October 25 Sunday Trading Ban Forces Shoppers to Replan Grocery Trips
Most large supermarkets and shopping malls across Poland will remain closed on Sunday, October 25, 2026, as the statutory Sunday trading ban applies to the weekend. Consumers planning larger grocery trips must complete their purchases on Saturday, October 24, or wait until Monday, October 26, according to reporting by infor.pl. Weekend shopping baskets are more heavily packed than on ordinary days, and automated checkout counters do nothing to shorten long queues.
Retail Closures and Supermarket Restrictions on October 25
Major grocery chains, including Biedronka, Lidl, Kaufland, Auchan, and Carrefour, will stay shut throughout the day on Sunday, October 25, 2026. Because this date is absent from the official calendar of trading Sundays, brick-and-mortar discount stores and shopping centers cannot legally employ staff for regular retail operations. Consumers who missed Saturday shopping windows will find standard supermarket doors locked, leaving online grocery delivery and automated convenience options as the only alternative channels for larger orders. In the days leading up to the ban, Lidl offered a “buy two, get one for a penny” deal on all Milka sweets, and a 2 percent discount across all frozen foods such as Hortex pizza, Activia yogurts, Łaciaty cheeses, and Flora ProActiv margarines. Biedronka featured pork loin at 12.99 PLN per kilogram and neck at 11.99 PLN, alongside a buy-one-get-one-free offer on selected coffees and a second product at 1 cent for cooking oils and olive oils. Lidl also offered a 60 to 80 percent discount on the second item within the same product group across all cleaning supplies, coffees, chocolates, pralines, and a single brand of shrimp, yielding savings between 70 and 250 PLN per trip.
Business owners may operate smaller storefronts personally
While large-scale discounters remain shuttered, federal legislation permits smaller storefronts to operate if the business owner stands behind the counter personally or relies exclusively on family members.
Three trading Sundays remain for 2026
Only eight Sundays are designated as trading-allowed throughout 2026, leaving a lengthy gap between late summer and the winter holiday season. Five of those dates have already passed, leaving three remaining trading Sundays clustered in December: December 6, December 13, and December 20. Parliament did not adopt changes to the Sunday trading rules in 2024, and the subject was not retaken by the Sejm in 2025, leaving previous regulations in place for 2027. According to a survey by UCE Research and Shopfully Poland cited by “Rzeczpospolita”, only 27.5 percent of respondents want the trading ban abolished, 60.5 percent advocate for an increased number of trading days and open stores, and 14.3 percent favor a complete trading ban on Sundays.
Are petrol stations and pharmacies open on October 25, 2026?
Are petrol stations and pharmacies open on October 25, 2026?
Yes, petrol stations, pharmacies, and airport or railway station kiosks remain legally exempt from the Sunday trading ban and will serve customers as usual.
Can I order groceries online for delivery on Sunday?
Yes, online delivery services operated by chains like Carrefour or Auchan function normally on non-trading Sundays, provided the order is placed ahead of time for available delivery slots.
When is the next trading Sunday in Poland?
The next trading Sunday falls on December 6, 2026, marking the beginning of a three-week holiday shopping period.