Business ideas for Poland

Hi Everyone,
I live and work in UK but I have been considering since ages to move back to Poland. Its a difficult decision to make considering I have a decent job and I have a family too. I am looking for some business ideas and offer for Polish Market. If someone has ideas which you would like share please do reply. Thanks

Poland can certainly use all the "progressive": business ideas she can possibly get! The IT sector though's pretty much glutted by this time though.

I wish you success:-)

Proper pound shops, not just the 'Wszystko po 5 zl' that aren't much good and have a very limited stock, usually not selling essentials.

Poles in the UK love those shops and there could be a real market for them in large towns.

The problem, however, is that not many Poles will go to 'cheap shops' in Poland, as they think that what is being sold there is rubbish and they wouldn't want to be seen in one.

Let me give you an example. I bought 10 kg of well-known German washing powder for 28.50 pln. It is the best washing powder I have ever used. However when I told that to the girls in the shop, they said that they used it to clean floors with as it can't be good because it's cheap. Go on and figure this out.

Agreed. I suspect if the shop was large, bright and clean - and branded well, like Tiger, and the range of stock was chosen carefully, it could get round that perception.


Yep, I've had that too.

10kg for 28.50?

Exactly, it worked out at 2.85 pln per kilo. It only goes to show that paying more does not always mean better quality.

let's focus on the topic please

Sure it doesn't. A great bargain :)

As for business opportunities, I'd focus on things you have experience in. So don't open a restaurant if you have never worked in one. Also, think about the location. If there are already two gyms in the area, don't open a third one.

How about franchising?

Franchising with a proven concept makes more sense especially in a risky area like retail - a properly executed pound shop would work but you need hundreds of stores, a big warehouse, millions of working capital and great logistics.

Sorry for veering off topic previously.
There are still niches in the market which have not been explored.
For example: mobile vans which would stock fruit and vegetables and go round and deliver their stock to people who find it difficult to get to the shops. They could also stock other household items. I have seen something similar advertised showing times when vans with German household products will be in the area and people buy items from them.

Thnx everyone who has contributed to this thread. I am looking to open something which is lacking in Polish market. Things which Europe Fundusz wants or is promoting to open in Poland and at times also may offer to fund this kind of project.

I have seen so many small businesses fail because they had stupid ideas or located in unsuitable places. I could provide a long list, but one I'll never forget was a shop selling packet teas. This was a business that might have done well in places like Bath, Harrogate, Covent Garden or Oxbridge, but it was in a small town in eastern Poland, where people could find fifty kinds of tea in the local Kaufland. It lasted three months.

One idea that I would explore if I were thinking of investing in a small business is catering to students. Young people nowadays, especially girls, do not want the schabowy, mash and pickled beetroot to be found in milkbars, and restaurants are too dear. Near my uni there's a vegan place, and students speak very highly of it. A good sandwich and salad bar near a uni would do well, I'm sure.

I'd avoid the van shop idea. These exist in villages, including mine, but what kind of margin is there on a loaf of bread?

Spot on. Time and time again, I've seen (in Poland) people open a business that they had a dream of running, rather than one that there's a market for. Often ones that are doomed from the start due to competition etc.

A friend opened a hearing aid shop in a small town in south/central Poland. There were two there all ready. It lasted a year, and in that time he had zero customers. Not one single person came through the door.

Somebody else I know had an idea (and the life savings) to open a pizza restaurant/takeaway. The kind of idea where he'd chosen the name and the design for the pizza boxes before he'd found premises. He found somewhere surrounded by student accommodation and not much else. Sounds great? No. He was almost offended when I said he could do extra cheap ones, 'student specials' etc. He wanted it to be expensive and upmarket. You can guess the rest.

Another person I slightly knew bought a moribund pet shop, in a low density, almost semi-rural, area, walking distance from a 'pet superstore'. He ended up hanging himself in the shop.

What about (and this would work best in a high density residential area on a main road) a 'barrel grocer', one of those places where there are big tubs etc of various dry goods, wahing powders, pet foods, powdered foods etc and people can weigh small or large quantities out and buy them by weight. You'd need to give out those plastic gloves that supermarkets have in the bread section due to Sanepid rules, or even weigh out and seal a lot of bags of different amounts first. This would work best in a poorer area - there are lots of shopping precincts with empty premises around, and once the place is known about, could have very steady custom.

Auchan in B.Stok has a section like this, although just for foodstuffs. It's very cheap and very popular.


I guess he had plenty of leads to choose from. Sorry 'bout that.


He just wouldn't listen, eh?
Another disaster I remember was a women's boutique, again in my local town (27000 souls). If a woman wants a dress, she'll go to the nearest city and spend all day in the malls.

