Ukrainian Brands in Poland: Which Businesses from Ukraine Are Conquering the Market?

Missing home? Living in Poland but craving something familiar? Lately, more and more Ukrainian businesses have been opening across Polish cities, delighting customers with their range, quality, and friendly service.

In this article, we won't be talking about Ukrainian products available on supermarket shelves — there are far too many. Instead, we'll focus on restaurants, service businesses, and retailers operating on the Polish market. By the way, we've previously written about supermarkets and grocery stores in Poland — you can find the article here.

Online Shopping and Delivery

Ukraine's largest private courier company, Nova Poshta, has been operating on the Polish market since October 2022 under the brand name Nova Post. As of August 2023, Nova Poshta has opened:

• 5 branches in Warsaw;

• 3 branches in Kraków;

• 2 branches each in Wrocław, Poznań, Gdańsk, and Lublin;

• 1 branch each in Łódź, Rzeszów, and Katowice. You can find the full list of Nova Poshta branches in Poland with addresses here. Rozetka — Ukraine's leading online shopping platform — is another business that has successfully launched and is operating in Poland. The company began delivering to Poland in September 2022. Since March 2023, the Polish Rozetka website has been running in test mode. The product range is still smaller than in Ukraine, but you can purchase computers and home appliances, smartphones, electronics, clothing and footwear, children's products, home goods, pet supplies, hobby and sports items, beauty and health products, tools and equipment, and food products. Currently available delivery options include:

• to an InPost parcel locker or via InPost courier;

• to a DPD branch or via DPD courier. Also operating in Poland is the popular Ukrainian online cosmetics store MakeUp, which offers a similar range (including cosmetics from Ukrainian brands). Polish MakeUp provides various delivery options — courier, branch pickup, parcel lockers — as well as in-person pickup from a showroom in Warsaw.

Restaurants and Cafés

Where can you go in Poland for an authentic Ukrainian taste? Strolling through large Polish cities, you may spot familiar signs — for example, Lviv Croissants. The first Lviv Croissants locations opened in Zgorzelec and Wrocław in the autumn of last year. The chain now has 8 locations in Poland:

• 4 bakeries in Warsaw;

• 2 Lviv Croissants locations in Wrocław;

• 1 each in Zgorzelec and Rzeszów. The bakery menu differs slightly from the Ukrainian one, but the taste is unmistakably the same — the Lviv croissants we all know and love. The first Piana Vyshnia ("Drunk Cherry") tincture bar opened in Poland back in 2018. The concept proved popular with Poles and beyond. Today, you can sample Lviv's signature spirits at Pijana Wiśnia bars:

• in Warsaw — 3 locations;

• in Łódź, Gdańsk, and Kraków — 2 locations each;

• in Wrocław and Poznań — 1 location each. In December 2022, the first Polish location of the seafood restaurant chain Chornomorka (Czarnomorka) opened. There are currently two, both in Warsaw. Czarnomorka welcomes guests at Nowy Świat 49 and Hoża 43/49/lok.2. The format of the Polish Czarnomorka differs somewhat from the Ukrainian original — there are no waiters; instead, consultants help guests choose fish and seafood. Importing Ukrainian fish to Poland is not feasible, so the restaurants source Black Sea fish from Turkey and Bulgaria. There is also a purely Polish exclusive: fish-based żurek soup. Among other Ukrainian restaurant businesses in Poland, we should mention Dobro & Dobro. This chain of venues in Warsaw, Wrocław, Kraków, Gdańsk, and Kalisz was opened by Ukrainian owners. They currently run coffee shops (Dobro & Dobro Cafe), sushi bars (Sushi: Sushi Cafe), and prosecco and oyster bars (Prosecco Oyster Bar). Poland is also home to GAGA — a Ukrainian chain of Georgian cuisine restaurants with two locations in Warsaw. Sushi Icons — a sushi delivery service operating in Ukraine's largest cities — recently expanded to Warsaw as well. There is also the Ukrainian sushi roll delivery brand Ninja Sushi in Poland. The opening of Milk Bar in Warsaw is also expected in the near future. Worthy of a separate mention is the Galia Baluvana store chain, which sells frozen ready-to-cook products. In Poland, this franchise has been taken up by over 50 partners under the brand name Multi Cook — and it is Ukrainians who are opening these stores.

Services

Ukrainian businesses have long been making inroads into the Polish service sector. One example is the rapidly expanding G.Bar beauty salon franchise. G.Bar attracts clients not only with its wide range of services but also with its charming "pink" aesthetic. Women's spaces have already opened in:

• Warsaw — 2 salons;
• Kraków — 2 salons, including one in a "mini" format;
• Wrocław;
• Poznań;
• Łódź;
• Gdańsk.

These are far from the only examples of Ukrainian beauty brands entering Poland. A Ukrainian entrepreneur has opened the IvRoxe massage salon chain. The laser hair removal and cosmetology studio network SoBeauty, which originated in Ukraine, already has two open salons in Warsaw. Fast Line Studio — three beauty salons from Ukraine located in different Polish cities. Poland also has the quick-print service Four Zeroes, known in Ukraine as Print24. Other Ukrainian companies offering products and services in Poland include:

• Ajax Systems — security equipment supplier;
• Akademia Komputerowa STEP — computer courses in Warsaw;
• BestMarket — grocery stores;
• Dasha Katsurina Studio — clothing and home goods showroom in Warsaw;
• Lab24 — medical laboratory network;
• Megogo — streaming service;
• Muzyka-Muzyka — private music schools;
• Mistodent — dental clinic in Warsaw. Of course, this is far from a complete or final list of Ukrainian businesses operating in Poland. Without a doubt, we will continue to see new projects from Ukraine emerge. Many Ukrainians, for instance, are looking forward to the launch of Stereo — Monobank's banking project in Poland. This expansion proves one thing: we have a lot to offer in the EU, and we are already delivering on that promise.

Looking for work in Poland? Apply now or call us at +38 (050) 334-93-51 or +48 525 275 003 or +38 (050) 334-93-51 or +48 525 275 003. Gremi Personal publishes useful articles about working in various Polish cities. You can read our articles and watch videos — choose the format that works best for you.

Photos in this article courtesy of Nova Post, Pijana Wiśnia, Czarnomorka, G.Bar.