new retail locations and cross

Journal of Geography, Politics and Society,
ISSN 2084-0497
Year III, no. 1(5), June 2013
[email protected]
NEW RETAIL LOCATIONS AND CROSS-BORDER
SHOPPING IN POLAND
D elia BAR-KOŁELIS
D e p a rtm e n t R egional G e o g rap h y D ev elo p m e n t, U n iv ersity of G d a ń sk ,
P o la n d
E -m ail: deliab ar@ k o lelis.co m
S u m m a ry
S h o p p in g b e c a m e n o w a d a y s a le is u re activ ity , tra n s fo rm in g
itse lf from a p rim a ry n e c e s s ity in to a p le a s a n t m a n n e r for m a n y
p eo p le to s p e n d th e ir free tim e . C ro s s -b o rd e r s h o p p in g is a u n iq u e
ty p e of sh o p p in g , c o n s is tin g in p eo p le tra v e llin g b e y o n d th e
b o u n d a r ie s of th e ir c o u n try , w ith th e p re c ise p u rp o s e of a c q u irin g
g o o d s for p e r s o n a l u s e , on th e o th e r sid e of th e b o rd e r. M any
tra v e lle rs co m b in e s h o p p in g w ith e n te r ta in m e n t, in th is w ay c r o s s ­
b o rd e r s h o p p in g to u ris m b e c a m e p o p u la r. In P o lan d , B e la ru s ia n ,
R u s s ia n a n d U k ra in ia n s p ro v ed to b e th e m o s t ac tiv e s h o p p in g
to u r is ts in th e p a s t y e a rs .
S h o p p in g m a lls a re f a s t d ev elo p in g in C e n tra l E u ro p e , a s a sig n
of novelty a n d c a p ita lis m , re p la c in g s u c c e s s fu lly th e old, b a s ic re ta ils
s tr u c tu r e s . T h e new d e v e lo p m e n ts c o n q u e r th e m a rk e t u s in g a re ta il
fo rm u la b a s e d
on
p r o d u c ts
d iv e rsific a tio n ,
c o m b in e d w ith
e n te r ta in m e n t a c tiv itie s a n d a ttr a c tio n s . S tra te g ic a lly lo c a te d , th e
d e v e lo p m e n ts, t h a t a ro s e in th e c ro s s -b o rd e r re g io n s a re p la n n e d
a n d b u ild , in o rd e r to sa tisfy th e local, a s w ell a s foreign s h o p p e r s ’
n e e d s.
T h is s itu a tio n le d to w a rd s th e in c re a s e of c r o s s b o rd e r in te r e s t
in new re ta il d e v e lo p m e n ts. T h is p a p e r aim is to u n d e r lin e th e key
role p la y e d by s u p e r m a r k e ts , in c h o o sin g th e s h o p p in g lo c a tio n , by
th e B e la ru s ia n c ro s s -b o rd e r s h o p p e rs .
K ey w ords: o rd e r,
c e n tre , d ev e lo p m e n t
s h o p p in g ,
re ta il,
to u ris m ,
c o m m ercial
***
19
Introduction
In late y e ars, sh o p p in g evolved from a sim ple sell-buy
activity, into a le isu re one, becom ing a reg u lar, p le a s a n t
m a n n e r for m a n y people to sp e n d th e ir free t im e. The
c o n s u m e rs ’ b eh av io u r ch an g ed a lot d u rin g th e la s t cen tu ry ,
w ith sh o p p e r altering th e ir a p p ro a c h on th e w ay th ey are doing
th e p u rc h a se . S h o p p in g lists, k n ow n since a n c ie n t Rom e1,
along w ith th e ex am in atio n of goods a n d services, w ere th e
p rim ordial facto rs for p u rc h a s e decisions. In o u r tim es,
sh o p p in g developed a n d diversified, from th e su p e rm a rk e t
sh o p p in g style, w ith c u sto m e rs choosing a n d picking th e ir own
goods, to w a rd s w indow -shopping2, w h ich p u ts th e fo cu ses on
th e tim e s p e n t on sho p p in g ra th e r th a n on th e acq u isitio n , or
hom e sho p p in g 3, in fro n t of th e TV or p e rso n a l co m p u ter.
