Poland fines Biedronka owner 525 million PLN over logistics driver collusion

Antitrust penalties and the scope of the decision

Poland's competition authority, the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK), imposed penalties exceeding 570 million PLN on Biedronka owner Jeronimo Martins Polska, 29 transport companies, and eight individuals. The regulator determined that the companies participated in coordinated labor market collusion that restricted professional mobility for commercial drivers. Jeronimo Martins Polska received the largest individual fine of 525,535,050 PLN for organizing, managing, and enforcing the anticompetitive pact. Fines on the 29 logistics contractors ranged from 60,000 PLN to nearly 7 million PLN, with 13 of those transport providers fined more than 1 million PLN each. UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny emphasized that the arrangement protected corporate profits by artificially suppressing wage pressure.

The collusion restricted this competition: it made it difficult for drivers to change employers, and allowed businesses to reduce the pressure to increase wages. The benefits remained on the side of the participants in the agreement, while its economic consequences were borne by workers and their families.

Mechanics of the labor market collusion

The antitrust investigation found that transport operators serving Biedronka distribution centers agreed not to compete against one another for personnel. Under the agreement, participating logistics companies refused to employ drivers who had worked for other carriers in the network. The entities operated a centralized clearance system requiring formal consent for job changes alongside mandatory grace periods before a driver could be hired elsewhere. Furthermore, participating firms established wage ceilings that blocked drivers from negotiating pay above predetermined thresholds. Jeronimo Martins Polska actively mediated communication among carriers, verified compliance, and utilized the wage suppression scheme to curtail its own logistics expenses.

Workers have the right to seek better pay and working conditions. Collusion that deprives workers of this right strikes at the fundamental principles of fair competition. Such practices must be strictly eliminated from the market.

Investigation timeline and European Commission review

According to UOKiK findings, the illegal arrangement functioned continuously from June 2017 until at least February 2024, when the regulator executed unannounced searches across participating business premises. Over nearly seven years, the hiring restrictions degraded employment terms and mobility for several thousand logistics drivers. Recruitment decisions were governed by the identity of a driver's prior employer rather than professional merit or qualifications. Before publishing the penalty decision, UOKiK consulted the European Commission, which formally endorsed the Polish authority's assessment that the no-poaching arrangement breached European competition rules.

Financial context and operating environment

The enforcement action marks one of the largest regulatory penalties issued in Poland over labor market collusion. The decision penalizes practices where a retail client coordinates employment terms across third-party supply chain contractors. The ruling arrives as Jeronimo Martins navigates tightening retail margins in Poland. In the first quarter of 2026, Jeronimo Martins Group recorded a net profit of 119 million euros, representing a 6.8% decline compared to the previous year. In financial disclosures, the retail group noted that geopolitical developments, rising fuel expenses, and cautious consumer spending focused heavily on promotional pricing continued to weigh on corporate profitability.