Warsaw Business Journal

📊 Mergers & Acquisitions: Key Insights from EY Survey 💼 A recent EY survey reveals that 56% of companies pursue mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to drive growth, with 73% considering acquisitions a core part of their long-term strategy. Other major drivers include: 🔶 Increasing market share (40%) 🔶 Scaling operations & revenue (38%) 🔶 Acquiring customer portfolios (36%) 🔶 Gaining new technologies (33%) On the flip side, companies selling their businesses often cite strategic realignment (30%) and funding new goals (26%) as key reasons. Notably, 98% of buyers and 90% of sellers reported satisfaction with their M&A deals. The survey sees a positive outlook for growth and strategy through M&A. 📈 Read more: https://lnkd.in/d7Cz-6iH #MergersAndAcquisitions #BusinessGrowth #EYSurvey #BusinessInsights

Celebrating 20 Years of ArcelorMittal Poland: A Story of Steel, Innovation, and Sustainability! "Steel isn’t just a material—it’s the fabric of life, from the bikes we ride to the wind turbines powering our future." Sanjay Samaddar, Country Head Poland and until recently long-time CEO of ArcelorMittal Poland, calls the company his “third child,” reflecting on 19 years of leadership and transformation.arcelor Over the last two decades, ArcelorMittal Poland has invested PLN 10.5 billion into modernizing its six facilities, cutting CO₂ emissions by 42% and dust emissions by 90%. Through automation, AI, and cutting-edge Industry 4.0 tech, they’re forging a cleaner, smarter future for steelmaking. Snapshot of ArcelorMittal in Poland: 🔷 Leader in Polish industry and the 2nd largest foreign investor 🔷 Over 9,000 passionate employees, some spanning generations 🔷 Decarbonization goals driving the shift toward cleaner energy Steel shapes our lives and powers economies. With new technologies and innovation, ArcelorMittal Poland is building a future we can all be proud of. "Without steel, there is no sustainability." Read the interview with Sanjay Samaddar, published in the latest issue of Warsaw Business Journal. (link in comments) #ArcelorMittalPoland #Sustainability #IndustryLeaders

📢 The December-January issue of Warsaw Business Journal is out! 📰 What’s inside? Exclusive interview with Sanjay Samaddar, Chairman of ArcelorMittal, on the company’s 20-year dominance in the steel industry. Insights from top industry leaders: Jerzy Tymofiejew (Rex Concepts CEE), Janusz Wojtas (Trasti), Janusz Tybuszewski (Vastint), and Béranger Dumont (BPI Real Estate Poland). 🔍 2024 Roundup Highlights: 🔷 Poland’s impressive economic recovery, but with persistent inflation and demographic challenges. 🔷 A shifting foreign investor landscape amid geopolitical uncertainty. 🔷 Real estate: mixed signals with return-to-office policies boosting investor confidence, while construction faces a slowdown. 🔷 The first year of the Civic Coalition government: major changes in state-owned enterprises—what’s the impact? 💡 In Tech: Explore the effects of the digital age on children’s social skills. ♟️ Special Feature: Garry Kasparov, chess legend, profiled ahead of CEEQA 2025. 📰 Plus all the usual: news roundup, key figures explained, expert opinions, and top industry events. 🕊️ A heartfelt profile of our dearly departed colleague Ewa Boniecka. 🔗 Don’t miss out—grab your copy and enjoy the read!

Another major step in Poland’s energy future! Poland’s first nuclear power plant in Lubiatowo-Kopalino just gained momentum with Export Development Canada (EDC) expressing interest in financing nearly PLN 6 billion ($1.45 billion). This adds to the PLN 75 billion pledged by U.S. partners like the Export-Import Bank and International Development Finance Corporation. Using Westinghouse AP1000 technology, the 3,750 MWe plant is a major step in Poland’s energy transition, with construction starting in 2028 and the first reactor set to power up by 2035. #PolandEnergy #NuclearPower #SustainableFuture #Westinghouse #PEJ

✈️ A Year of Breaking Records for Polish Airports! 🇵🇱 Poland’s aviation sector is soaring to new heights in 2024: ✨ Kraków Airport surpassed 10 million passengers ✨ Wrocław Airport welcomed over 4 million ✨ Rzeszów Airport broke 1 million for the first time ✨ Warsaw Chopin Airport is about to greet its 20 millionth passenger By year-end, Polish airports are expected to handle nearly 57 million passengers, a 5 million increase from 2023, according to Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak. Major investments are on the horizon, including: 🚀 Expansion at Chopin Airport to accommodate 30 million passengers annually by 2029 🚀 A new runway at Modlin Airport 🚀 Improved rail connections and safety measures Poland is positioning itself as a hub for modern, efficient, and secure air travel. 🌍 #PolishAirports #AviationGrowth #Krakow #Warsaw #Wroclaw #Rzeszow #Infrastructure #Travel

