The final weeks of 2025 brought a clear rebound in Polish shopping centres. Despite Christmas Eve becoming a statutory non-trading day for the first time, December footfall increased by as much as 4% year on year, according to the latest data from the Polish Council of Shopping Centres. The key factor behind this performance was the calendar, which included three trading Sundays ahead of Christmas.
The closing weeks of the year confirmed the stabilisation of the trend of consumers returning to brick-and-mortar shopping. A 4% increase in footfall suggests that Poles concentrated their pre-Christmas shopping activity primarily in December.
PRCH experts point to the crucial role played by the three trading Sundays preceding Christmas. These effectively offset the inability to shop on 24 December. The data support the thesis that consumers are eager to shop on Sundays whenever regulations allow it. A full assessment of the sector’s condition—including December turnover figures—will be available at the turn of January and February.
November Slowdown Driven by the Calendar
Before the market entered its December growth phase, November 2025 brought a temporary correction in results. Year on year, turnover declined by 2.3% and footfall fell by 3.2%. According to PRCH, the primary reason was an unfavourable calendar—compared with 2024, retailers had one fewer trading day.
In addition, the configuration of public holidays—All Saints’ Day falling on a Saturday and Independence Day on a Tuesday—created an opportunity for extended weekends, encouraging travel rather than visits to shopping centres. Despite the overall decline, large shopping centres proved the most resilient, maintaining positive turnover growth (+0.2%), while smaller formats recorded decreases. Geographically, positive trends persisted in the Białystok and Kraków agglomerations.
Shopping Centres as Social and Leisure Hubs
Despite weaker retail sales in November, PRCH data point to a clear evolution in the role of shopping centres. Customers are increasingly visiting them not just to buy products, but to seek experiences. In November, notable growth was recorded in several leisure-related categories:
- Services: +7.0%
- Entertainment: +6.5%
- Food & beverage (restaurants and cafés): +4.0%
- Health & beauty: +4.0%
Source: ceo.com.pl
