From Brexit to a boom – how Polish food exporters are doing in the UK

The United Kingdom remains the sixth largest economy in the world. It is a rich market, but at the same time extremely dependent on imports. The British do not produce enough  to cover their own needs – in the case of food, only about 50-55 percent of what ends up on the table comes from domestic production. The remaining half are imports, more or less half and half from the European Union and the rest of the world.

For many years before Brexit, it was an extremely competitive market. Since the time of Margaret Thatcher, the British industrial and agricultural sectors have been losing their importance, and the whole world has tried to place its goods there. For exporters, the attractiveness lay in easy access, high demand and smooth supply chains.

Brexit has changed the rules of the game. Border controls, additional documentation and the treatment of the European Union as a third country caused some companies from Western Europe to withdraw from the market – especially smaller ones that did not have the scale to cope with the new requirements. From the perspective of Polish exporters, this means a new market and opportunity, as British buyers have begun to look for alternative suppliers.

Polish exports – a temporary low and a record rebound

The data clearly show the dynamics: in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Polish exports to the United Kingdom clearly decreased. The same thing happened the other way around – British exports to Poland also shrunk. However, already in 2021 ours grew rapidly, while British exports to Poland continued to decline.

The following years – 2022, 2023 and 2024 – brought record results for Polish companies. As a result, Poland maintains a significant trade surplus with the United Kingdom, both in goods and services.

The structure of exports has also changed. Before Brexit, the automotive industry dominated – cars and car parts were the main category. However, after the United Kingdom left the EU, the automotive industry  there began to rapidly lose its importance. In 2023, the country produced half as many cars as in 2017. Problems with the liquidity of supply chains and the need to use a “just-in-time” system have caused many manufacturers to move their operations to the continent. Honda closed its plants and others reduced their presence.

Their place was taken by food. Today, it is Polish food that is the number one export to the United Kingdom. It is worth noting that before Brexit, the UK was Poland’s second largest export market, and now it is the fourth. In the case of the food industry, the United Kingdom continues to be the second most important market.

Poles – a springboard to the mainstream

Poles are  the largest national minority in Great Britain, numbering 600-750 thousand people. Many of them already have British citizenship, so the statistics are sometimes underestimated, but the real number of consumers of Polish food is even higher.

There is a network of hundreds of Polish shops and special “Polish shelves” in hypermarkets in the country. It is a place where Polish brands are already recognizable and where the first distribution channels can be built. Poles are a loyal customer who are happy to return for flavors from their homeland – and at the same time can be a brand ambassador among British friends.

Polish brands on British shelves

Source: PAIH Webinars – “How to effectively build a brand and increase sales of food products on the UK market”

ed. JL