Agnieszka Majorek (p)

Małgorzata Twardzik

The first shopping mall in Poland was opened in Warsaw in 1993. In the following years, their number systematically increased. The analysis of conducted so far confirm that the shopping mall market in Poland is characterized by an increasing level of competitiveness. Currently, they constitute an important element of urban space, and social galleries (departing from the dominant function of traditional trade) are becoming a new trend in their offer. The presentation focuses on the analysis of shopping malls operating in Poland, with special regard on their location and the possibility of playing the role of an urban public space.

Krystian Heffner (p)

Agnieszka Majorek

The outer zones of urban agglomerations in Poland during recent decades experienced an uncontrolled expansion of urbanisation, characterised by a profound diversification of the land use structure accompanied by a dramatic increase in anthropopressure and occurs in a wide suburban zone, as well as in invasive forms of housing, commuting as well as services and retail in rural zones more loosely linked to larger urban centres. In the outer zones of urban agglomerations a deep transition in service patterns appears and massive structural change in local retail. Furthermore significant change in shopping behaviour and retail chains activities and locations became visible not only in distance and peripheral rural areas (Vias 2004, Paddison, Calderwood 2007), but also in small towns (Powe, Shaw 2004, Twardzik, Heffner 2019) and in wide suburban zones (Heffner, Twardzik 2015, Silhan, Kunc 2020).
In turn, restructuring and diversification of development structure, with a decrease in the intensity of spatial interactions, occurs most often in fully urbanised rural zones (often functioning as external parts of larger urban cenres, Korcelli et al.2012, Korcelli, Korcelli-Olejniczak 2017). The shortage of retail services in the rapidly growing suburbanisation zone is resulting in changes in shopping behaviour towards locations with chain stores Heffner 2013, Heffner, Twardzik 2015). Network outlets appear singly even in relatively small rural localities, in municipal centres and small towns there are relatively often a few or more (Calvo-Porral, Levy-Mangin 2018). Retail shops in smaller rural settlements are disappearing, while their number is decreasing in small towns and community centres (Damurski,Ładysz, Zipser 2016, Kunc, Reichel, Novotna 2020). It is important to find the main commercial pull factors of the local shopping centres in order to attract potential customers as well as elements for improving the quality of life in urbanised rural areas.
Due to the interdependent nature of the relationship between changes in population distribution and flows (local peripheralisation process and degradation of the commercial service system), the evolution of economic functions and transformations in infrastructure makes difficult to identify their succession in different types of rural areas in the outer zones of urban agglomerations ((Gibas, Heffner 2018). Changes in the distribution, nature and functioning of retail trade in rural areas, including suburbanisation zones of larger cities, are becoming one of the most important factors shaping their quality of life and development.

Małgorzata Twardzik (p)

Krystian Heffner

The purpose of the paper is to identify major changes in development of retail formats in outer zones of polish cities. The paper also aims at identification of key challenges for retailers in the sphere of location that retail companies in Poland (especially in in outer
zones of polish cities) face nowadays. Location of activity is a very important issue in shaping
the strategy of establishment of relationship of retailers with customers. What is more, drawing customers’ attention to offered assortment that is supported by actions in the sphere of prices, promotions and other elements that improve the offered product are also significant.Changing of retail formats in outer zones of polish cities
Purpose - The purpose of the paper is to identify major changes in development of retail formats in outer zones of polish cities. The paper also aims at identification of key challenges for retailers in the sphere of location that retail companies in Poland (especially in in outer zones of polish cities) face nowadays. Location of activity is a very important issue in shaping the strategy of establishment of relationship of retailers with customers. What is more, drawing customers’ attention to offered assortment that is supported by actions in the sphere of prices, promotions and other elements that improve the offered product are also significant. Structural transformations of organizational forms of retail are an effect of adjustment to the environment of companies. In this environment especially visible become tendencies connected with globalization of customers’ preferences, rise of their demands and thus expectations concerning offers presented by stores. These factors entail necessity to diversify the shopping process through creation of more and more attractive shopping centers and the conditions in which shopping is done. In recent years the highest growth dynamics in Poland has been achieved by modern distribution channels, that is hypermarkets, supermarkets and discount stores which meet the requirements of customers through implementation of planned marketing activity.