Piotr i Pawel’s innovation in the F&V space

Piotr i Paweł, one of Poland’s biggest supermarket chains, is once again promoting a range of innovations in fruit and vegetables in stores nationwide.

Special areas where customers can try fresh fruit and vegetables, new sections featuring wooden tables and racks for fresh organic produce, and new stands promoting produce that is not familiar to the Polish – such as collard, black salsify and exotic fruit – are among the measures.

“We have been using the slogan ‘Cheaper than you think’ to promote a line of vegetables including Polish tomatoes, cucumbers, iceberg lettuce and also peaches grown in Małopolska, in southern Poland. And we have the ongoing promotion of our own brand products with the ‘Always Quality’ tagline,” said Jacek Grzyb, from Piotr i Paweł’s fruit and vegetable sales department.

“Fruit and vegetables account for about 10% of all our products. In 2015 our general turnover increased 5.6% to 2.12 billion zlotys, making Piotr i Paweł one of Poland’s most fastest growing food retailers.

“The same year, our fruit and vegetable sales totalled over 200 million zlotys,” Grzyb said.

“Right now in Poland there is a trend towards demand for better quality food, particularly in regard to fruit and vegetables and especially among young and middle-aged professionals.

“We are also trying to introduce our customers to lesser known vegetables such as topinambur and pitahaya. These specialty items will be sold in the majority of our outlets in different regions across the country,” he said.

Founded in 1990 and fully Polish-owned, Piotr i Paweł is also well-known for the premium class products offered in its expanding food store chain.

“In just two years we have opened over 130 new stores in 61 towns across the country. The average sales area is 1,100 m² and our assortment is up to 27,000 different articles.

“The number of our private label products has increased to 1,000 items and covers various categories of products. Piotr i Paweł is able to compete with other retailers whose fruit and vegetables are often cheaper,” Grzyb said.

Focus on medium size cities

Regarding the constant development of the fruit and vegetable sections in Piotr i Paweł supermarkets, there is a need to ask how the retailer will develop its purchase strategy in years to come concerning various categories of fresh produce.

“Our main task in the near future is to invest over €9 million each year from our sales revenue in making our shops more attractive for our customers.”

And while Piotr i Paweł plans to build new supermarkets in Poland’s medium size towns, it won’t neglect bigger cities.

“In Warsaw alone we have six supermarkets and plan to open more,” Grzyb said.

Piotr i Paweł now has 138 stores, including one opened in late October in Warsaw’s Koszykowa St.