Purpose: The objective of the article is to present the changes that have taken place
in relationships between business partners in the FMCG distribution channels in
Poland after 1989 and to identify the consequences for competitiveness in particular
groups of commercial enterprises. The scope of analysis covers relationships between
chains of large trade facilities and FMCG manufacturers and wholesale enterprises,
inclusive of cash and carry, as well as between goods suppliers and receivers.

Methodology: The article is prepared on the basis of relevant literature on cooperation
of enterprises in the distribution channels, as well as on the results of surveys
carried out by the Institute for Market, Consumption and Business Cycles Research
(IBRKK) in the 1990s and in the first years of the 21st century. It also includes
mid-2011 survey results among independent commercial enterprises and companies
operating in the chain as well as among FMCG producers. In individual periods, the
same research method is applied - face-to-face interviews, carried out among representatives of the surveyed firms. They were based on a questionnaire, which was
expanded in subsequent research periods with new aspects of cooperation between
enterprises, i.e. creation of private labels, training and consulting for business partners,
and integration processes.

Originality/value: The description and analysis of the phenomena and processes
occurring in relationships between subjects in various channels of FMCG distribution
covered multiple criteria. These include selection of a business partner, enterprise
position in its contacts with business partners, expected and achieved benefits
of cooperation, impediments and abnormalities occurring in contacts between the
goods supplier and the commercial company, and new areas of cooperation.