This year, the Vollmart celebrates its 5th anniversary on the Polish market. It is a good moment to summarize the journey so far and look ahead. How do you assess these five years of Vollmart’s development? What was key to building its position in such a competitive retail segment?
Five years in retail is both a short and a long period of time. Short, because scale is still being built. Long, because the market very quickly verifies every business model. For Vollmart, these five years have been a time of disciplined learning, continuous adjustment, and consistent execution of one guiding principle: simplicity.
From the very beginning, Vollmart was designed as a modern hard-discount chain based on the EDLP model – every day low prices from the first unit. No promotions, no loyalty programs, and no complex pricing mechanisms. This approach requires strong operational discipline, but it provides clarity and transparency for customers and stability for the organization. We deliberately chose consistency over short-term sales spikes.
What proved crucial was building a repeatable and scalable operating model rather than chasing rapid expansion at all costs. We did not try to replicate market leaders. Instead, we focused on doing fewer things exceptionally well. This allowed us to build customer trust, operational resilience, and a solid foundation for sustainable long-term growth.
What factors determined the achievement of operational profitability at this point, after five years? Which strategic or operational actions contributed most to this result?
Operational profitability was not an isolated target but a natural consequence of a consistently executed strategy. We closed 2025 with positive EBITDA, which is an important milestone in the hard-discount segment, especially while continuing to invest in expansion and organizational development.
Three factors were decisive. First, strict cost discipline across the entire value chain – from purchasing conditions to logistics and store operations. Second, centralized commercial decision-making, which ensures speed, transparency, and consistency across the network. Third, the natural maturation of stores opened in previous years, which began to deliver stable and predictable performance.
There was no single breakthrough moment. Profitability resulted from hundreds of aligned decisions taken over time, all reinforcing the same operational logic and financial discipline.
What is the Vollmart operating model? What distinguishes it from the competition?
In simple terms: consistency and simplicity. Vollmart operates a modern hard-discount model that combines a traditional, easy-to-understand store concept with a highly disciplined operational backbone.
On the customer-facing side, shoppers experience a clear store layout, transparent pricing communication, and the absence of promotions. In the background, we deliberately use technology to improve operational efficiency and scalability – without adding complexity to the shopping experience. Technology is a support tool, not a marketing feature.
A very important element of our model is also the role of the Store Manager in each location. Store Managers have a real impact on how the business operates on a daily basis, which creates a strong sense of responsibility and ownership – as if the store were their own. This local accountability, combined with centralized standards and regular performance monitoring, allows us to increase operational efficiency while maintaining full control and transparency of results.
This model enables a sustainable cost and price advantage while remaining flexible and scalable, significantly reducing operational risk during expansion.
Which customer groups are the main recipients of your offer? Has the customer profile changed over time?
Initially, our offer mainly attracted highly price-sensitive customers. Over time, the customer profile has broadened significantly. Today, Vollmart serves families, larger households, mature customers, and increasingly conscious consumers who value transparency, simplicity, and fair pricing over promotional noise.
At the same time, we clearly see the growing importance of B2B customers. Our stores are increasingly used as a convenient and competitive place for wholesale-like purchases by small businesses such as restaurants, cafés, offices, schools, local institutions, and service companies. High product availability, simple purchasing conditions, and prices that are often lower than those offered by local wholesalers make Vollmart a natural choice for this segment.
As the brand has developed, so has trust. The EDLP model changes shopping behavior not only for individual consumers but also for business customers, who value predictability, stable pricing, and immediate access to goods. This leads to stable volumes and long-term relationships, even without complex contractual structures.
What are your expansion plans for the next 2–3 years – new locations, types of formats? Do you consider entering other markets, or does the focus remain on Poland?
We currently operate 12 stores and closed 2025 with nearly PLN 90 million in gross turnover, achieving year-on-year growth exceeding 24%. This confirms that the business model is proven and scalable.
In the next two to three years, our primary focus remains on Poland. We plan further network expansion, selective densification of regions, and continued improvements in logistics efficiency. A key development area will also be the B2B channel, where we already observe a steady increase in wholesale volumes generated through our existing store network.
Our stores are well suited for B2B growth without the need for separate formats or heavy additional investment. As scale increases, we intend to better structure and actively develop this channel, leveraging our price advantage, product availability, and operational simplicity.
International expansion remains part of our long-term ambition, but we approach it pragmatically. First comes scale, organizational maturity, and operational resilience in Poland. Cross-border expansion will follow as the next stage of development.
What are the biggest opportunities and threats for Vollmart’s development in the coming years?
The biggest opportunity lies in changing consumer behavior. Customers are becoming more rational and increasingly tired of artificial promotions and complex pricing structures. This trend favors business models based on simplicity, transparency, and consistent everyday pricing – both in B2C and B2B segments.
The main threats are structural and affect the entire retail sector: rising labor costs, logistics expenses, and regulatory pressure. This is why scale, efficiency, and process automation are critical. Our operating model is designed to mitigate these risks through simplicity, centralization, and cost discipline, although continued investment remains essential.
What goals have you set for the next few years?
Our goals are clear: continued network expansion, stronger development of the B2B channel, and ongoing refinement of our commercial and operational model. We are now entering a phase in which we are actively seeking an investment partner to accelerate growth while preserving Vollmart’s core DNA.
