A Polish court cut Biedronka’s fine from nearly PLN 105 million to almost PLN 84 million but upheld the finding that the retailer deliberately misled customers about voucher restrictions. Poland’s consumer watchdog plans to appeal the reduction.
By the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK). The Polish original was published on 3 November 2026.
Poland’s Court of Competition and Consumer Protection found that Biedronka had deliberately misled shoppers by advertising a refund of 100% of the purchase price in vouchers without clearly explaining how they could be used. The judgment is subject to appeal.
The case concerns two one-day promotions in 2024, Special Wednesday and Valentine’s Wednesday, which Biedronka advertised with the slogan “Get 100% back in a voucher.” In December 2025, the president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) found that the advertising infringed consumers’ collective interests and fined the chain’s operator, Jeronimo Martins Polska, nearly PLN 105 million. The company appealed.
A chocolate voucher could be spent on cosmetics
A customer who bought chocolate received a PLN 13.99 voucher that could be redeemed on a cosmetics purchase of at least PLN 29.99. A voucher issued for buying frankfurters could be redeemed on fruit and vegetables, again subject to a minimum spend.
For products sold by weight, the refund was capped at the value of one kilogram. Each loyalty card qualified for one voucher. Shoppers had to look for the restrictions online or on in-store noticeboards, among other places. Some conditions were printed on the voucher itself, which customers received only after making a purchase.
Court upholds finding of deliberate conduct
UOKiK said the company deliberately omitted what the Valentine’s Wednesday vouchers could be spent on and how much customers had to spend to redeem them. The authority had previously told Biedronka that promotional restrictions should be displayed as clearly as the benefits. The court agreed with the regulator that the infringement was intentional.
Regulator to appeal the lower fine
Two other disputes between UOKiK and Biedronka’s operator are awaiting appeal. They concern the use of superior bargaining power and the retailer’s so-called anti-inflation shield, with fines of PLN 506 million and PLN 160 million respectively following first-instance judgments. Separate cases over discrepancies between shelf and checkout prices and incorrect country-of-origin labels on fruit and vegetables have concluded. The company paid PLN 115 million and PLN 60 million respectively.
Jeronimo Martins Polska may challenge the voucher ruling before the Warsaw Court of Appeal. UOKiK’s president said he would appeal the reduction, maintaining that the original fine reflected the seriousness of the infringements.
