Online grocer Barbora Polska will cease operations in Poland on 3 March 2024, parent company Maxima Grupė has announced.
Barbora commenced operations in Poland in 2021 and offers food delivery services in Tricity, Warsaw, Katowice and Lodz.
The decision to cease operations was influenced by the slow-growing demand for the service, according to Viktoras Juozapaitis, director of Radas, UAB, which controls Barbora Polska.
Slow Demand
Juozapaitis added, “In response to the sharply increased demand for home food delivery during the pandemic period, Barbora Polska was established. However, after the end of the pandemic, the growth of demand for these services slowed significantly.
“The market growth pace in recent years did not meet our expectations. Therefore, at this stage, the decision was made to discontinue Barbora’s operations in Poland and focus on activities in the Baltic states.”
The company added that all affected employees will receive due compensation, and settlements will be made in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Barbora Polska will also pay all taxes owed to the state.
Barbora
Barbora will continue to operate in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The online grocer has been offering its services in Lithuania since 2014, and in Latvia and Estonia since 2018.
Its controlling company – Radas, UAB – is part of Maxima Grupė, which operates retail chains Maxima in the Baltic states, T Market in Bulgaria, and Stokrotka in Poland.
The Stokrotka chain also provides food delivery services, which will continue, the company added.
In September of last year, Maxima Grupė reported an 18% year-on-year increase in revenue, to €2.8 billion, in the first six months of its financial year.
