The Polish Council of Shopping Centers (PRCH) has published data on the condition of shopping centers in December as well as across the whole of 2025, based on the two largest and most reliable indicators in Poland: the PRCH Turnover Density Index and the PRCH Footfall Density Index.
In December, turnover in shopping centers rose by more than 3%, while footfall was 4% higher than in the same month a year earlier. On an annual basis, turnover increased by more than 2% with footfall at a comparable year-on-year level. Categories linked to services and leisure continue to lead growth.
December is the strongest month of the year for shopping centers—and this year’s results once again confirmed its unrivaled position.
Compared with the same month of the previous year, total turnover increased by 3.1%, and footfall rose as much as 4%. One of the key factors behind these results proved to be three trading Sundays, which effectively offset the inability to trade on Christmas Eve. Consumers were able to plan their visits more flexibly and readily took advantage of the opportunity to shop on that day of the week. This is an important argument in the debate about Sunday trading, clearly pointing to the need to liberalize the rules currently in force. Easing the ban would be the appropriate response to the real social need revealed in December—confirmed by shopping-center footfall results—and would help unlock the unused potential of Polish retail.
On a full-year basis, the 2025 results confirm the market’s stable condition. Total turnover rose by 2.1%, with footfall at an almost unchanged level.
Across 2025, the highest turnover growth was recorded in the following categories:
- Services: +10.6%
- Restaurants and cafés: +6.6%
- Health and beauty: +5.9%
- Entertainment: +5.3%
The structure of growth confirms a trend visible for some time: shopping centers are evolving into multifunctional destinations where service, dining, and entertainment offerings increase overall sales value.
Changes in turnover and footfall by facility size in 2025
The biggest turnover increases were recorded in the southern, central, and eastern regions. Among major urban areas, the strongest turnover growth was seen in Kraków, Warsaw, and Białystok.
Comment by Przemek Dwojak, Senior Client Business Partner, GfK – an NIQ company
Strong December results come as no surprise, and the full-year figures are encouraging—especially when viewed in a broader market context. Retail space in shopping centers and retail parks continues to expand, which on the one hand reflects the development of brick-and-mortar retail while the share of e-commerce in total retail has stabilized.
On the other hand, it also means customer attention is being dispersed along the omnichannel shopping journey. Consumer behavior is evolving, and shopping “missions” are being split not only between online and offline channels, but also across different formats of physical retail. In the future, we will likely see further growth in categories such as services, entertainment, and dining, as well as more month-to-month volatility in other retail categories—for example fashion or home furnishings.
Comment by Bogda Korolczuk, Managing Director of PRCH
December’s results show that Poles remain attached to in-store shopping, especially during the traditional pre-Christmas period. Three trading Sundays perfectly compensated for the lack of trading on Christmas Eve, giving consumers comfort and time to carry out their shopping plans.
The whole of 2025 provided yet another confirmation of the evolution of shopping centers. It is visible in the double-digit growth in services turnover (+10.6%) and the strong momentum in dining and other categories linked to leisure and lifestyle. The fact that turnover increased by 2.1% despite only a slight change in footfall (-0.8%) points to rising sales efficiency and customer loyalty. It should be borne in mind that the commercial real-estate sector includes complementary segments: shopping centers and retail parks. Some day-to-day shopping needs are fulfilled in the latter category. As a result, visit frequency is spread across a growing number of facilities. In this context, shopping-center footfall should be considered satisfactory. We are working on a similarly reliable method of measuring footfall in retail parks. I am convinced that such data would only strengthen the thesis of the good, stable condition of the entire industry.
As for turnover, the second half of the year was particularly strong (with the exception of November). Turnover growth correlated with falling inflation.
We are entering 2026 convinced that the shopping-center market is mature, predictable, and responsive to the needs of today’s consumer. We expect this to be a time of intensive work on existing supply—modernization and adapting older properties’ offerings to changing customer expectations and ESG requirements.
