Closing shops or cutting taxes

When the present issue of our magazine went to press, the last information was that it isn’t true that some ÁFEOSZ–COOP stores will stay closed on Mondays, in order to deal with the problem of labour force shortage. Still, it can be heard more and more often that certain retailers have difficulties with paying workers the new, higher minimum wage. These signs indicate the growing problem of FMCG retail: although sales are on the rise, higher revenues aren’t enough to cover the increasing wage costs.

This is especially true in the case of retailers which operate low-turnover shops staffed with 1-2 workers in small villages. In spite of the fact that retailers pay employees a gross HUF 250,000 or more per month, new workers can hardly be found. While back in 2013 there were 1,698 unfilled positions in the sector, by 2017 this number grew to 5,971. In a difficult situation like this the government should take steps to ease the burden on retailers (lower taxes and contributions, less administration, etc.), mainly on those operating shops in small villages. . //