HoReCa market analysis in Poland
Our analysis of the HoReCa market in Poland showed that in 2021 it was worth PLN 25.9 bn, i.e. PLN 3.2 bn more than in 2020. The leaders of the hotel market are, in order, Accor, Polski Holding Hotelowy Group and Hilton. In the food service industry, the most popular restaurants are those serving European, Polish and Italian cuisine.
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How fast is the HoReCa market in Poland growing?
Our analysis of the HoReCa market in Poland shows that the sector will grow at an estimated rate of more than 8% a year. However, this growth will be significantly slowed by rising inflation. What is more, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic can still be seen in the industry. During that time nearly 20% of venues in Poland closed down. Hotels, which have the largest capital resources in the industry, coped best during that period. In addition, during the second lockdown they were able to operate to a limited extent.
Show chart data as a table
| Year | Market value (PLN bn) |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 22.7 |
| 2021 | 25.9 |
At present four phenomena have the greatest impact on the development of the HoReCa market in Poland: the end of the pandemic and the possibility of returning to work, the rising costs of running venues, difficulties in hiring staff and the unstable situation in Ukraine.
02
How are rising prices affecting HoReCa demand in Poland?
Rising prices are making Poles limit their HoReCa spending: in a PMR survey, 66% of respondents had cut down on visits to food service venues and 63% ordered takeaway food less often.
Because of rising prices, more and more Poles are deciding to limit their HoReCa spending, which does not help an industry already in a poor state after the Covid-19 pandemic. The results of a survey carried out by PMR show that 66% of respondents have cut down on visits to food service venues, and 63% order takeaway food less often. The only things that seem to help are consumers' habit of using HoReCa services, the industry's growing mobility and the development of tourism.
A survey of entrepreneurs operating in the HoReCa market revealed that the biggest obstacles to the development of the sector are the high costs of maintaining venues and employing staff. This has led to the dominance of large chains, which have greater financial capacity than independent operators. For this reason they also coped better with the pandemic and inflation crises.
In theory, companies in the HoReCa market in Poland (especially food service companies) have had a fairly good half-year. Turnover is 34% higher than in the same period of 2019, but in practice this is mainly due to constantly rising prices. Customer numbers are also back to pre-pandemic levels. However, this is mostly due to the increased digitalisation of the sales model rather than crowds returning to venues.
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What are the main trends in the HoReCa market in Poland?
Key trends in the Polish HoReCa market are food delivery through restaurants' own channels, digital tools such as QR codes and contactless payment, and greater demand for premium services.
Our HoReCa market analysis showed that quite a few new trends have emerged in the industry. They are mainly the result of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising inflation and changing customer tastes.
Food delivery is becoming increasingly popular. It is often offered by restaurants to their customers through their own channels, such as websites or social media. This lets them tailor service closely to guests and opens a new source of income that does not depend on third parties. For this reason, hyperlocal targeting will become a necessity. It will enable restaurants to adapt to the needs of consumers in a given delivery area. QR codes, e-menus, contactless payment and digital receipts are also common. These developed especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, when higher hygiene standards were particularly important, and they also made the work of service staff more efficient.
Another trend we can observe in the HoReCa industry is greater demand for premium services. Growing consumer awareness means that things such as the origin and quality of products or the professionalism of service matter now more than ever. For this reason, restaurants are increasingly specialising in a particular cuisine. As a consequence, menus are also being shortened. This helps to maintain high quality, because restaurants can perfect a few or a dozen or so dishes.
Author: Agata Lemberska
Sources:
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Source: MarketHub, "HoReCa market analysis in Poland", markethub.pl, 10.2022