T he in c re ase of m obility, le a d to w a rd s th e in c re ase of
sh o p p in g in p la ce s far aw ay from p eo p le’s hom e co m m u n ities
(Timothy, 2005) w hich, o n es th ey becam e c h ea p e r, th ey also
becam e m ore p o p u lar. N ow adays, m a n y sh o p p e rs choose to
travel in o rd er to com plete th e ir sh o p p in g activity, being
in te re ste d in finding p ro d u c ts, n o t p re s e n t in th e proxim ity of
th e ir h o m es or w ork p laces, b e tte r priced, u n iq u e or of b e tte r
quality.
T he following s tu d y aim s to m a k e a p arallel betw een th e
evolvem ent of c ro ss b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u rism a n d th e
developm ent of n ew re ta il lo catio n s, like h y p e rm a rk e ts a n d
sh o p p in g cen tres. S en sin g th e cro ss-b o rd er s h o p p e r’s
p o ten tial, re ta il developers s ta rte d to p ay a tte n tio n to c ro s s ­
b o rd e r regions a n d b eg an focusing th e ir p ro jects in th e se
a re a s. Strategically lo cated a n d a d a p te d to n ew c u sto m e rs ’
n e e d s a n d d e m an d s, th e n ew retail d ev elo p m en ts th a t aro se in
th e c ro ss-b o rd e r regio n s are p la n n e d a n d build, in o rd er to
satisfy th e local, a s well a s foreign s h o p p e rs ’ re q u e sts. O n th e
o th e r h a n d , th e c ro ss-b o rd e r s h o p p e rs ’ p referen ces w h en it
1 According to the historian Dr Roger Tom lin, one o f the docum ents found at Hadrian ’s W all in
1970s, is a shopping list from a Roman soldier.
2 W indow -shopping is an activity that involves w alking through a shopping district, a m all or a
store, with the purpose o f looking at the products on display, rather than to purchase them .
3 Hom e shopping is an activity that involves purchase o f products from the privacy o f your one
hom e, using mail, telephone or internet. In the case o f hom e shopping the products are display
in catalogues, printed leaflets, periodicals, on TV, radio or online.
20
com es to sh o p p in g lo c atio n s c h an g ed along th e y e ars, a s it
reflects th e s tu d y c o n d u cte d by th e a u th o r in B ialystok. The
s tu d y revealed th e key role played by th e s u p e rm a rk e t, in
ch o osing th e sh o p p in g lo catio n , by th e B e la ru sia n c ro ss­
b o rd e r sh o p p ers.
Cross-border sh oppin g
N aturally, c o n su m p tio n a c ro ss b o rd e rs a p p e a rs in m an y
form s reg ard in g b o th tim e a n d sp a c e s a n d m a n y differences
c an be detected in th e c irc u m sta n c e s a n d m o tiv atio n s of
shopping. S h o p p in g o r c o n su m in g a c ro ss b o rd e rs c an be
in te rp re te d from a n u m b e r of different p ersp ectiv es (Tomori,
M., 2010). In a wide sen se we c a n refer to cro ss-b o rd er
sh o p p in g a s an y p u rc h a s e m ad e from re ta ile rs o r su p p lie rs
lo c ated on th e o th e r side of th e b o rd er. In th is case, cro ss
b o rd e r sh o p p in g in c lu d e s beside p u rc h a s e s m ad e d u rin g trip s
in th e n e ig h b o u rin g c o u n try also d ista n ce sh o p p in g by m ail,
telep h o n e or th ro u g h in te rn e t.
The in te n tio n of th is s tu d y is to correlate th e retail
developm ents w ith c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g in Poland; therefore,
we find th e wide definition of c ro ss b o rd e r sh o p p in g n o t p ro p e r
to be applied h ere, since we n e e d a d irect c o n ta c t betw een
sh o p p e rs a n d retailers.
