The Fozzy Group, together with Polish manager Maciej Gawronski, has established a joint venture company IDKFA IDCLIP in Poland, 90% of which is owned by Fozzy Holdings Limited and 10% by Gawronski, and became a franchisee of the Carrefour retail chain, the Polish edition of Wiadomosci Handlowe reports.
It is noted that the first store of the chain has already been opened in Poznan.
“While researching the Polish market, we found that Polish retail experts were interested in Silpo’s unique value proposition. We have established excellent cooperation, for example, with Polish breweries, farmers and chefs. It was therefore useful to share our experience and explore some common development opportunities,” the retail chain’s press service told the Polish publication.
At the same time, she explained that many Ukrainians have found refuge in EU countries, particularly in Poland, and when they return, their expectations of a grocery store may change. Therefore, Silpo needs to evolve to offer the best service regardless of the war.
According to Gavronsky, the Ukrainian company in this project is mainly a financial investor, so this is not a full-fledged entry of Fozzy Group into the Polish market under its own brand.
Gawronski has extensive experience in retail – he has worked for Jeronimo Martins for over 20 years, including work at Biedronka (one of the largest grocery chains in Poland). Since 2017, he has been working as Head of Logistics and Supply Chain at Fozzy Group.
Fozzy Group is owned by Volodymyr Kostelman, who founded the company in 1997 in Kyiv. Fozzy Group currently owns the second largest supermarket chain in Ukraine after ATB-Market.
As early as March 2023, Silpo expressed interest in the Polish market and was looking for locations for stores with an area of 2500-5000 square meters. According to unofficial information, the company is still considering opening its own Silpo stores in Poland and continues to look for optimal locations.
Fozzy Group is one of Ukraine’s largest retailers with more than 690 outlets across the country. The company develops retail chains of various formats: Silpo supermarkets, Fozzy Cash&Carry wholesale hypermarkets, Fora convenience stores, Thrash! discounters, and Bila Romashka pharmaceutical supermarkets.
The Fozzy Group’s business is not limited to trade. The group owns restaurants (Boulangerie, Escobar, Positano, Who&Why Drinkery), an agro-industrial business (Nizhyn, Greenville, Sniatynska Prytya, Bohuslavna, Skadi), Vostok Bank, Silpo Voyage travel agency chain, Apollo Next sports club chain, UVK logistics operator, and TemaBit Fozzy Group, an IT developer.
