EU Warranty Label in Physical Stores: Poster Sizes, Placement & Omnichannel (2026)

Note: This article is for information only and does not constitute legal advice. For a legally binding assessment, please consult a qualified lawyer.

TL;DR

• The obligation to display the harmonised legal-guarantee notice from 27 September 2026 applies online and offline - including your physical store.
• In-store, the notice is displayed as a poster: minimum size A4, available up to A1, printed in CMYK; the black-and-white version is permitted in physical shops.
• The EU guidelines name the entrance door, a poster on a wall or aisle, and the checkout counter as example placements - and recommend choosing the format by viewing distance.
• The GARAN label belongs directly with the product in-store: on the shelf, on the packaging or as a tag - minimum size 95 × 100 mm.
• Omnichannel merchants need both: the poster in the store plus the display in the online shop.

Does the obligation apply offline? Yes.

Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 requires sellers to display the harmonised notice on the legal guarantee in all shops - online and offline - as a prominent, shop-level reminder. If you run a physical store (including alongside an online shop), you must show the notice there just as you do on your website.

The European Commission's practical guidelines (April 2026) explicitly give sellers flexibility: the notice can be shown, for example, on an eye-catching poster, on a wall in the shop, or next to the checkout counter. What matters is prominence - customers should be able to notice it before they buy.

Poster formats: A4 to A1, matched to viewing distance

The minimum size of the printed notice is A4. So the notice stays prominent in bigger spaces, the Commission provides larger formats - and recommends choosing the format by viewing distance:

If the notice is displayed at a larger size, it must be scaled in full and without distortion - without modifying or separating any of its elements. Which changes are prohibited in general is covered in EU warranty label do's & don'ts.

Print rules: CMYK, legible, never folded

According to the guidelines, these rules apply to the in-store display:

• Use the CMYK file version and print at a size and quality that ensures legibility and durability - never smaller than A4.
• The colour version is the preferred choice; the black-and-white version is permitted in physical shops.
• The notice must remain visible and legible and must not be distorted, cropped or folded in a way that affects readability.
• The QR code must remain scannable under normal lighting conditions with a standard smartphone - so not behind reflective glass, not in a dark corner.
• The notice must remain associated with the store environment.

Where to hang it? The three example placements

The guidelines show three illustrated examples for in-store placement:

1. On the entrance door - every customer sees the notice when walking in.
2. As a poster on a wall or aisle inside the store - good for larger spaces, ideally in A2/A1.
3. At the checkout counter - where the purchase is completed; A4/A3 is often enough here.

The list is not exhaustive - it illustrates what "prominent" means. A poster in the stockroom or back office does not serve the purpose.

GARAN in-store: always with the product

Unlike the shop-level notice, the GARAN label is product-specific - in-store it must be clear which product benefits from the producer's durability guarantee. The guidelines name three placements:

• On the shelf next to the product, clearly associated with it.
• On the product packaging - printed or applied to the box, blister pack or sleeve.
• Attached to the product itself - as a tag, adhesive label or other physical attachment; practical for unpackaged goods too.

Plus the technical requirements: minimum size 95 × 100 mm, CMYK, QR code never smaller than 2 × 2 cm, no distortion or folding. As good practice, the guidelines additionally recommend putting the GARAN label inside the package - as a leaflet or in the user manual, together with the guarantee statement. That way the customer keeps a record of the guarantee duration and terms.

Important: the compact nested label is for digital environments only - it must not be printed and used in-store.

Omnichannel: think store and online shop together

For merchants with a physical store and an online shop (say, Shopify POS in-store and Shopify online), this means: the obligation exists independently on both channels. The poster in the store does not cover the online shop - and vice versa.

Split practically:

• In-store: print posters at the right size (official CMYK files from the Commission), place them at the entrance, wall or counter; for products with a manufacturer guarantee, add the GARAN label on the shelf, on the packaging or as a tag.
• Online: show the official notice prominently on the website - the EU warranty label for Shopify does that automatically on every product page, in 24 EU official languages, displayed always visible, collapsed or as a popup. The step-by-step guide shows the setup.

FAQ

Is the notice in my online shop enough if I also have a store? No. The obligation applies online and offline - every sales environment needs the notice.

Which poster size do I need? At least A4. The guidelines recommend matching the format to the viewing distance: A1 for large shops (2-3 m), A2 for medium ones (1-2 m), A3/A4 for small spaces.

May I display the notice in black and white in-store? Yes, the black-and-white version is permitted in physical environments; the colour version remains the preferred choice.

Does the QR code on the poster have to work? Yes - it must be scannable under normal lighting conditions with a standard smartphone.

Where do I get the print files? The Commission provides the official CMYK files in all 24 EU official languages on its vector-file page.

Further reading:

• EU warranty label for Shopify
• EU warranty label: mandatory from 27 Sept 2026 (Regulation (EU) 2025/1960)
• EU warranty label do's & don'ts: the official design rules
• GARAN nested label: the compact EU guarantee label for online stores
• EU warranty label checklist: 12 points by 27 September 2026

Primary legal sources: Regulation (EU) 2025/1960 · Directive (EU) 2024/825 · EU Commission vector files · Your Europe - Guarantees