There are more and more people on the Vistula who want to increase their expenses. This is very good news for companies – we read in Wednesday's edition of the daily “Rzeczpospolita”.
The newspaper notes that optimism is definitely returning to the retail market, and Poles are increasingly eager to buy. “The consumer sentiment index has remained positive since January 2024,” according to the GfK Consumer Panel Services study, which measures buyers' attitudes in points.
Better indicators
As we read, within six months this indicator grew to 3.5 points. For comparison, in 2019, when the mood was the best, it was around 7 points, and from the pandemic until the end of 2023 it was negative (which means that there were more pessimists than optimists). “On the one hand, we are increasingly ready to increase spending, but on the other hand we have become accustomed to searching for promotions and catching bargains in stores. And this is a big challenge for retail chains,” said Michał Maksymiec, director of cooperation with retail chains at Consumer Panel Services GfK, quoted in the text.
Poles want to spend more
According to the company's data, in the first half of 2024, the food and chemical market grew by 8% in value and by 6% in quantity. In addition, 41% of Poles want to spend more on everyday shopping – that is 9 percentage points more than a year ago. “Increases in wages, including the minimum wage, increases in the public sector – all this causes an increase in disposable income,” explained Szymon Mordasiewicz, Managing Director at Consumer Panel Services GfK. He added that with low unemployment rate consumers are starting to feel more secure.
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