Online sales are set to triple in Poland while store sales are set to grow by 30 percent over the next 5 years as e-commerce amplifies the country’s bricks and mortar retail success story.

Hadley Dean, CEO of EPP, the largest owner of retail real estate in Poland, which has assets worth €2 billion and owns 19 shopping centres across Poland, says that unlike many of its European counterparts, Poland’s physical retail market is likely to continue booming despite the growth of online shopping.

This apparent contradiction can be explained by three main factors.

Firstly, says Dean, more than 50 percent of online sales in Poland fall into the click and collect category as Poles spend less time at home than, for example, an average German worker, and delivery costs are disproportionately higher in Poland than in many European countries. In addition, many Poles do not trust passing over banking details on the Internet and would much rather visit a store to pick up