Brutal entry: Allegro is now present in the Hungarian e-commerce market

Expansion to the south – new target: Hungary

Celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, Allegro is now a key player in Central European e-commerce, which is expected to open its own online store in Croatia and Slovenia this year after the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. It entered the Hungarian market directly in the fall of 2024, after acquiring the Czech Mall group in 2023, and was previously present in our country through it.

Transaction records – growth in numbers

The results of the expansion are already visible: Allegro achieved a quarterly gross merchandise value (GMV) of EUR 3.48 billion at the group level, which is an increase of 8.9% year-on-year. In international markets, including Hungary and Slovakia, GMV jumped by 82%, which was also helped by a more than 30% increase in purchase frequency.

The number of active customers increased to 21 million (+5.4%), of which 6 million are foreign users. Average customer spending increased by 3.7%, so according to Allegro CEO Marcin Kusmierz, the company’s EBITDA growth target for this year could be 8-12% in Poland and 10-17% at the group level. GMV is expected to grow by 40–50% in foreign markets, but EBITDA contribution may be in the negative range for now (–82.5–94.3 million euros).

Temu vs. Allegro – strategic responses to the Chinese challenge

The Chinese Temu is increasingly competing in European marketplaces, but Allegro is consciously trying to differentiate itself. As part of this, they removed long-delivery offers, mainly from East Asia, from their international platform, which increased consumer confidence and conversion rates, while having little impact on GMV.