Żabka goes upscale with new two-level Warsaw store

Żabka is preparing to open a two-level store in central Warsaw that looks less like a conventional convenience shop and more like a retail, food and technology hub.

The location at Marszałkowska 104, near Widok Street and Pasaż, covers more than 170 square metres and shares its premises with two other retail and service outlets. Its opening could come within days, judging by the progress of finishing work.

The ground floor will include a service area with power-bank rentals and a self-service Zeccer printer. Next to it, customers will find the usual sales area, offering food and household products, as well as a food-service section with hot snacks prepared on site. A self-service zone will allow customers to heat snacks, soups and instant meals, make coffee, use drink dispensers and choose between two granita flavours.

Upstairs, a café area will offer coffee from a traditional espresso machine and a printer that can put a selected graphic or photograph on the foam. The floor will also include a gaming and technology zone with device-charging stations and an interactive gaming table. A limited collection of clothing and gadgets featuring Żabka’s historic logo will complete the offer.

The store is part of a broader period of change for Żabka. A Canadian company that already operates Circle K fuel stations in Poland wants to buy all of the chain’s shares. Żabka continues to open more than 1,000 stores a year and now operates in Romania. Its loyalty programme is also being changed, with the Żappka app due to receive a new offering from November.