Poland Emerges as Europe's Premier E-Commerce Logistics Gateway

Poland is rapidly establishing itself as one of Europe's most strategically important logistics and ecommerce gateways, driven by substantial investments in warehousing and logistics infrastructure rather than consumer demand alone. According to LOT Polish Airlines cargo director Michał Grochowski, Poland's appeal extends well beyond the Chinese online retailers that have dominated recent headlines—the country is now attracting ecommerce operators from multiple markets globally. This structural shift reflects Poland's geographic positioning, improving infrastructure capabilities, and competitive advantages that position it as a critical node in European last-mile distribution networks. For supply chain professionals, Poland's emergence as a primary ecommerce gateway presents both strategic opportunities and operational considerations.

The concentration of warehousing capacity and logistics infrastructure in Poland creates new routing options for European distribution, potentially reducing transit times and costs for companies serving Western European markets from Eastern European hubs. However, this regional consolidation also introduces concentration risk—over-reliance on Polish logistics infrastructure could create bottlenecks during peak demand periods or in the event of facility disruptions. The broader implication is that European ecommerce logistics are undergoing geographic rebalancing. Rather than routing all European shipments through traditional Western European hubs, companies now have viable alternatives in Central Europe.

This is particularly significant for companies managing multi-channel distribution or those seeking to optimize fulfillment networks across the EU. The transition signals a maturation of Eastern European logistics infrastructure and suggests that supply chain planners should reassess their network optimization models to account for Poland's improved capabilities and competitive positioning.