Why is Poland considered a shortcut to developing the Central and Eastern European market?
Duration:
Feb 11 - 14, 2025
Location:
Poland
Around the Lantern Festival, Made-in-China.com participated in the BUDMA construction and building materials exhibition located in Poland, which is held in Poznań, a renowned convention and exhibition city in Poland. When thinking of Poland, you might think of the homeland of Chopin, Madame Curie, and Copernicus, a country that was once socialist and is now a member of the European Union.
In fact, what many people in foreign trade do not realize is that Poland has unique advantages. Developing the Polish market is a shortcut to developing the entire Central and Eastern European market.
This long-established exhibition began in 1978, but it is not very well-known domestically. Initially attending this industry exhibition with the intention of developing the Polish market, we unexpectedly gained a considerable number of wholesale leads from other countries. It was then that we suddenly realized that Poland is located in the heart of Europe, bordering Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north.
Geographical locations of European countries (image from Baidu)
A buyer from Berlin told us that he frequently travels between Germany and Poland, and it only takes 2 hours to drive from Poznań to Berlin; another buyer from Latvia mentioned that because the scale of building material exhibitions in his country is too small, he can only participate in exhibitions in Poland and Germany. Compared to Germany, Poland has more friendly prices and lower exhibition costs, making it the preferred choice for participation.
The exhibition hall was bustling with activity.
This year's BUDMA attracted more than 600 exhibitors from 27 countries, including about 50 Chinese exhibitors. We visited a main materials exhibitor whose owner is from Shandong, and they brought a salesperson who could speak Russian. It turns out that Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian all belong to the same language family, allowing for basic communication between them. When asked about the effectiveness of participating in the exhibition, the owner felt that this year was better than last, but in fact, their main reason for coming to Poland was to meet with Ukrainian customers!
Chinese exhibitors receiving buyers.
Speaking of Ukraine, there are many Ukrainians in Poland. Even before the war, many Ukrainians were doing business in Poland, and in recent years, Poland has accepted a large number of Ukrainians to settle. Our hired Polish translator claimed she could identify Ukrainians at a glance, noting that Ukrainians have a lower tone of voice and their appearance and eye color are slightly different from Poles. At BUDMA, there was a Ukrainian buyer who left a strong impression on me. He was dressed simply, with dirt under his fingernails, but upon inquiry, he turned out to be a genuine big boss, engaged in import and export business among China, Poland, and Ukraine. He calls Yiwu his second hometown and informed us that Ukraine has suffered severe damage in the war, with urgent needs to rebuild infrastructure, energy facilities, housing, and industrial production facilities. A large number of Ukrainian businessmen have flocked to Poland, using it as a transshipment node to stock up on building materials and home furnishing products for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. According to estimates by the Ukrainian government, the demand for reconstruction is as high as 700 billion US dollars (about 5 trillion RMB). Like the Shandong owner, many people value the Ukrainian post-war reconstruction market. Many Chinese photovoltaic storage manufacturers had already entered the Ukrainian market before the onset of winter. There is a long-term shortage of food, small commodities, and building materials. Trade has not been cut off because of the war, and many cities can maintain normal operations and life, but prices have soared. Most transactions can be settled with TT payments, logistics have been affected but never stopped, and goods can be shipped through Polish ports or via truck from Romania and Hungary.
Chinese exhibitors receiving buyers.
Speaking of Ukraine, there are many Ukrainians in Poland. Even before the war, many Ukrainians were doing business in Poland, and in recent years, Poland has accepted a large number of Ukrainians to settle. Our hired Polish translator claimed she could identify Ukrainians at a glance, noting that Ukrainians have a lower tone of voice and their appearance and eye color are slightly different from Poles. At BUDMA, there was a Ukrainian buyer who left a strong impression on me. He was dressed simply, with dirt under his fingernails, but upon inquiry, he turned out to be a genuine big boss, engaged in import and export business among China, Poland, and Ukraine. He calls Yiwu his second hometown and informed us that Ukraine has suffered severe damage in the war, with urgent needs to rebuild infrastructure, energy facilities, housing, and industrial production facilities. A large number of Ukrainian businessmen have flocked to Poland, using it as a transshipment node to stock up on building materials and home furnishing products for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. According to estimates by the Ukrainian government, the demand for reconstruction is as high as 700 billion US dollars (about 5 trillion RMB). Like the Shandong owner, many people value the Ukrainian post-war reconstruction market. Many Chinese photovoltaic storage manufacturers had already entered the Ukrainian market before the onset of winter. There is a long-term shortage of food, small commodities, and building materials. Trade has not been cut off because of the war, and many cities can maintain normal operations and life, but prices have soared. Most transactions can be settled with TT payments, logistics have been affected but never stopped, and goods can be shipped through Polish ports or via truck from Romania and Hungary.
