Glovo Has Plans For Poland

In just a few years, delivery has taken the Polish market by storm. It’s no longer just about dinner and lunch dishes – Poles are now even ordering electronics and pet food (the latter is growing by163%). However, the future of these platforms isn’t necessarily rosy. Changes in the law are increasingly forcing changes in how companies operate. So what’s changing, what are Poles ordering, and how does our country differ from Spain? We discuss this with Elisabet Ricart Roig, Glovo’s head of operations in Poland.

Mateusz Madejski, George V Magazine Polska: The delivery industry is going through a difficult period due to recent legal changes. How does this impact Glovo?

Elisabet Ricart Roig, General Manager Poland, Glovo: I would say that these changes affect not only our industry and our company. The regulations recently introduced in Poland are important to us—and of course, we ensure full compliance with them. The EU Platform Directive, or rather its implementation in Poland, is also extremely important to us. We are still waiting for the final decisions—the method of implementation will impact how platforms will be able to operate in the Polish market.

Your competitor, Pyszne.pl, recently changed its business model. It used to employ couriers but has since abandoned its own fleet, opting instead for external platforms.

We generally don’t comment on what our competitors are doing. We focus on ensuring our business operates at its best and ensuring that customer service and collaboration with partners are of the highest standard.

Poles even order windmills

What are Glovo’s plans for the Polish market?

It’s undeniable that we operate in an exceptionally rapidly changing market. We want to offer as many services as possible. We started with food deliveries, but quickly began expanding into other categories as well. We thought we could offer groceries. Then we added pet food, medicines, and other segments. What is our ambition? We want to deliver literally everything available in a given city. We’re working very hard on this. We recently added the Media Markt chain to our platform, which has 79 stores in 48 cities and offers fast delivery of small electronics. The July heatwave clearly demonstrated how useful this service is—Poles ordered 634 fans on Glovo in seven days. We also have Super-Pharm, but I want to emphasize that we’re partnering not only with large chains. We’re also interested in small, local shops. At Glovo, we want to be embedded in the urban fabric and deliver a wide range of products at any time. As part of the BIEK service, which we implement together with Biedronka, we launched a 24/7 point in Warsaw. This gives customers access to ultra-fast deliveries around the clock. We also partner with numerous restaurants open 24/7.

Is there really a demand for such “night” services in Poland?

Interestingly, it really is. In large cities, it’s very clear that people have busy schedules and want to do certain things at night—including shopping. Of course, we can’t forget about people who simply work at night and naturally need to order food at that time. Scenarios are diverse, and we want to meet as many needs as possible.

So what do Poles order at night?

Essentially, “nighttime” baskets are no different from “daytime” ones. Our customers order quite similar items at any time of day or night.

Are there any categories that are growing particularly fast?

Grocery and electronics deliveries are growing rapidly. Often, people order these items for the first time due to a sudden need, but then quickly adapt and order regularly. This is evident both in collaborations with large partners like Media Markt, Super-Pharm, and Maxi Zoo, as well as in the broader growth of non-food categories. In the beauty, electronics, and jewelry segments, which started from a low base, we are seeing rapid, even multi-hundred-fold growth, while the pet care category grew by 163% year-on-year. These results show that users are increasingly treating Glovo not only as a food ordering app but also as a tool for quickly meeting a wide range of everyday needs.

ADVERTISEMENT

The market is also evolving in another direction—towards a subscription model. We have the Glovo Prime service, which provides access to numerous benefits for a monthly fee. Over the year, the number of subscribers has grown by over 20%. According to a report published by Revolut at the end of 2025, Glovo Prime is among the top 20 most popular subscription programs in Poland. I believe such models will become increasingly attractive to customers.

Our platform can also serve as an advertising platform. Its value for advertisers grows not only with the growing number of users, but also because customers spend more and more time on the app. Advertising is therefore becoming a crucial part of our business. Currently, over 500 companies have already advertised on Glovo. However, we expect significant growth here.

“Not everyone can go to a restaurant”

How many customers does Glovo have in Poland?

We are market leaders, and in Poland, our app has already been downloaded over 10 million times. It’s not just our users who are important to us, but also our partners. We are present in 200 cities and offer a complete ecosystem connecting users, partners, businesses, and stores. We currently have approximately 15,000 partners in Poland. Most of them are not large companies, but rather local small and medium-sized businesses. Our platform is designed to ensure customers not only have access to what they love but also discover new flavors and services. I think that’s the great thing about this industry—connecting people with entrepreneurs. The need for this is evident, for example, during downpours or heatwaves. Not everyone can, and not everyone wants, to go shopping or to a restaurant in such conditions. In those situations, our services are incredibly helpful. That’s how I like to think of this business.

How important is Poland to Glovo?

This is one of the most important markets—not only because of its development but also because of the potential it still holds. Poland remains a rapidly growing economy and a very promising market.

What are the most interesting trends in food delivery right now?

Asian dishes have certainly gained popularity in recent years—Korean cuisine, ramen, and similar flavors. Now we’re seeing a huge increase in healthy food outlets. I’m not just talking about restaurants—there are also a growing number of organic and eco-friendly stores. Interestingly, the number of breakfast places is also growing. This strikes me as a very interesting trend: customers don’t just want to order dinner, lunch, or supper, but also breakfast. It’s a similar story with coffee—people are increasingly not only buying it but also ordering it for delivery.

There’s also a lot happening in terms of technology. Are drone or robotic deliveries possible?

Right now, we’re focused on making the most of technology to streamline deliveries—making everything as fast and convenient as possible. We’re not necessarily considering new delivery methods.

Glovo originated in Barcelona. How different is the Polish market from the Spanish one?

Few things are very different. There are definitely some cultural differences. Yes, I’m usually the loudest person in the room (laughter). Poland has welcomed me very warmly; I’ve been here for over three years now and I love the culture and the people. Naturally, it’s also an incredibly interesting place in terms of business opportunities. I like the energy and development you can feel on the streets. Lots of things are being built, and people are very entrepreneurial. And Warsaw—because of its ubiquitous skyscrapers—I call it a bit of a European Dubai (laughter).