A b e tte r definition we find in th e fram ew ork of to u rism ,
w here is d isc u sse d th e relatio n betw een sh o p p in g a n d to u rism ,
w hich is divided into two categories. The first one w here th e
p rim ary p u rp o se of th e to u ris t trip is to sh o p is term ed
‘sh o p p in g to u ris m ’. The seco n d is called ‘to u ris t sh o p p in g ’,
w here sh o p p in g is done a s a seco n d ary activity d u rin g a trip
w hich m ig h t be m otivated p rim arily by so m eth in g o th e r th a n
sh o p p in g (e.g. su n b a th in g , eco to u rism , etc.) (Timothy, 2005).
C ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p in g to u rism , therefore, c a n be describ e a s
a n activity s ta rtin g w ith a trip th a t involves a b o rd e r cro ss
action a n d fin ish in g w ith a n e n te rta in m e n t activity, w h ich in
th is case is shopping.
A ccording to T im othy (2005), th e re n e e d s to be
a ccom plish fo u r p rim ord ial co n d itio n s for c ro ss-b o rd e r to u rism
to a p p e a r a n d develop, given by th e c o n tra st, a w are n e ss,
w illingness to travel a n d b o rd e r c ro ss p ro ced u res.
F irst, it is n e c e s sa ry th e existence of sufficient c o n tra st
betw een th e local offer a n d th e offer from th e o th e r side of th e
21
b o rd er. The difference h a s to be n oticeable a t le a s t reg ard in g
one of th e following th in k s: selection of goods, q u ality of goods
a n d price of acquisition .
Second, it is im p o rta n t th a t people are co n scio u s of w h a t
ex ists on th e o th e r side of th e bo rd er, in o rd er to get
m otivation for cro ssin g th e border.
T hird, com es w illingness to travel, generally em erged
from curiosity, in te re sts, w ish es a n d p e rso n al m obility. M any
people c o n sid er sh o p p in g a b ro a d a s a n e n te rta in m e n t activity,
w hich th ey can practice to g e th e r w ith th e ir fam ilies. T h eir
m otivation for cro ssin g th e b o rd e r c an be stim u la te d o r n o t, by
th e tra n s p o rt in fra s tru c tu re an d safety th ey w ould benefit on
th e o th e r side.
F orth, is th e b o rd e r cro ss p ro c e d u res, w h ich m u s t to be
r a th e r easy a n d u n p ro b le m a tic , for th e c ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p ers.
C urrently, m ore a n d m ore b o rd e rs c a n be cro ss w ith little
form alities a n d even w ith o u t v isas, how ever th e ir s itu a tio n is
n o t alw ays stab le, d ep en d in g arb itrarily on th e political
c h an g es. A big n u m b e r of form alities c a n be very d isco u rag in g
for people to m ake th e trip to th e o th e r side, re g a rd s of th e
m a rk e t c o n tra st a n d th e ir w illingness to travel.
A ccording to T im othy (2005), th e re is also a s e t of facto rs
th a t co n trib u te to th e creatio n a n d m a in te n a n c e of th e c ro ss­
b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u rism . T hey often give u s th e d irectio n of
th e m ovem ent, from one c o u n try to w a rd s a n o th er. S om etim es
th e m ovem ent c an go strictly in one d irectio n a n d o th e r tim es
in b o th directions. The facto rs T im othy (2005) m e n tio n s are:
price level, ta x ra te s, o p en in g h o u rs , exchange ra te betw een
c u rre n cies, availability of a w id er ran g e of p ro d u c ts an d
services, fam e a n d m ark etin g , proxim ity to th e b o rd e r an d
language.
Price is th e m a in re a so n th a t m o tiv ates sh o p p e rs to trav el
a b ro a d in o rd er to acq u ire goods, how ever is n o t th e only one.
T he original a n d exclusive n a tu re of item s it is also im p o rtan t,
along w ith th e ex ten t of th e choice a n d ran g e available.
