Biedronka Fined Nearly PLN 105 Million for Misleading Promotional Practices

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) has imposed a penalty of almost PLN 105 million on Jeronimo Martins Polska, the operator of the Biedronka retail chain, after finding that customers were misled by two one-day promotions run early last year. The campaigns, branded “Special Wednesday” and “Valentine’s Wednesday,” encouraged shoppers to buy selected products with the promise of receiving a “100% refund in the form of a voucher.”

According to UOKiK’s findings, the advertisements—broadcast on radio, displayed in stores, promoted through the chain’s app and on social media—gave the impression that the voucher could be used freely for future purchases. In practice, the vouchers were subject to conditions that were not communicated upfront. Customers often learned about the restrictions only after paying at the checkout and receiving the voucher together with their receipt.

The vouchers could be redeemed only for specific types of goods chosen by the retailer, and often these categories had no connection to the items originally purchased. For example, buying meat or chocolate could result in a voucher valid only for cosmetics, household cleaners or produce. In several cases, shoppers were required to spend more than the voucher’s value in order to redeem it. Limits on the number of vouchers per customer and rules on returns applied as well, yet these details were not stated in the promotional materials.

Many of these conditions appeared only in regulations posted on the company’s website, on notice boards positioned behind checkout counters or printed directly on the voucher itself—long after consumers had already committed to the promotion. UOKiK concluded that key information was withheld at the moment when customers made their purchasing decision.

The authority stated that this approach could have influenced shoppers’ choices by creating an impression that the promotion offered more flexibility and value than it actually did. According to UOKiK, this constituted a deliberate violation of collective consumer interests.

The fine totals PLN 104,722,016. The decision is not yet legally binding, and Jeronimo Martins Polska has the right to appeal.