First Stop.Cafe in Prague

“The ORLEN Group already earns more than PLN 3bn per year in operating profit from the retail segment. This performance provides a solid footing to work from in pursuing our strategic projects. A key one in this area is to develop new retail formats, not only in Poland but also in the Czech Republic. We want to make our attractive offering available to all customers, not only motorists. The investment in Stop.Cafes, to be opened in areas with the busiest traffic, is a logical step in that direction. We are starting in Prague, but in the next stage such stores will also be opened in other Czech cities,” said Daniel Obajtek, CEO and President of the PKN ORLEN Management Board.

The first ORLEN Group store in the Czech Republic will have an area of 43 square metres and will operate under the tried and tested ‘Stop.Cafe’ brand, although ultimately, following a rebranding process, the foreign chain of ORLEN stores will bear the ‘ORLEN Go!’ logo.

The Prague store, located in Thámova Street near the popular Křižíkova metro station, offers a variety of tasty and fresh snacks prepared on site from our own recipes. Simple composition of the products, with no preservatives or flavour enhancers added, is a guarantee of not only a fast but also a healthy meal. In addition the store offers fresh fruit and vegetable juices, as well as aromatic coffee brewed with selected beans from fairtrade certified plantations of the largest global fair trade system.

While offering healthy and tasty food products, the Stop.Cafe in Prague is also a venue enabling a fast shopping experience. Customers can pay for their coffee with a card directly at the coffee machine or at the checkout. Like at Benzina ORLEN stations, they can use the Tankarta Easy card or mobile application, collecting all benefits offered to participants of the loyalty scheme. Payment for food products bought at the store can also be made with vouchers issued e.g. by Sodexo, Edenred (Ticket), Up (Chéque Déjeuner), Lidl, Benefitka and Gusto.

Development of the new retail formats in the Czech Republic is another step in strengthening the ORLEN Group’s retail business. A similar convenience store with bistro concept will also be developed in Poland in the first half of this year. Under the ‘ORLEN w ruchu’ (ORLEN in Motion) brand, a network of approximately 900 retail outlets will be established, expected to generate additional several dozen million złoty in EBITDA over the next five years.

In Poland, the new formats will feature three store types, offering primarily food products. In the A format, stores will have an area of about 20 square metres and in the B format – of about 60-70 square metres, and will be either free-standing or located within other facilities. They will also have coffee corners with a fully automated sales process. They will be established in places with particularly high pedestrian traffic, such as train and bus stations, office buildings, and airports.