional retail formats. All consumer segments shop at convenience-oriented and locally rooted stores (e.g. corner groceries or standalone food markets) at least once a week — but this preference is strongest among the 50+ cohort. Key advantages include a consistent and familiar assortment, a calm atmosphere without unnecessary stimuli, and most of all — time savings, explains Ewelina Staruch, Senior Analyst, Cushman & Wakefield.
Conversely, large formats such as shopping centers and retail parks are visited less frequently by the 50+ group (unlike consumers under 30). The reason is not lack of access — but lack of need: they prefer shorter, more intentional shopping trips, with minimal stress from transport, crowds, or noise.
Notably, as many as 42% of consumers aged 50+ visit open-air markets at least once a week — more than any other age group. These serve not only as fresh-food hubs, but as community spaces. Modern neighborhood markets are trending up — offering artisanal foods, local bakeries, and curated specialty products, adds Staruch.
Shopping centers as utility hubs — the 40+ mindset
Cushman & Wakefield’s data shows a clear lifestyle turning point around age 30 — when shopping centers stop being primarily about entertainment and begin serving a practical, efficiency-first role. For older consumers, malls are no longer leisure destinations but tightly planned, purpose-driven shopping environments.
Key behavioral patterns include:
• 92% of all consumers visit fewer than 10 stores per trip — most often between 2 and 5
• Only Gen Z regularly exceeds 10 store visits per trip — 8 pp more than consumers 50+
• 40–49-year-olds show the highest share of 1–2 hour planned shopping windows — tightly integrated with work, errands, and family logistics
Parking convenience is a decisive factor for people 50–65. Among 50+ consumers:
• 35% care strongly about free parking
• 27% value spacious indoor parking
Meanwhile, 40–49-year-olds are more open to alternative transport — a reflection of urban lifestyle and active careers.
A well-matched tenant mix is one of the strongest drivers of loyalty for the 40–65 segment — especially categories such as health & wellness, comfort clothing, and healthy food. Older consumers display the most disciplined purchasing behavior: 26% of those 50+ say they visit a shopping center specifically to buy something unavailable locally (12 pp more than Gen Z).
By contrast, just 7% of 40–49-year-olds cite this — likely because many live in well-served urban zones.
Economic motivations are also strongest among silvers: 50+ consumers care about price reductions and promotions 8 pp more than Gen Z — which overwhelmingly uses malls for cafes, lunch, or events.
Services and entertainment — sharply age-polarized
Use of food, leisure, and service zones inside malls declines with age:
• only 40% of 50+ visit mall restaurants monthly — 29 pp less than Gen Z
• 40–49-year-olds are far more active — still engaged, but through a “functional filter”
• cinema visits: 50% of under-30s monthly vs. 35% of 40-year-olds, 25% of 50-year-olds
• bowling & arcades: used by just 8% of 50+ vs. 25% of 40–49 and 40% of Gen Z
Beauty services show similar patterns: 50+ strongly prefer trusted local salons over mall-based ones.
Fitness is on an upward trajectory among older groups — but requires barrier-breaking. “To attract and retain mature members, fitness clubs must eliminate pressure, stereotypes, and over-youthful messaging,” says Magdalena Szwed, Product Development Director at Benefit Systems Fitness Division. “It must be respectful, relational, and confidence-building — not exclusionary.”
E-commerce? Still cautious — especially 50+
Monthly online shopping frequency is significantly lower among both 40–49 and 50+ compared to younger consumers. Allegro remains dominant, while recommerce platforms or multi-brand marketplaces are less frequently used.
Click-and-collect in malls is adopted by:
• just 25% of consumers 50+
• 32% of consumers 40–49
• compared with 50% of Gen Z
This lower adoption is not about digital incompetence — but about trust, friction, and different value priorities. Interestingly, fashion is the #1 category purchased online among 50+ (48%), especially in towns under 200,000 residents — where local offline assortment is poorly matched.
“The message to the market is clear,” says Paulina Bauer, Head of Asset Services Retail, Cushman & Wakefield. “Retail must redesign both digital and physical channels for this rising demographic. Silvers and future silvers expect simplicity, comfort, and human-centered relations. This is no longer a ‘nice to have’ — it is a strategic must-have that will determine brand competitiveness and market leadership.”