Suni80,

You should look at the articles from EU funds to find out which categories are being part financed, as I understand retailing is not in the descriptions. You must be looking at R & D in technology and science or areas which can create wide spread jobs in areas which have a high unemployment. Moreover its not as easy as it was a few years ago to win EU funds because of the wide spread corruption in this area.Are you Polish ? are you registered in Poland, having a wife is not good enough. As an add on, no Pole will give you any ideas, its unheard of in this country, information has a value you should expect to pay for. Be prepared to do indepth due diligence in any are you have no deep knowledge of in Poland

Mmy Background is reatiling but It would be the last thing I want to do. I am not Polish but I have lived and studied in this country and have fair knowledge about Poland.

Synka- Are you Polish ? are you registered in Poland, having a wife is not good enough.

I can always open the company in my Wifes name. She is Polish :) To have a wife is very good especially if she is supportive, loving and caring. I am married 10years and we have a daughter and this is best thing happened in my life.

Supportive, loving and caring doesn't mean she has any business sense.

Generally speaking, the best business ideas are ones in which you open up a factory in a special economic zone. There are a lot of incentives available for such ventures, and it's nearly impossible to lose money in them.

Can you give us an idea of how much capital (in cash) you have to invest? I can give you some pointers if you give me figures.

It was not about having business sense, it was about being Polish. Business can be in name of someone and run by someone else.

A terrible idea in Poland, to be honest. If you do that, she will have to handle all the paperwork herself.

Everything works fine in a business-type partnership, unless one of the parties wants out of it and maybe even out of the marriage. Then the wife will take you for everything you've got. Remember Polish women generally know how to look after themselves when it comes to financial matters.

I think there could be some oppportunities to import British goods into Poland. The zloty has strengthened by about 20% or so since Brexit. A business idea will be relevant to you when more info is known - your location, skills sets, experience etc.

Like what, pray tell? Anything worth importing from the UK to Poland is already being imported.

Yes. There are some interesting products in wholesalers (especially Indian/Pakistan owned ones) that aren't available in Poland. The current exchange rate makes imports from the U.K. advantageous right now.

Sunni80,

If you are as savvy on Polish matters. Then I suggest you bring to Poland Indian Asian skilled manual workers for the building sites, factories and IT sector. There is a shortage of supply in Poland as most skilled workers move west, moreover Ukrains have a bad reputation for being drunks, Asians are the new employment currency in Poland they are more diligent workers and learn faster than the Ukrains. Also the Ukrains can acquire the skills in Poland and bugger off west under the new visa's.

@terri everything what I have and I earn is for my family which means for my wife and my daughter. We have been together for 10years and if she chooses money over husband and family then let her have it. Money we can earn but family if broken hard to bring together. Polish women is women first and I believe with heart and then Polish national 😁

Agreed though it isn't only in Poland.

Here in the UK I often see small independent shops open and I know they'll be lucky to last a year. Very sad because I think it takes guts to start a new business and these people obviously believe their idea will be successful but it's very easy to fall in love with your own idea and not consider it more impartially.

Any business needs lot of research and planning. Some people just open things because they see that someone is making money by doing this but it doesn't necessarily mean that it would work the same. Lot of factor has to be considered before opening business.

@synka

Theres already tons of ukranians performing unskilled labor jobs on construction sites and a few n Koreans in Gdansk building ships. Unless you can pay Indians or other sa below polish min wage which would be very illegal, it wouldn't really be worth it. There's plenty of ukranians already that are willing to take such jobs.

Also if you open a business in Poland or buy property if you're a foreigner you need to be extremely careful so you don't get ripped off. People will take advantage of you if they sense you're not knowledgeable about the processes.

Yes. I've seen that too, though I've noticed it far more in Poland. A lot has to do with people having existing premises. One of the worst things (again, it exists elsewhere, certainly in the UK too, but is especially noticeable in PL) is people who open a restaurant or cafe, but visibly seem to loathe customers and make a place that is just not pleasant to eat in yet makes just enough to tick over as a business, provided they scrimp on the product.

Im thinking of either doing two things: starting to sell badass weed cookies I have access to for only 19 zloty each to American tourists or rich exchange students at $30 each. these cookies are bad ass though and well worth that for them trust me. I may hit up some spots newr nowy swiat to seek clients, im good at identifying whod like to get faded lol.

my other idea is to create a softcore modeling site or not even modeling just lets just say its gonna be called Lolita on Swing. it will be legal because unlike ls ukrainian angels it will be fully dressed girls around 12 simply being themselves and me photographing or videotaping them for the site, with access via western union or bitcoin until i get less paranoid lol. unlike those ukrainian who make pure naked sites or even cp (who still only went down because they had some contact with americans so i dont know why no one in poland thought of getting into those businesses here as its just as easy as in ukraine imo but maybe less amdis to have your back and buy out politicians but during pruszkow era im sure it could have been done) but this will be more like when vouge hired polanski to photograph young girls: fully clothed, respectful, no sex just an attraction and flirtation lol and lots of customers and money flowing in. all should be legal even without their consents because its free journalism photography.

so either cookies or lolita on swing, my two ideas right now. I dould be like fouges man here in poland or even work with polanski as a photojournalist if he comes here to the caoital as long as he hooks me up with some girls thst is or good client base.