After entering the local retail market by taking over the majority stake in DRIM Daniel Distribucie, the Polish retailer Zabka, one of the largest players in the food trade in Poland, is preparing to open its first stores in Romania. Moreover, the company has ambitious plans locally, the target for this year being the opening of 200 locations, according to Progresiv sources in the market.
The development of the local network of stores will be ensured by Froo, a company part of the Zabka group, in collaboration with DRIM Daniel Distribuție, with Radu Trandafir, co-owner and General Director of DRIM Daniel Distribuție, being appointed to lead Froo Romania.
The stores will initially operate in urban areas, and the concept will be built around the need for convenience. Thus, the store assortment will include approximately 2,000 SKUs, with a focus on impulse categories.
At the same time, in parallel with the development of Froo stores, the company is considering bringing the concept of autonomous Nano stores to the local market. The first Zabka Nano store was opened in 2021, and currently the retailer has over 50 such locations. The stores operate in office buildings, sports clubs, but also in the premises of retailers such as Decathlon or Leroy Merlin.
“We are building a partnership with a company that enjoys huge trust, both from business partners and from customers on the Romanian market, and that develops respecting the standards we are used to in Zabka. Common values, mutual respect and trust represent a solid basis for our strategic partnership and for the ambitious projects we have planned. We have dedicated the last quarter of a century to dynamic growth in Poland, and today we are embarking on a new stage, which involves the launch of operations on a new European market”, declared Tomasz Suchański, CEO of the Żabka Group at the time of the announcement of the takeover of the majority stake in shares in the distribution company DRIM Daniel FMCG Distribution.
In the Polish market, Zabka owns more than 10,000 convenience stores. For comparison, the modern retail universe in Romania is close to 4,800 points of sale. On a local level, the main competitors for the Polish retailer are the Profi Go, Profi City and Shop&Go chains, which own around 1300 stores, but also independent retailers.