Buyers on-site taking a photo at the Made-in-China.com booth
Made-in-China.com will continue to innovate services, join forces with Chinese enterprises at international trade shows, and is committed to uncovering global business opportunities for Chinese suppliers and overseas buyers, capturing the latest market information, and facilitating trade between both parties. Stay tuned!
This long-established exhibition began in 1978, but it is not very well-known domestically. Initially attending this industry exhibition with the intention of developing the Polish market, we unexpectedly gained a considerable number of wholesale leads from other countries. It was then that we suddenly realized that Poland is located in the heart of Europe, bordering Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Russia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine to the east, and the Baltic Sea to the north.
Geographical locations of European countries (image from Baidu)
A buyer from Berlin told us that he frequently travels between Germany and Poland, and it only takes 2 hours to drive from Poznań to Berlin; another buyer from Latvia mentioned that because the scale of building material exhibitions in his country is too small, he can only participate in exhibitions in Poland and Germany. Compared to Germany, Poland has more friendly prices and lower exhibition costs, making it the preferred choice for participation.
The exhibition hall was bustling with activity.
This year's BUDMA attracted more than 600 exhibitors from 27 countries, including about 50 Chinese exhibitors. We visited a main materials exhibitor whose owner is from Shandong, and they brought a salesperson who could speak Russian. It turns out that Polish, Ukrainian, and Russian all belong to the same language family, allowing for basic communication between them. When asked about the effectiveness of participating in the exhibition, the owner felt that this year was better than last, but in fact, their main reason for coming to Poland was to meet with Ukrainian customers!
Chinese exhibitors receiving buyers.
Speaking of Ukraine, there are many Ukrainians in Poland. Even before the war, many Ukrainians were doing business in Poland, and in recent years, Poland has accepted a large number of Ukrainians to settle. Our hired Polish translator claimed she could identify Ukrainians at a glance, noting that Ukrainians have a lower tone of voice and their appearance and eye color are slightly different from Poles. At BUDMA, there was a Ukrainian buyer who left a strong impression on me. He was dressed simply, with dirt under his fingernails, but upon inquiry, he turned out to be a genuine big boss, engaged in import and export business among China, Poland, and Ukraine. He calls Yiwu his second hometown and informed us that Ukraine has suffered severe damage in the war, with urgent needs to rebuild infrastructure, energy facilities, housing, and industrial production facilities. A large number of Ukrainian businessmen have flocked to Poland, using it as a transshipment node to stock up on building materials and home furnishing products for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. According to estimates by the Ukrainian government, the demand for reconstruction is as high as 700 billion US dollars (about 5 trillion RMB). Like the Shandong owner, many people value the Ukrainian post-war reconstruction market. Many Chinese photovoltaic storage manufacturers had already entered the Ukrainian market before the onset of winter. There is a long-term shortage of food, small commodities, and building materials. Trade has not been cut off because of the war, and many cities can maintain normal operations and life, but prices have soared. Most transactions can be settled with TT payments, logistics have been affected but never stopped, and goods can be shipped through Polish ports or via truck from Romania and Hungary.
Chinese exhibitors receiving buyers.
Speaking of Ukraine, there are many Ukrainians in Poland. Even before the war, many Ukrainians were doing business in Poland, and in recent years, Poland has accepted a large number of Ukrainians to settle. Our hired Polish translator claimed she could identify Ukrainians at a glance, noting that Ukrainians have a lower tone of voice and their appearance and eye color are slightly different from Poles. At BUDMA, there was a Ukrainian buyer who left a strong impression on me. He was dressed simply, with dirt under his fingernails, but upon inquiry, he turned out to be a genuine big boss, engaged in import and export business among China, Poland, and Ukraine. He calls Yiwu his second hometown and informed us that Ukraine has suffered severe damage in the war, with urgent needs to rebuild infrastructure, energy facilities, housing, and industrial production facilities. A large number of Ukrainian businessmen have flocked to Poland, using it as a transshipment node to stock up on building materials and home furnishing products for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction. According to estimates by the Ukrainian government, the demand for reconstruction is as high as 700 billion US dollars (about 5 trillion RMB). Like the Shandong owner, many people value the Ukrainian post-war reconstruction market. Many Chinese photovoltaic storage manufacturers had already entered the Ukrainian market before the onset of winter. There is a long-term shortage of food, small commodities, and building materials. Trade has not been cut off because of the war, and many cities can maintain normal operations and life, but prices have soared. Most transactions can be settled with TT payments, logistics have been affected but never stopped, and goods can be shipped through Polish ports or via truck from Romania and Hungary.
Buyers on-site taking a photo at the Made-in-China.com booth
Made-in-China.com will continue to innovate services, join forces with Chinese enterprises at international trade shows, and is committed to uncovering global business opportunities for Chinese suppliers and overseas buyers, capturing the latest market information, and facilitating trade between both parties. Stay tuned!