Key takeaways from the Consumer & Retail Leadership roundtable discussion in Warsaw
March 2026
In the latest Consumer & Retail Leadership Roundtable organized by Pedersen & Partners, industry leaders convened in Warsaw for an open exchange grounded in both market data and candid peer discussion. The session featured insights from Karolina Zajdel-Pawlak (NielsenIQ), alongside senior executives from across the Consumer & Retail ecosystem, including Dr. Martin Stoebe (Beiersdorf), César Lipka (Lipco Foods), Robert Sas (Foodwell), Marcin Snopkowski (Grycan), Milan Bukumirovic (Hortex), Janusz Idczak (JDE Peet’s), Tomasz Blawat (KEX Confectionery), Maciej Herman (Lotte Wedel), Nicolas Krantz (PernodRicard), Can Kuterdem (Philip Morris International), Krzysztof Jakubczak (PPF Partner in Pet Food), Tomasz Fajfer (Tchibo), and Grzegorz Lis (Mondelez International).
From Pedersen & Partners, the discussion was supported by Kristian Pedersen, alongside Tomasz Maczynski, Petra Grabmayer, and Krzysztof Dabrowski.
Poland’s retail landscape reflects a market balancing steady economic growth with rising structural complexity, where demographic shifts, cost pressures, and digital acceleration are reshaping both demand and execution priorities.
Key takeaways
- Economic growth in Poland remains resilient, but is increasingly exposed to geopolitical volatility and cost pressures, requiring more disciplined planning and execution
- Demographic shifts, including an aging population and urban concentration, are redefining where and how purchasing power develops
- Consumers remain highly price-sensitive, with promotions continuing to drive store choice and brand switching, yet without delivering sustainable volume growth
- Health, wellness, and product quality attributes are gaining importance, with consumers willing to pay more when value is clearly justifie
- Digital and omnichannel behaviors, including social influence and emerging AI use cases, are reshaping the path to purchase and accelerating expectations for convenience and personalization
We appreciate the thoughtful contributions of all participants and thank them for helping shape an insightful and constructive peer exchange.