Foreigners buy in Poland

In Q1 of 2014 the foreigners gave out PLN 7.7 billion, says the Statistical Office in Rzeszów. Most of them constituted Germans (53 percent). Other nations were Ukrainians 16.9 percent, Czechs 6.3, Slovaks 5.5, Russians 3.5 and Lithuanians 3.5 percent. Guests coming from the UE were most interested in fuel (25 percent), the reason being its relatively low price in comparison to other UE countries. Cigarettes were the product most often bought by Germans (20 percent of all product interest). Poland’s eastern neighbors most frequently bought construction materials, white goods and car accessories, clothing and cleaning supplies. In total, in Q1 of 2014 they gave out PLN 2.1 billion, that is 25 percent more than in the same period of 2013. Eastern countries, including Ukraine or Russia take advantage of the local border permit. It allows them to reach as far as 50 km into Polish borders without a visa, Kamil Cisowski, Bank PKO BP economist told Forsal. Poland’s southern neighbors buy mostly fuel, cigarettes, food and barber services.