Sunday trade ban accelerates e-commerce growth

Sunday trade ban will accelerate penetration of e-commerce in Poland by 0.5 percent this year, by 0.9 percent in 2019 and by 1.2 percent in 2020, Haitong Bank estimated in a report. Most market participants expect that the ban's impact will be limited, but e-commerce, service outlets, and small stores will receive part of the market share from super- and hypermarkets. Currently, traditional and specialty stores still account for around 40 percent of the grocery market in Poland. Last year, the share of e-commerce in the Polish food market reached 0.9 percent, well below the average of Western Europe (5.6 percent according to Kantar). "There is no consensus on the consequences for traditional trade," the report added. Some analysts believe that part of traditional stores will not decide to work on Sundays, and even may fall victim to the intensive promotional activities of discounters.