Vollmart is not a speculative venture. It is a fundamentals-driven business with low operational risk, strong cost discipline, and a scalable structure. With the right partner, we believe it can evolve into a highly attractive investment platform within the European discount retail landscape.
Five years in retail is both a short and a long period of time. Short, because scale is still being built. Long, because the market very quickly verifies every business model. For Vollmart, these five years have been a time of disciplined learning, continuous adjustment, and consistent execution of one guiding principle: simplicity.
From the very beginning, Vollmart was designed as a modern hard-discount chain based on the EDLP model – every day low prices from the first unit. No promotions, no loyalty programs, and no complex pricing mechanisms. This approach requires strong operational discipline, but it provides clarity and transparency for customers and stability for the organization. We deliberately chose consistency over short-term sales spikes.
What proved crucial was building a repeatable and scalable operating model rather than chasing rapid expansion at all costs. We did not try to replicate market leaders. Instead, we focused on doing fewer things exceptionally well. This allowed us to build customer trust, operational resilience, and a solid foundation for sustainable long-term growth.
What factors determined the achievement of operational profitability at this point, after five years? Which strategic or operational actions contributed most to this result?
Operational profitability was not an isolated target but a natural consequence of a consistently executed strategy. We closed 2025 with positive EBITDA, which is an important milestone in the hard-discount segment, especially while continuing to invest in expansion and organizational development.
Three factors were decisive. First, strict cost discipline across the entire value chain – from purchasing conditions to logistics and store operations. Second, centralized commercial decision-making, which ensures speed, transparency, and consistency across the network. Third, the natural maturation of stores opened in previous years, which began to deliver stable and predictable performance.
There was no single breakthrough moment. Profitability resulted from hundreds of aligned decisions taken over time, all reinforcing the same operational logic and financial discipline.
What is the Vollmart operating model? What distinguishes it from the competition?
In simple terms: consistency and simplicity. Vollmart operates a modern hard-discount model that combines a traditional, easy-to-understand store concept with a highly disciplined operational backbone.
On the customer-facing side, shoppers experience a clear store layout, transparent pricing communication, and the absence of promotions. In the background, we deliberately use technology to improve operational efficiency and scalability – without adding complexity to the shopping experience. Technology is a support tool, not a marketing feature.
A very important element of our model is also the role of the Store Manager in each location. Store Managers have a real impact on how the business operates on a daily basis, which creates a strong sense of responsibility and ownership – as if the store were their own. This local accountability, combined with centralized standards and regular performance monitoring, allows us to increase operational efficiency while maintaining full control and transparency of results.
This model enables a sustainable cost and price advantage while remaining flexible and scalable, significantly reducing operational risk during expansion.
Which customer groups are the main recipients of your offer? Has the customer profile changed over time?
Initially, our offer mainly attracted highly price-sensitive customers. Over time, the customer profile has broadened significantly. Today, Vollmart serves families, larger households, mature customers, and increasingly conscious consumers who value transparency, simplicity, and fair pricing over promotional noise.
At the same time, we clearly see the growing importance of B2B customers. Our stores are increasingly used as a convenient and competitive place for wholesale-like purchases by small businesses such as restaurants, cafés, offices, schools, local institutions, and service companies. High product availability, simple purchasing conditions, and prices that are often lower than those offered by local wholesalers make Vollmart a natural choice for this segment.
As the brand has developed, so has trust. The EDLP model changes shopping behavior not only for individual consumers but also for business customers, who value predictability, stable pricing, and immediate access to goods. This leads to stable volumes and long-term relationships, even without complex contractual structures.
What are your expansion plans for the next 2–3 years – new locations, types of formats? Do you consider entering other markets, or does the focus remain on Poland?
We currently operate 12 stores and closed 2025 with nearly PLN 90 million in gross turnover, achieving year-on-year growth exceeding 24%. This confirms that the business model is proven and scalable.
In the next two to three years, our primary focus remains on Poland. We plan further network expansion, selective densification of regions, and continued improvements in logistics efficiency. A key development area will also be the B2B channel, where we already observe a steady increase in wholesale volumes generated through our existing store network.
Our stores are well suited for B2B growth without the need for separate formats or heavy additional investment. As scale increases, we intend to better structure and actively develop this channel, leveraging our price advantage, product availability, and operational simplicity.
International expansion remains part of our long-term ambition, but we approach it pragmatically. First comes scale, organizational maturity, and operational resilience in Poland. Cross-border expansion will follow as the next stage of development.
What are the biggest opportunities and threats for Vollmart’s development in the coming years?
The biggest opportunity lies in changing consumer behavior. Customers are becoming more rational and increasingly tired of artificial promotions and complex pricing structures. This trend favors business models based on simplicity, transparency, and consistent everyday pricing – both in B2C and B2B segments.
The main threats are structural and affect the entire retail sector: rising labor costs, logistics expenses, and regulatory pressure. This is why scale, efficiency, and process automation are critical. Our operating model is designed to mitigate these risks through simplicity, centralization, and cost discipline, although continued investment remains essential.
What goals have you set for the next few years?
Our goals are clear: continued network expansion, stronger development of the B2B channel, and ongoing refinement of our commercial and operational model. We are now entering a phase in which we are actively seeking an investment partner to accelerate growth while preserving Vollmart’s core DNA.
Vollmart is not a speculative venture. It is a fundamentals-driven business with low operational risk, strong cost discipline, and a scalable structure. With the right partner, we believe it can evolve into a highly attractive investment platform within the European discount retail landscape.