S om etim es sh o p p e rs look for q u ality o r a u th e n tic ity of th e
p ro d u c ts, in th is case price being of no im p o rtan ce. A nother
im p o rta n t re a so n is th e sim ple p le a su re of sh o p p in g , w h en
foreign sh o p p e rs are j u s t brow sing th e sh o p s w ith o u t th e
in te n t of b uying so m eth in g concrete.
22
In th e b o rd e r regions, c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p e rs are local
c o n su m e rs ta k in g ad v an tag e of th e ir geographical lo catio n a n d
benefiting fully from th e possibility of cho o sin g m e rc h a n d ise
from two different locations. In th e c ro ss-b o rd e r a re as,
sh o p p in g on th e o th e r side of th e b o rd e r te n d s to be a re g u la r
a n d fairly well organized activity, s u s ta in m ainly, b u t n o t only,
by th e econom ic re a so n . A n o th er re a so n is leisu re, given by
th e sim ple p le a su re of shopping.
From th e econom ical p o in t of view, in th e b o rd e r regions,
c ro ss-b o rd e r sho p p in g c a n have a n im p o rta n t im p act over th e
local com m erce. Its flow of p u rc h a se pow er, a lth o u g h
frequently goes u n o b serv ed by th e local re ta ile rs, so m etim es
s h a p e s th e m a rk e t d em an d . A b u s in e s s focus strictly on cro ss
b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u ris ts it is a risk y one, a n d will probably
prove u n p ro fitab le in tim e, a s th e m o v em en t c an alw ays
ch an g e direction or th e c u sto m e rs c an face u n ex p ected
difficulties in c ro ssin g th e bo rd er. However, a b u s in e s s fo cu s
on b o th local d e m an d a n d on sh o p p in g to u ris t’s re q u e s ts a n d
ex p ectatio n s c a n be th e w ining c a rd for a good developm ent in
c ro ss-b o rd e r region.
Cross-border sh oppin g in Poland
C ro ss-b o rd er c o n su m p tio n in C en tral a n d E a s te rn
E u ro p e h a s existed for som e tim e b u t it becam e highly visible
a n d m ore w id esp read d u rin g 199 0 s (Timothy, 2005). In
Poland, like in o th e r E a s te rn a n d C en tral E u ro p ea n c o u n trie s,
sh o p p in g done by foreigners w a s greatly in ten sified w h en th e
lim itatio n s reg ard in g th e c ro ss-b o rd er trav el of people w ere
lifted a n d th e differences in p ric e s a n d th e living s ta n d a rd s in
th e n eig h b o u rin g c o u n trie s w ere revealed (Powęska, 2008). The
fall dow n of Iron C u rta in , disclosed to c o n su m e rs a new w orld
of o p p o rtu n itie s in m a tte rs of p ro d u c t choice a n d prices.
C ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p in g becam e a re g u la r activity, m o tiv ated by
p e rso n a l n e e d s (in th e case of single people acq u irin g goods for
th e ir own needs) a n d e n tre p re n e u ria l p o ssib ilities (single
people or organized g ro u p s of people, acq u irin g goods for
resell).
Pow ęska classified in th re e categories (basic, m a in a n d
com plem entary) th e re a s o n s for cro ss-b o rd er sh o p p in g
activities in P oland in th is period of tra n s itio n (Fig. 1).
23
Fig. 1. R ea so n s for c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g in Poland
Source: H alin a Pow ęska, 2 0 0 8 , T he character a n d conditions
fo r developm ent o f cross-border shopping in Poland in th e p eriod
o f transition.
