ABSTRACT
The foundation for the privatization process in the distribution system was a series of parliamentary bills passed at the beginning of 1990. Of special importance were: amendments to the bill on economic activity to allow free enterprise; the privatization bill covering state-owned enterprises; and the bill abolishing the government monopoly on foreign and wholesale trade. The sudden rise in registered private retailing enterprises should be linked with the re-use for retailing purposes of old small premises previously used as dwellings. This was the case in numerous small towns and larger villages all over the country. In 1949, the Communist government began its so-called ‘battle for socialist retailing’, as a result of which private retailing was almost eliminated from the market, leaving only small outlets dealing in craftsmen’s and food products. The task facing Polish retailers in the near future is to adjust to existing demand, which may be reflected in the ever-increasing branching and diversification of the Polish retail system.
