Development of Distribution Logistics for Fast Moving Consumer Goods in Poland

This work analyzes the current situation of distribution logistics in Poland and tries to anticipate future developments in this area. It demonstrates, how the current economic growth and EU membership of Poland since 2004 influences these developments. The focus is on availability of infrastructure, cost of operations, the European distribution structure and distribution channel structures. The research shows that conditions for distribution operations in Poland are on the one hand good, because operation costs are low and warehouse space is cheap and sufficient in supply. On the other hand, the slow development of the road infrastructure and other issues cause major problems. However, the growing Polish market, as well as the central location within Europe, shows that demand for distribution capacities in Poland exists. The work further shows the changes in the distribution channel. While the traditional outlets from independent retailers is slowly loosing importance, the group of modern outlets, consisting of hypermarkets, supermarkets and discount stores, is growing rapidly. Here the dominant companies are foreign investors. These changes in the retail market influence the distribution strategies of manufacturers. They for example try to avoid wholesalers by selling directly to retailers. Furthermore, outsourcing of distribution operations to 3PL providers is practiced more and more. (author's abstract)