Many small local independent retail shop owners are losing business and protesting the location of new large stores as well as accusing them of illegal practices such as dumping selling products for less than market value. They are also joining merchants associations to petition authorities to try to preserve small, independent Polish retailing. In 2000, eleven Polish retail networks founded UPSD, the Union of Polish Retail Networks, an organization with nationwide coverage. The members of UPDS own 1,637 stores with a total floor area of 250,000 square meters. Despite the fact that the organization unites retail business owners, it intends to cooperate with Polish wholesalers.
Small companies continue to dominate the Polish retail market.
Ninety-eight percent of retail companies own no more than two outlets. The wholesale market is almost as fragmented as the retail market. There are more than 17,000 wholesale outlets with total sales of USD 95 billion. Foreign retailers currently control about 10-12 percent of the total retail market in Poland. Enter a company name or a portion of the name.