The y e a r 2 004, w h en Poland jo in e d E u ro p e a n U nion,
m a rk e d a significant c h an g ed in sh o p p in g to u rism activities,
a s new re g u la tio n s of tra d e in sta lled in Poland. From h ere
fu rth e r, we are obliged to follow th e cro ss-b o rd er sh o p p in g
to u rism in te rm s of EU or non-E U m em b ers. If a t th e b o rd e rs
w ith EU m em b ers, th e differences in retail sec to r b eg an to
d im in ish , a n d c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u rism s ta rte d to slowly
be rep laced by to u ristic activities, a t th e b o rd e rs w ith n o n -E U
m em ber, c ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p in g b eg an to intensify. The m o st
active sh o p p in g to u ris ts are com ing to P oland from o u tsid e the
E u ro p e a n U nion (Bar-Kołelis, W iskulski 2012). For exam ple, in
2 0 10, th e m o st active d eclared sh o p p in g to u ris ts arriving in
Poland w ere from R u ssia , B y elo ru ssia a n d U k rain ian . The
c o n tra s t offered by Polish m a rk e t in te rm s of price, did n o t
lim it itself to tra d itio n a l p ro d u c ts, b u t ex ten d ed to a variety of
goods, from food to clo th es or ch ild care p ro d u c ts. For
sh o p p e rs, th e price a d v a n ta g e s offered by Polish m a rk e t were
24
d o u bled by th e flexible o p en in g h o u rs a n d lan g u ag e
sim ilarities, betw een Slavic sp ea k in g co u n tries.
A w areness of Polish m a rk e t p o ssib ilities m ainly s p re a d
b etw een c ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p e rs th ro u g h o ral w ay, from one to
a n o th e r. The p laces for sh o p p in g m o st p o p u la r am ong
sh o p p in g to u ris ts ch an g ed over tim e, being m a rk e d by in te rn a l
m a rk e t c h an g e s a n d c u sto m e rs ’ p referen ces. W ith th e in crease
of new retail developm ents, b a se d on e lab o rate d retail
fo rm u las a n d s u s ta in e d by m a rk e tin g cam p aig n s, s ta rte d to
in c re ase th e in te re st of re ta il lo catio n s m a n a g e rs in c ro ss­
b o rd e r shopping. In th is way, som e of th e re ta il locations,
placed in th e proxim ity of th e b o rd ers, in tro d u ce d am ong th e ir
m a rk e tin g ta rg e ts th e c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u rists , w hich
s ta rte d to benefit from p la n ed p ro m o tio n al cam p aig n s, th ro u g h
in te rn e t, radio o r adv ertisem en t.
R etail m arket transform ations in Poland
In Poland, like in o th e r C en tral E u ro p e a n c o u n trie s, th e
re ta il se c to r u n d e rw e n t d ra s tic c h an g e s since th e b re a k dow n
of c o m m u n ism u n til to c u rre n t tim es. The key is su e in Poland
w as to replace th e inefficient p u b lic retail sy stem w ith a m ore
efficient private
retail
su p p ly
(H erm an,
2007). The
tra n s fo rm a tio n s
s ta rte d
w ith
th e
so-called
“sm all
p riv atizatio n ”, followed by a “w ild -east” p h a se a n d com pleted
w ith th e e n try of “greenfield in v e sto rs” (M ichalak, 2001). The
e n try a n d e x p an sio n of in te rn a tio n a l re ta ile rs m a rk e d th e
developm ent in Poland of W estern -sty le retail p ro p erties, in
re sp o n d ed to th e stro n g d em an d , closely in fluenced by
W estern c o n su m p tio n -o rie n te d cu sto m s.
