Four days without large shops: what does Christmas mean for franchisees in Poland?

From 24 to 27 December 2026, large shops in Poland will not trade as usual. The four-day break will pose challenges for deliveries and fresh food management. For Poland’s franchise sector, another aspect is equally important: local shops run by independent business owners may qualify for statutory exemptions from trading restrictions, including provisions allowing owners to serve customers themselves.

The Christmas calendar will extend the break

Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday in 2026. It is followed by Christmas Day and Boxing Day, while Sunday 27 December is a day on which trading is restricted in Poland. As a result, large shops will be closed for four consecutive days. The last day for normal shopping before the break will be Wednesday 23 December, with shops reopening on Monday 28 December.

According to an article published by food retail news outlet Portal Spożywczy on 5 November, this situation is unprecedented in Poland. Retailers will therefore need to do more than prepare for the usual two-day Christmas closure: they must factor a longer break into sales planning, ordering and reopening arrangements.

The newspaper Fakt describes the same calendar, highlighting 23 December as the last opportunity for Christmas shopping in large stores. This does not, however, mean that every retail outlet in Poland must remain closed throughout the following four days. Statutory exemptions, highlighted by representatives of small retailers, are an important consideration.

Franchise status does not mean uniform opening rules

Maciej Ptaszyński, director general of the Polish Chamber of Commerce, stresses in comments quoted by Portal Spożywczy that local shops, including franchised outlets run by independent Polish business owners, operate under different conditions from the largest chains.

According to Ptaszyński, the ability to serve customers personally under statutory exemptions is an important way for many of these business owners to compete with the market’s largest players. He also points to the importance of thousands of small, local shops, of which franchised outlets form a substantial part.

For the franchise sector, the key distinction is therefore between a shop’s membership of a chain and the conditions under which its individual owner may trade. The exemptions described do not mean that all franchised shops will open. Nor should they be interpreted as an automatic entitlement arising from a franchise agreement alone.

The practical starting point should be to check whether the outlet and its proposed operating arrangements meet the conditions of the relevant exemption. Only then should owners decide whether to open and tell customers their trading hours. This approach keeps business planning separate from questions of legal compliance.

More stock will not solve the whole problem

Portal Spożywczy highlights the particular importance of the final deliveries before Christmas Eve and preparations for reopening on 28 December. This matters especially for fresh food and products with a short shelf life. The four-day break therefore requires retailers to consider not just stock quantities, but also delivery timing and whether the goods can be sold.

For franchisees planning to close their shops, a useful step will be to review orders against product expiry dates. Simply increasing stock levels does not address how much of the range will still be fit for sale after the break. It is worth planning separately for the final trading days before Christmas and for restocking on the first day back.

Business owners considering opening under a statutory exemption should confirm delivery availability rather than assume deliveries will follow their normal schedule. This is an operational recommendation, not information about any particular chain’s timetable: the publications cited do not announce a uniform delivery approach for all outlets.

Opening requires a separate plan

According to the Polish Chamber of Commerce representative, the ability to trade while large shops are closed has competitive significance. It does not, however, guarantee any particular level of turnover. Local shop owners should assess the decision against their own availability, product range and operating conditions.

It is also worth preparing clear information for customers covering both the Christmas period and the Monday after the break. This should relate to the individual outlet rather than imply that the whole chain will keep the same hours. That distinction is particularly important for shops trading under a shared brand.

Practical takeaway: before Christmas, franchisees should check the legal basis for any planned opening, confirm the final delivery before the break and the first one afterwards, and review product expiry dates. Only then should they set trading hours and communicate them to customers.