Europe’s Day in Commerce: For each other and for the shoppers!

The National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ) organised a programme to celebrate Europe’s Day in Commerce for the 17th time. From the Ministry for Innovation and Technology Péter Cserenyés, state secretary for consumer protection and trade policy and Balázs Dobos, deputy state secretary for economic development were present.

János Eppel
president
VOSZ

VOSZ president János Eppel welcomed the participants and spoke about the state of play in retail trade.

Adaptation and digitalisation

László Krisán
president
VOSZ retail dept.

László Krisán, president of VOSZ’s retail department said: the event seeks to put retail trade in the limelight, the sector that employs 500,000 people in Hungary and is the state budget’s biggest VAT and tax contributor. He told that the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shock on both the supply and the demand sides. As a reaction every actor is trying to adapt to the new situation and to digitalise its operations.

Péter Cseresnyés
state secretary for consumer
protection and trade policy
ITM

Péter Cseresnyés underlined that the lasting growth of the Hungarian economy has been generating a higher income for households, and this combined with different tax cuts created an environment where retailers can grow.

Balázs Dobos
deputy state secretary
for economic development
ITM

Balázs Dobos stressed that up until the introduction of pandemic-related measures the productivity of Hungarian companies and SMEs was growing faster than in the other Visegrád Four countries. The goal is to return to this state, with the help of generation change and digitalisation.

Participants discussed the most urgent problems and their possible solutions, such as trade education, employing pensioners, the high level of workforce fluctuation and digitalisation and its limits. The participants were: Attila Prosits, moderator (MBSZ – presidency member, Gránit Pólus – strategic business development director), Katalin Neubauer (MNKSZ – secretary general), András Berendi (Roland Divatház Zrt. – CEO), Márk Maczelka (OKSZ –co-president) and Géza Tóth (CO-OP Hungary Zrt. – CEO). //