The Germans are already well established among Polish supermarkets, with Lidl, Kaufland, and Rossmann making big inroads, and Aldi is growing too. The next in line is Mix Markt, which currently has just three stores in Kraków, Tarnów and Opole, but it is planning many more.
Mix Markt’s offer is concentrated around “ethnofoods,” i.e., foods characteristic of different countries. It wants to attract customers from different cultures with its products, intending to take advantage of the growing migration from the east to Poland.
Polish traders are underwhelmed by the news, especially when it transpires that the new chain will be positioning itself as the “cheapest products in town.” They are already complaining that foreign chains enjoy an unfair advantage on the Polish market, and feel that Polish shopkeepers end up having to pay more taxes despite their dwindling influence in the market.
Some Polish traders state they are finding it hard to compete by lowering prices or making their marketplaces more attractive. There is also the fact that many local authorities are limiting the space offered to small traders as the land can yield better value via other activities.
Mix Markt, the new kid on the Polish block, currently owns 350 shops in Europe. A total of 181 of these stores are located in Germany and the other 170 can be found in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands and Slovenia. The shops are divided into the larger Mix Markt supermarkets and the smaller Mini Mix Markt outlets.
