Wednesday, January 21, in the Sejm, the first reading of the parliamentary bill on the amendment of the Law on Sobriety Education and Against Alcoholism.
According to experts from the Warsaw Enterprise Institute (WEI), changes will not reduce alcohol consumption, but will lead to marketplace consolidation in commercial networks. Night Prohibition and ban on selling alcohol at fuel stations will hit tiny shops and local entrepreneurs, releasing thousands of concessions that will take over large commercial networks. According to the WEI, there is simply a mechanics for redistributing the marketplace to the largest players under the slogan of public wellness protection.
In Poland, the number of alcohol outlets is administratively limited by municipalities
Small residential shops are most threatened, the only competitive advantage being late beginning hours or round-the-clock trade. Their fall means the release of hundreds of concessions, which will immediately scope large trade chains, offering alcohol cheaper and functioning outside the scope of night Prohibition.
As WEI experts point out, in order to realize the effects of night Prohibition and the ban on selling alcohol at fuel stations, the concession mechanics should be looked at. In Poland, the number of alcohol outlets is administratively limited by the municipalities. erstwhile the limit is reached, the fresh point can only be created in a closed place.
Large cities at the limit
Data from November 2025 show that the concession marketplace is virtually closed in the major cities. In Gdańsk, 2,500 permits were already issued. In Wrocław, 3,375 possible active permits are 3,199. In Warsaw, at the limit of 9,480, there are 8,783 sales points. Under specified conditions, each exemption shall have a real marketplace value. There are about 400 tiny night shops in the capital itself. Their liquidation means the massive release of concessions, which will be taken over by commercial networks intensively thickening regular sales.
– erstwhile limits in key cities are exhausted, the only way to make large networks is to take over resources from weaker players. Night Prohibition, which drastically reduces the profitability of residential stores, perfectly solves this problem – says Piotr Palutkiewicz, Vice president of WEI.
Fuel stations – apparent safety, real marketplace effects
Fuel stations operate within the same concession limits as retail stores. erstwhile the sale of alcohol at the station is banned or no longer profitable, the licence returns to the pot but does not vanish from the market. In practice, it is immediately taken over by commercial networks for which alcohol is an crucial part of the sale.
The ban on the sale of alcohol at fuel stations can free up to 7,900 concessions per country with 1 legislative move, while shifting all sales to regular trade. Experience from another countries shows that there is no correlation between the sales channel and full alcohol consumption. This ban so becomes a tool for ‘cleaning the market’ alternatively than an effective wellness policy. In addition, alcohol consumption in Poland is gradually decreasing. According to the National Center for Drug Addiction data, consumption of pure alcohol per capita fell from 9.73 litres in 2021 to 9.37 litres in 2022 and 8.93 litres in 2023. This is the lowest level since 2006. This besides allows you to believe that the introduction of specified drastic legal solutions indicates different objectives (elimination of tiny players) than health.
Race of commercial giants
The mechanics described perfectly fits into the improvement strategies of the largest networks. The Żabka Group declares its desire to double the number of facilities, large Ben (Eurocash Group) plans 1,000 shops, and Dawidka develops Express settlement formats. The Ladybug and Lidl besides announce further networking in large cities. With the limits of the concession exhausted, the only way to make is to take over permits after the smaller players have fallen.
– Under the facade of safety improvements, a quiet consolidation of the marketplace takes place. Concessions lost by local entrepreneurs and fuel stations do not vanish – they go to large capital groups – emphasizes Andrzej Strojny, WEI analyst. The WEI indicates that night Prohibition and the ban on selling alcohol at fuel stations are based on misconception of the effectiveness of bans. The request for alcohol does not disappear, and in addition to large networks of limitations, the grey region besides gains.
