The Polish Competition and Consumer Protection Court (SOKiK) upheld the Polish competition authority’s finding that Jeronimo Martins Polska, which operates Biedronka, misled consumers in its “Special Wednesday” and “Valentine’s Wednesday” promotions. The company advertised a “100% refund” in vouchers but did not clearly explain that the vouchers could only be used for specified products and were subject to further spending requirements.

For example, a customer buying chocolate received a PLN 13.99 voucher for cosmetics, usable only if the customer spent at least PLN 29.99 on those products. A purchase of sausages could generate a voucher for fruit and vegetables, also subject to a minimum spend. Other restrictions included a one-kilogram cap on refunds for products sold by weight and a limit of one voucher per loyalty card. Consumers had to look online, on noticeboards, or at the voucher issued after purchase to find some of the terms.

The authority issued its decision in December 2025 and initially imposed a fine of nearly PLN 105 million. Biedronka appealed. SOKiK agreed that the promotions infringed consumer rights and that the infringement was intentional, but reduced the fine to nearly PLN 84 million. The court cited evidence that, when preparing the Valentine’s promotion, the company consciously chose not to disclose which products vouchers could be used for or the required spend on subsequent purchases. The authority also noted that it had previously warned the company about presenting promotional benefits and restrictions with equal prominence, and that the company had been subject to two commitments decisions concerning promotion communications.

The judgment is not final. Jeronimo Martins Polska may appeal to the Warsaw Court of Appeal, and the Polish competition authority says it will appeal the reduction in the fine, maintaining that the original penalty was appropriate.

The authority also referred to other cases involving the company: first-instance court rulings upheld decisions concerning alleged exploitation of contractual advantage and irregularities related to the anti-inflation shield, with fines of PLN 506 million and PLN 160 million respectively; those decisions await appellate review. Separate cases concerning discrepancies between shelf and checkout prices and incorrect country-of-origin labelling for fruit and vegetables have concluded with the company paying fines of PLN 115 million and PLN 60 million.