Polish retailer Żabka Group expands in Romania with froo brand

Żabka Group, European convenience ecosystem, has launched its expansion into the Romanian market with the new froo brand. Exorigo-Upos, with whom the company has worked for many years on the Polish market, was chosen as the implementation partner. The froo stores are modeled on their Polish counterparts.

The IT work carried out by Exorigo-Upos for froo – a chain of modern convenience stores in Romania – started in February 2024 and lasted four months. The process involved many people working daily in the Romanian branch and a team of specialists from Poland.

“Setting up a business in another country always presents many challenges. However, the Romanian market does not hold many secrets for us, as we have been present there for nine years. Thanks to our extensive skills and knowledge of software, hardware and retail services, we were able to take on such a complex project. We work on store openings and CCTV installations in froo chain. We also provide fiscal printers and 1st and 2nd line support services for froo. An important role is played by our residents who support the head office staff on site,” says Michał Koźliński, Director of Tech Support & Service Centre at Exorigo-Upos.

Exorigo-Upos was involved in the testing and piloting of the new sales system, setting up a test store and the first official stationery froo store in Bucharest.

“Although it is a European country, Romania and Poland have very different approaches to completing tasks. Our role was to ensure communication and mutual understanding of each other’s needs in terms of timeliness in completing the next items in the plan. In Romania, there is a cultural tendency to treat time more casually and to set deadlines more indicatively. Fortunately, we were able to find a compromise and work out optimal conditions for cooperation,” adds Michał Koźliński.

In Poland, Żabka Group has over 11 000 stores under Żabka brand, as well as Nano autonomous stores, q-commerce, e-commerce services and diet catering.

Exorigo-Upos has a nationwide IT and equipment service with 400 employees and a network of 22 service offices. It provides support services in more than a dozen countries across Europe. It has offices in Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia and works with a network of partners. It is also a manufacturer of fiscal printers and a developer of software, including point-of-sale systems and solutions for fiscalisation, e-invoicing and e-payment.