Mr Price plans to enter the Polish market by November, the company’s second foray into the northern hemisphere, after entering Nigeria in 2012. The group will join a handful of other JSE-listed property and retail companies with a presence in Poland, which is eastern Europe’s biggest economy. Steinhoff’s Pepco has found success in that market, Spar Group is in discussions on a potential acquisition there, while property counters including Echo Polska Properties, Growthpoint and Nepi Rockcastle have interests in Poland. Mr Price CEO Stuart Bird said on Friday that the retailer would open a test mrphome store in Poland in late October or early November.
The country was attractive because of its growing middle class and healthy economic growth prospects, Bird said. Testing the market with a mrpHome brand was easier than using an apparel store, as the latter would involve "seasonal complications". Mr Price tends to take a circumspect approach when entering new markets. In 2003, th...
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