Polish ‘ladybird’ discount chain to expand to Slovakia

A popular Polish discount chain of grocery shops, which goes by Biedronka (ladybird), will open its first shops in Slovakia.

Biedronka’s head, Luis Araujo, confirmed this ambition during a press conference at the end of March, wirtualnemedia.pl wrote.

Biedronka popular with Slovaks

The firm is currently seeking locations around Slovakia. The first Biedronka stores in Slovakia are likely to open near the Slovak-Polish border, interia.pl writes. But the first shop is not expected to open in 2023.

Jerónimo Martins, a Portugal-based corporate group that operates Biedronka in Poland, have said that the decision to expand to Slovakia comes from the fact that Slovaks have a similar shopping culture to Polish people. Many Slovaks, in fact, cross the border with Poland to do their shopping at Biedronka.

There are about 3,400 Biedronka stores in Poland.

Lienka, Biedronka or something else

It is not clear if the planned shops in Slovakia will bear the Polish name or its Slovak version: ‘lienka’. The company is carrying out market research and analyses. In Portugal, the group runs the Pingo Doce (sweet drop) shops.

However, with the arrival of Biedronka, the Slovak market may once again experience turbulence because its concept is very similar to Lidl, which is very popular among Slovaks due to its cheap products.

Biedronka’s 2022 profit amounted to €1.5 billion, compared to €1.3 billion a year earlier.

The group is also said to be opening one Hebe drugstore in Slovakia this year. The brand launched its online store in Slovakia last December.