In th e initial y e a rs of 1990s, p rivate re ta ile rs s ta rte d an d
c o n d u cte d th e ir b u s in e s s in form er co m m u n istic o u tle t or
converted retail p rem ises, by tra n sfo rm in g b a se m e n ts,
a p a rtm e n ts or g arag es in sm all sh o p s or service locations. T his
period w as followed by th e e x ten sio n of b a z a a rs, selling b o th
food a n d non-food item s. B az a ars ex ten d ed in th e lower a n d
m iddle ran g e of th e m a rk e t, w ith sm all sh o p s esta b lish in g
th e ir position a t th e u p p e r en d . The la tte r triggered som e of th e
very first pioneering u p -m a rk e t re ta il d evelopm ents, like
P a n o ra m a in W arsaw (H erm an, 2007). However, w ith o u t a
p ro p e r re ta il fo rm u la a n d a n c h o rs, th e first u p -m a rk e t retail
developm ents fade away. T he ch an g e w as b ro u g h t by th e s ta r t
25
of big in v e stm e n ts in th e Polish re ta il m a rk e t, a n n o u n c in g th e
arrival of large re ta il p re m ises like c a sh -a n d -c a rry , DIY sto re s
a n d h y p e rm a rk e ts. M assive c o n stru c tio n of larg e-scale retail
u n its s ta rte d a n d by 1998, th e re w ere over 1 600 sto re s of over
400 sq m floor sp ace (M ichalak, 2001). After a n in itial focus on
th e cap ital cities a n d th e la rg e st cities, h y p e rm a rk e ts o p e ra to rs
shifted to seco n d ary a n d te rtia ry cities to e sta b lish n atio n w id e
n etw o rk s (H erm an, 2007). From th e developm ent of
h y p e rm a rk e ts to sh o p p in g c e n tre s w as ju s t a sm all step , retail
developers ta k in g quickly ad v an tag e of Poles sh o p p in g h a b its
a n d grow ing p o p u la rity of W estern sh o p p in g cu sto m s. An
u n p re c e d e n te d dynam ism of n ew c h a n g e s to o k place, different
ty p e s
of larg e-scale
retail
u n its
being
in tro d u ce d
sim u lta n e o u sly on th e Polish m a rk e t (Kreja, 2004).
S hopping c e n tre s of different sizes a n d c o n ce p ts s ta rte d
to sp eed quickly in Poland, in a fight for survival w ith “old
type” locations. Finally, W estern re ta ils fo rm u las b a se d on
a n c h o rs a n d th e m e d sh o p s w on th e Polish m a rk e t, m a n ag in g
to su ccessfu lly m arry in g re ta il w ith services a n d leisu re (Kreja,
2004).
In C en tral E u rope, a s well a s in Poland, sh o p p in g c e n tre s
are perceived a s a sign of novelty a n d cap italism , w ith full
shelves of p ro d u c ts a n d rev erse roles, w h ere th e c u sto m e rs are
in control a n d sellers are try in g to please.
T he n ew re ta il d evelopm ents a ttra c te d th e c u sto m e rs
w ith well stu d ie d a n d te ste d retail fo rm u las, th a t in clu d ed
a n c h o r sh o p s a n d a good m ix tu re of p ro d u c ts, services,
e n te rta in m e n t activities a n d in som e c a se s even pu b lic
in s titu tio n s (some com m ercial c e n tre s hold p u b lic offices). The
c u ltu re of sh o p p in g c e n tre s developed so strongly in C en tral
a n d E a s t E urope, th a t som e com m ercial c e n tre s in clu d e a s
well w edding facilities.
A su cc e ssfu l sho p p in g c en tre is properly design in o rd er
to cover all c u sto m e rs ’ n e e d s a n d d e m an d s. The key a n c h o r in
P oland is th e s u p e rm a rk e t or h y p e rm a rk e t4, w h ich is p re s e n t
in a lm o st all su cc e ssfu l sh o p p in g cen tres. Som e of th e first
sh o p p in g c e n tre s from P oland w ere h y p e rm a rk e t m alls, w ith a
h y p e rm a rk e t s u rro u n d e d by a few sh o p s. L ater a p p e a re d th e
4 The hypermarket is bigger in size than the supermarket, including as well a wider
range of goods durable goods.
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sh o p p in g c e n tre s b a se d on a te n a n t m ix tu re a n d a profile,
h av in g a ro u n d 40-50% of th e leasab le a re a allo cated to th e
h y p e rm a rk e t. Slowly, th e h y p e rm a rk e t lo st g ro u n d in th e
favour of o th e r a n c h o rs, like DIY or hom e ap p lian ce sh o p s, in
som e c a se s tra n sfo rm in g itse lf into a su p e rm a rk e t, s itu a te d on
th e bottom floor of th e com m ercial c e n tre s (Fig. 2). However,
its p re sen c e re m a in s in d isp e n sa b le in a su c c e ssfu l retail
form ula.
