Sales of clothing and game consoles drove Polish exports in the second quarter

Sales of clothing and game consoles boosted Polish exports in the second quarter, the National Bank of Poland reported in its description of the situation in the balance of payments in the second quarter.

NBP reports that the greatest impact on the nominal increase in exports in the second quarter of 2025 had the increase in foreign sales of other consumer goods (i.e. excluding durable consumer goods).

The export of these products was characterized by the highest dynamics, which was mainly due to the re-export of clothing and video game consoles.

It was reported that the value of exports of semi-durable and non-durable consumer goods increased by 8.0 percent in the second quarter. y/y (compared to 4.2% at the beginning of 2025), contributing to the reversal of the downward trend in total exports. The value of their exports reached the highest level taking into account the results for the second quarter, and their share – 14.8%. was the highest since the pandemic.

Clothing had the greatest impact on the increase in the value of foreign sales in this category. Whereas the single item with the highest export growth in Q2 2025 was video game consoles. In both cases, the large increase in exports was accompanied by a strong increase in imports. In the second quarter of 2025, the value of clothing exports increased by 18%. y/y and it was the fifth consecutive quarter with double-digit export dynamics in this group.

They were by far the most important direction of clothing exports Germanywhich accounted for 43.6 percent. the value of these transactions. The remaining recipients were dominated by EU countries – especially The Netherlands, France, Italy and the Czech Republic.

As indicated, console exports are seasonal in nature and are concentrated mainly in the fourth quarters. In 2025, the sales peak probably occurred in the second quarter, which, due to the low reference point, additionally resulted in an increase in the scale of export growth. During the period in question, the value of console exports increased 2.5 times compared to the previous year. Also in this case, the most important recipient was Germany (40.1%), and the remaining part of exports went to, among others, to Sweden, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic.

NBP draws attention to strong exports of passenger cars in the second quarter. After four consecutive quarters of large declines related to the end of production of some models, the value of new car exports increased by 10.8%. rdr. In the second quarter, exports of new cars reached 89.4 thousand. units, i.e. similar to the second quarter of 2024. The change in the structure of exported vehicles resulted in an increase in the value of exports. During the period in question, the export of classic hybrid cars (HEV), which constitute the largest group in exports (43.6%), and hybrid cars with the possibility of charging from an external power source (PHEV) increased. However, the clear downward trend continued in the export of cars with petrol and diesel engines.

In turn, the continuation of the downward trend in the export of durable consumer goods had the greatest negative impact on the overall export dynamics. In the second quarter of 2025, the value of exports in this category decreased by 5.8%, more than in the previous four quarters. At the same time, it was the 10th consecutive quarter of decline in exports of durable consumer goods. The deepening scale of the decline in the period in question was mainly due to the 20% reduction. y/y export of television sets, which until recently constituted one of the most important items in Polish exports.

Additionally, the decline in sales of hearing aids, mainly to the American market, had an adverse impact on export changes. However, exports of furniture and household appliances are characterized by stagnation trends. During the period in question, the value of furniture exports decreased by 1.7%. y/y, and exports of household appliances by 0.5%. rdr.

“One of the reasons for the long-term downward trend in the export of durable consumer goods may be the increase in competition on the European Union markets from other suppliers, primarily from China,” NBP wrote. (PAP Business)

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