🏙️ Top deal of 2024: Ghelamco sells Warsaw UNIT to Eastnine for EUR 280 million! 💼 In what marks the largest office transaction in Europe for 2024, Ghelamco has sold the Warsaw UNIT skyscraper to Swedish real estate firm Eastnine for EUR 280 million (over PLN 1.2 billion). The fully leased building, located in central Warsaw, hosts top tenants like Warta, Moderna, CBRE, Amazon, and Imperial Tobacco. Rafal Gierczak, Asset Management Director at Ghelamco Poland, emphasized that the sale reflects investor confidence in high-quality, ESG-compliant assets in prime locations. Eastnine’s CEO, Kestutis Sasnauskas, described the deal as a milestone, with Poland now comprising over 50% of their portfolio. Eastnine, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, focuses on sustainable office properties in the Baltics and Poland. #RealEstate #Investment #Poland #WarsawUNIT #Ghelamco #Eastnine #ESG #CommercialRealEstate #OfficeMarket #Sustainability

Christmas Eve bank holiday approved from 2025 The Sejm has passed an amendment to the Act on non-working days, making Christmas Eve a mandatory day off starting next year! This change provides a much-needed break for all employees, including retail workers, who previously worked until 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Additionally, the amendment designates the three Sundays before Christmas Eve as commercial days, allowing retail businesses to operate. The vote was strong with 403 in favor, 10 against, and 12 abstentions. While earlier proposals to make this change for 2024 were rejected, this new legislation will come into effect in 2025. This amendment supports both workers' well-being and the retail sector’s operational needs in the lead-up to Christmas. #Poland #ChristmasEve #LaborRights #Retail #Sejm #PublicHoliday

📈 Salaries Surge, But Employment Declines In October 2024, the average gross salary in the enterprise sector reached PLN 8,316.57, marking a 10.2% increase compared to October 2023 and a 2.2% jump from the previous month. The month-on-month boost comes from bonuses, awards, and overtime pay, according to GUS. However, while paychecks grow, employment falters: - A 0.5% year-on-year decline in enterprise sector jobs. - A 0.1% dip compared to September 2024. This data reflects businesses with 10+ employees, offering a snapshot of the workforce amid economic shifts. Are wage increases enough to offset declining employment? #Economy #JobMarket #Salaries #PolandEconomy

🛍️ Black Friday & Cyber Monday in Poland: Fading hype or changing habits? 📉 According to the latest PAYBACK study, Polish shoppers are showing a slight dip in enthusiasm for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. Only 37% plan to shop this year, down 2 percentage points from 2022, with over 54% still undecided. But the way consumers spend is evolving: 📂 Top categories: Clothing and shoes (40%), electronics (35%), and cosmetics (26%) still dominate. 💸 Shifting budgets: - More shoppers (26%) plan to spend PLN 301–500 (up from 23% last year). - Fewer are aiming for splurges over PLN 800 (down from 22% to 17%). Interestingly, 23% remain undecided about their budgets, signaling caution in an uncertain economic climate. These insights, gathered from 562 participants aged 18–65, reflect changing consumer behavior during seasonal sales. Are shoppers more mindful, or is the Black Friday buzz wearing off? #BlackFriday #CyberMonday #ConsumerTrends #RetailInsights

⚙️ Is Poland's Industry Caught Between the Past and the Future? 🚀 The latest report, "Trends, Technology, Practice: Digitization in Polish Industry," prepared by Grupa PTWP, reveals the challenges and opportunities of Industry 4.0 in Poland. Insights from industry leaders and the "New Industry 4.0" conference highlight some key takeaways: - Invest for the Future: Adam Jędrzejczak (Danfoss Poland) underscores the need to act now to build tomorrow's factories. - Breaking Free from Technological Debt: Paweł Ciupik (Axians) warns that fragmented digitization is slowing progress. - Upskilling the Workforce: Piotr Kapuściński (Qemetica Soda Polska) stresses the need for multidisciplinary skills to oversee integrated processes. - A Missing National Strategy: Artur Pollak (APA Group) points to a lack of cohesive Industry 4.0 and 5.0 strategies. While there’s momentum, the report highlights systemic issues: technological debt, strategy gaps, and uncertainty in ROI for digital transformation. 💡 The clock is ticking. Is Polish industry ready to leap forward? #DigitalTransformation #Industry40 #FutureOfWork