Dino Polska Focuses on Sales Volume Amid Persistent Deflation
Dino Polska S.A., one of Poland's leading grocery retail chains, is prioritizing sales volume growth in the third quarter of 2026 as it continues to operate under deflationary conditions. According to CFO Michał Krauze, the company anticipates an acceleration in revenue growth in the coming quarters, with a gradual improvement in like-for-like (LFL) sales expected in the second half of the year. Despite a challenging start to Q3 with deflation levels similar to Q2, Dino remains optimistic about leveraging improved purchasing conditions to enhance gross margins and profitability.
In the first half of 2026, Dino reported a 2.2% increase in LFL sales, though this was a slowdown compared to the 4.8% growth recorded in the same period last year. Q2 LFL sales grew by just 0.3%, significantly lower than the 8.8% growth seen in Q2 2025. The company attributed this slowdown to deepening food price deflation, which reached 4.5% for food products and 6% for fresh goods in Q2, as well as the calendar shift of Easter from late April in 2025 to early April in 2026.
Despite these challenges, Dino opened 86 new stores in Q2, bringing the total number of new store openings in H1 2026 to 148, on par with the previous year. The company plans to increase store openings by several percentage points in 2026, with capital expenditures projected at approximately PLN 2.5 billion. Dino's H1 2026 revenue reached PLN 17.97 billion, a 12.5% year-on-year increase, while EBITDA rose by 4% to PLN 1.23 billion. Net profit for the period stood at PLN 716.1 million, slightly up from PLN 708.8 million in H1 2025.
In Q2 alone, Dino's revenue grew by 10.5% year-on-year to PLN 9.53 billion, with EBITDA increasing by over 2% to PLN 665.1 million. Krauze emphasized that while the company is satisfied with its sales volumes, the low revenue growth may lead to cost increases outpacing revenue gains. However, improved purchasing conditions are expected to support gross margin improvements, which could bolster overall profitability.
Relevance: This article is directly relevant to Dino Polska S.A.'s business profile as it highlights key financial results, LFL sales performance, store expansion efforts, and the impact of deflation on the company's operations and profitability.