Rapid Market Assessment in Warsaw

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine enters its fourth week, civilians continue to suffer the devastating consequences of the violence. Data from IMPACT, OCHA, ECHO, and ACAPS indicated that at humanitarian corridors for civilians, artillery and missile strikes have continued and are increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure, leading to over 3.7 million Ukrainians choosing to flee across the borders in neighbor countries.

In order to select the most appropriate modality of assistance and delivery mechanism to distribute assistance, Mercy Corps conducted a Rapid Market Assessment in Warsaw, in light of future distributions in the area. The aim of this rapid assessment was to gather evidence on the availability and price of basic commodities, the local supply chains, payment modalities accepted, adaptation measures traders are planning to absorb the shock of the refugees’ influx, and the broader market dynamics in the area.

Between March 30th and April 1st, Mercy Corps hired enumerators underwent an extensive data collection exercise. Data were collected through a mixed method accounting for a fully structured questionnaire for traders, and a qualitative key informant (KI) script for Financial Service Providers (FSPs), volunteers working at collective centers, and community representatives. These were also complemented by direct observations gathered by data collectors around the markets and the refugees’ broader needs. In total, data collectors surveyed 54 traders and interviewed 13 different money agents and 3 volunteers working at the collective centers. Respondents were selected upon both availability, role with the community or the refugee response, owning of a relevant business (for traders) and the relevancy of experience in collective centers. The selection is based on the assumption that refugees would select those areas to access either commodities or services. In order to cross-check availability and prices of items in the shops, the data was collected in-person.

The assessment was designed to prioritize timeliness over statistical representativeness of the findings. Data hereby presented are to be considered purely indicative of the market functionality in Warsaw and around collective centers for Ukrainian refugees in Poland.