Fig. 2. E xam ple of a floor p la n - S h o p p in g C entre Bielawy in
T o ru ń
Source: h ttp ://w w w .to ru n -b ie la w y .p l/p l/p la n -c e n tru m
A sh o p p in g cen tre w ith a good m ix of re ta ile rs h a s in its
sch em e a variety of p ro d u c ts ra n k in g from clo th es, sh o es or
jew elleries, to child ren artic le s a n d p e rso n a l hygiene p ro d u c ts.
Bigger a n d m ore com plex sh o p p in g c e n tre s also com prise a
lib rary , a p h a rm a cy , la u n d ry a n d tailo r services, a s well as
food lo catio n s, re p re se n te d by coffee sh o p s, fa s t food b a rs a n d
re s ta u r a n ts .
The e n te rta in m e n t a re a vary acco rd in g to th e size of th e
sh o p p in g cen tre, typically c o n sistin g from a cin em a, a
play g ro u n d lo catio n for ch ild ren , bow ling or clim bing
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p re m ises. E a c h floor of th e sh o p p in g cen tre is p ro p erly p la n in
o rd e r to offer sim ilar a d v an ta g e s of visibility a n d accessibility
to all te n e ts. All th e se com plex a n d elab o rate lo catio n s are well
p ro jected in o rd e r to a ttra c t a n d re ta in c u sto m e rs, so it is n o t
w o n d er th e preference of cro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p e rs for th em .
Cross-border shoppers and th e new retail location s.
B iałysto k case stu d y
B ialystok is a city w ith a p o p u la tio n of alm ost. 300 000
in h a b ita n ts , located in th e N o rth -E at of Poland, in th e
proxim ity of th e P o lish -B elaru sian bo rd er. The n e a re s t b o rd e r
c ro ssin g p o in t is located a t a b o u t 50 km from B ialystok.
B ialystok ben efits from old a n d new retail d evelopm ents,
com prising a m ix tu re of h ig h -e n d com m ercial cen tres, w ith
b ra n d e d sh o p s, coffee p la ce s a n d c h ild ren p lay g ro u n d (e. g.
Alfa C en tru m , A trium Biala), h y p e rm a rk e ts m alls (A uchan,
C arrefour, Real), low p rices d e p a rtm e n t sto re s (C entral Dom
handlow y PSS) a n d b a z a a r m a rk e ts (Bazar Palacowy).
S h o p p in g to u rism activities are w idely sp re a d in
B ialystok, th e p resen ce of B e la ru sia n sh o p p e rs in th e city
being a know fact am ong citizens a n d retailers. C ars w ith
B e la ru sia n re g istra tio n p la te s are easily observed every day on
th e c itie s’ s tre e ts or in th e p a rk in g lo ts of com m ercial c en tres.
R etailers define B e la ru sia n sh o p p e rs a s good c u sto m ers,
due to th e a m o u n t of m e rc h a n d ise they are p u rc h a sin g , w hich
so m etim es ra n k u p to 5 tim e s m ore th a n w h a t local c u sto m e rs
p u rc h a sin g . Som e of th e re ta ils even d eclared th a t from th e ir
p o in t of view th e B e la ru sia n sh o p p in g to u rism activities
s u s ta in th e retail secto r from B ialystok.
A s tu d y c o n d u cte d in B ialystok in th e in th e a u tu m n of
2 0 12, ta rg e tin g th e B elaru sia n cro ss-b o rd er sh o p p e rs, reveals
th e im p o rtan ce of new retail d evelopm ents, a n d th e c ro ss­
b o rd e r sh o p p e rs preference for th e m (Fig. 3).
T he p rin cip al lo catio n s for sh o p p in g in Poland for B y elo ru ssian
c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p e rs are th e s u p e rm a rk e ts /h y p e rm a rk e ts ,
ch o sen in a p ro p o rtio n of 69% , closely followed by th e
com m ercial c e n tre s w ith a 60% of th e o ptions. T he m ajority of
re sp o n d e n ts, in d ic a tin g th e com m ercial c e n tre s a s lo c atio n s
for th e ir sh o pping, also in d ic a ted th e s u p e rm a rk e ts am ong
th e ir m a in p referen ces, a n d vice v ersa. T h is sh o w s th e
28
co rrelatio n existing betw een th e two re ta il lo catio n s a n d th e
preference of cro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p e rs for m o d ern re ta il sp aces.
