Poland is considering a special tax for companies that continue to operate in Russia, government spokesman Piotr Müller said in late March 2022. This could affect companies such as Auchan (which runs 120 stores in Poland and 231 stores in Russia) and Leroy Merlin (which operates in both countries).
In mid-February 2022, Poland lowered VAT from 5% to 0% on basic necessities and from 23% to 8% on fuel.
Since the calls for a boycott in mid-March, the Auchan Poland team adapted priorities. “We have decided to cease all external media communication,” said a senior manager interviewed by Mind Retail. “As soon as we do something and whatever the message is (garden operation or CSR communication), we receive hundreds of negative comments. Previously our posts only received a few comments”. Auchan Poland, which has taken on a hundred Ukrainian employees at headquarters, also serves as a rear base to supply the 43 Ukrainian stores, most of which remain open. “We send trucks so that the shelves of Ukrainian stores are not empty”, the source continues.
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Read more : “As price competition rises, we expect a wave of M&A and withdrawals from the market”. By Agnieszka Gornicka, C.E.O. Inquiry Market Research, a Warsaw-based retail research and consulting firm (January 22)
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