Biedronka promotion failed. The chain will give customers vouchers worth PLN 150

Did you take part in the “Magic of Discounts” promotion at Biedronka in 2022 to buy Christmas gifts cheaper? You may have been disappointed when it turned out that the bonus voucher covers only certain product categories. There were so many dissatisfied people that the matter was taken up by the President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

Customers complained about Biedronka's promotion

Holders of the Moja Biedronka application or card were encouraged by the network to purchase three products from the books and/or toys category, and they were to receive half of the amount spent on these products in the form of a voucher printed on the receipt. The voucher could be used for further purchases. However, the advertisements in stores lacked a precise list of products that could be purchased. Marketing materials were marked with an asterisk, with smaller print informing about the limitations of the promotion, which was to apply only to selected industrial products or textiles. The complaints received by the Office showed that consumers were surprised that they could not pay with a voucher for a significant part of products commonly assigned to these categories.

The President of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection issued a decision questioning the practices of Jeronimo Martins Polska, the owner of the Biedronka chain. One of them was misleading information about promotion conditions in advertising messages. The information appearing on posters in stores did not inform about products that could not be purchased with the voucher.

Tomasz Chróstny on unfair promotions

– The terms of the promotion should be clear to the consumer, without ticks or asterisks, or exceptions written in small font. You cannot organize campaigns that do not meet the basic criteria of transparent communication or do not enable real and free reading of the promotion regulations directly in the store while shopping. The December promotion in Biedronka stores, instead of a nice, pre-Christmas bonus, became a troublesome experience for consumers – said Tomasz Chróstny, president of the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection.

As part of the commitment to change practices, Jeronimo Martins Polska will provide new vouchers worth PLN 150 to affected customers.

The Office of Competition and Consumer Protection imposed a fine on Biedronka. What are the rules for granting a new voucher?

The benefits apply to Biedronka customers who made purchases as part of the “Magic of Discounts” promotional campaign between December 1-3, 2022, received a promotional voucher, but did not redeem it and are still in the chain's loyalty program. People who meet these criteria will automatically receive a voucher worth PLN 150 from the company for each previously unused voucher, which will be:

• granted automatically to the Moja Biedronka card within 14 days from the date the decision becomes final;

• it can be used to pay for all products offered in Biedronka chain stores (excluding alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, infant formulas and any services or top-ups, including phone top-ups and gift cards) as part of one-off purchases;

• will not be exchangeable for cash;

• will be valid for one year from the date of its issue.