Żabka already has 8,500 stores

Żabka already has 8,500 stores

Żabka already has over 8 500 stores. In the first half of 2022, the chain opened 577 sites, contributing significantly to the development of micro- and small businesses. It operates according to clear rules, offering business success to thousands of individual entrepreneurs within the franchise – currently, more than 7 200 franchisees work with Żabka. The chain tries to simplify their work by developing digital tools and optimizing the processes associated with running the store.

– We continue our development – not only are we opening more sites, but we are also investing in new store formats, improving franchise offer, and innovative solutions. Our chain already has more than 8,500 stores, and we start new facilities in places that allow us to be as close to customers as possible. In our portfolio, we have various types of stores: office buildings, transit points, traffic locations, and gas stations. At the same time, we are implementing several projects which are part of our Responsibility Strategy, one of the main areas of which is to increase the satisfaction of franchisees with our cooperation – says Adam Manikowski, Managing Director of Żabka Polska.

Żabka opens its facilities not only in agglomerations and large cities but also in towns below 50 thousand residents. In many of them, there was no Żabka store before – as in Boguchwałowice (Silesian voivodeship), where the 8500^th store is located. Boguchwałowice is a village on the Przeczycko-Siewierski Lagoon, approx. 35 km from Katowice. 752 people are living here, which means that it is currently the smallest place where the Żabka chain store has been launched. Franchisee Mateusz Karcz is satisfied with such location of the site.

– A store run in the smallest village in Poland is a huge challenge for me, but an even bigger opportunity. I come from a small village and I appreciate the great potential of this type of place, especially in the context of running a store. A small village means there are trusted and permanent customers who build a local community. On the other hand, my store is located on a fairly busy route, a passing road between important cities of the province, close to the popular lagoon. In this I see a great chance for the success of my Żabka store and numerous visits of customers and tourists – admits Mateusz Karcz.

New store formats

The Żabka portfolio includes various store formats. In the first half of this year, Żabka debuted with a vending machine in one of the private hospitals in Warsaw, and also presented a completely new concept – a trading post for shopping malls. Every year, the chain also opened seasonal stores – during the holidays there are 90 facilities in tourist destinations. Mobile Żabka stores have also moved to Poland, which will appear among others at concerts of Męskie Granie in 8 Polish cities.

The chain’s offer is complemented by unmanned autonomous stores – currently, 50 Żabka Nano stores are already in operation; they are innovative establishments supported by artificial intelligence, which makes Żabka Group the largest network of autonomous stores in Europe.

Żabka improves franchisees’ work

At the same time, the chain made many investments in technological solutions to improve the work of franchisees. In the Smart Żabka store operating at Półwiejska Street in Poznań, the chain tests e.g.: spill sensors, automatic temperature measurement in the store, energy consumption measurement, or communication on headphones. These solutions free up franchisees’ time, allow them to focus on customer service, and at the same time are friendly to the planet. After analyzing the results, Żabka plans to choose the most effective solutions and adapt them in more establishments facilities.

In the first half of this year, in all Żabka stores, dual self-service checkouts were also installed – making Żabka one of the largest chains in terms of the number of self-service cash registers in Europe. Thanks to the availability of this type of modern checkouts, the store staff can focus e.g. on improving customer service or other responsibilities, and customers can be served faster.

Logistics network in development

Żabka is constantly developing its logistics network – near Radzymin close to Warsaw it is building one of the most technologically advanced warehouses in this part of Europe. By using renewable zero-carbon energy sources, i. solar panels on the roof and trigeneration units, the warehouse will be 100% self-sufficient in terms of electricity demand.

In June this year. Żabka entered the next stage of the activities aimed at the commissioning of the facility – it started recruiting workers. Thanks to this investment, more than 600 people will find work in the region – employed directly by Żabka or its cooperating companies.