S u p e rm a rk e ts / h y p e rm a rk e ts
S h o p p in g ce n te rs
Pet sh op s
O rd in a ry s h o p s
L o c a l m a rke t
G ift s h o p s
□
E le g a n t / L u x u ry s h o p s
D e p a rtm e n t s to re s
A n - g r o s s lo c a tio n s
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
Fig. 3. T he m o st visited sh o p p in g lo catio n s by B elaru sia n
sh o p p in g to u ris ts in B ialystok
Source: A u th o r’s ow n re s e a rc h
Next m o st visited location is th e local m a rk e ts ch o sen in
a p ro p o rtio n of 43%. T he m ajority of re s p o n d e n ts th a t ch o sen
th e local m a rk e t a s sh o p p in g location, also chose th e
s u p e rm a rk e t am ong th e ir p referen ces, b u t very little of th em
chose th e a n -g ro ss lo catio n s, w h ich ra n k n e x t in th e top of
preferences, w ith 29% of options. O rd in ary sh o p s are p referred
in a p ro p o rtio n of 19%, followed by eleg an t or lu x u ry sh o p s, a s
well a s d e p a rtm e n t sto re s, b o th w ith 10%. T he le a s t visited
lo catio n s are th e p e t a n d gifts sh o p s, ra n k in g w ith 5% of th e
options.
From th e se o b serv atio n s, we c an a ssu m e th a t n ew retail
lo catio n s g ain a stro n g p o sitio n in th e c ro ss-b o rd e r s h o p p e rs ’
preferen ces a n d th e ir p re sen c e in th e b o rd er regions
s tim u la te s th e c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g to u rism activities.
C onclu sion
S h o p p in g becam e a le isu re activity, s u s ta in by th e big
variety of p ro d u c ts a n d sh o p p in g lo c atio n s th a t su ccessfu lly
29
com bine sh o p p in g w ith e n te rta in m e n t activities. S hop p in g
to u rism activities do n o t fo cu s strictly on p u rc h a s e , they
r a th e r c o n sist from th e full p ack ag e of en jo y m en t offered by
th e trip a n d e n te rta in m e n t given by th e selection of goods.
People travel for sh o pp in g , m o tiv ated by th e price of goods, b u t
th is is n o t th e only re a so n . M erch an d ise originality a n d
exclusivity, along w ith th e e x te n t of choice, p ro d u c ts
availability a n d th e p le a su re of sh o p p in g are also im p o rta n t
m otivations.
C ro ss-b o rd er sh o p p e rs are local c o n su m e rs ta k in g
ad v an tag e of th e ir geographical lo catio n , u s in g th e possibility
of choosing m e rc h an d ise from two different locations. In 2010,
c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g w a s th e m a in re a so n for R u ssia n s,
B y elo ru ssia n s a n d U k ra in ia n s to c ro ss Polish b o rd ers. The
p reference of c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p e rs for n ew retail lo c atio n s is
easily noticeable in b o rd e r cities like B ialystok, w here th e
p a rk in g lo ts of com m ercial c e n tre s o r s u p e rm a rk e t m alls are
full w ith c a rs reg istered in B elorussia.
A su cc e ssfu l sh o p p in g cen tre lo c ated in th e proxim ity of
B e la ru sia n b o rd er, sh o u ld in clu d e besid e a good m ix of
re ta ile rs, also a stro n g a n ch o r, like a s u p e rm a rk e t o r a
h y p e rm a rk e t, th e m o st p referred lo catio n am o n g B elaru sia n
c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p ers.
From th e se o b serv atio n s, we draw th e co n clu sio n th a t
com m ercial c e n tre s developm ent in b o rd e r a re a s positively
influence th e in c re ase of c ro ss-b o rd e r sh o p p in g a n d vice v ersa,
a s th e in c re ase of sh o p p in g to u ris ts m o tiv ates developers to
in v est in m ore retail sp aces.
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