For each other and for the shoppers!

The main task is protecting the sector

János Eppel
president
VOSZ

The National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ) has organised a programme to celebrate Europe’s Day in Commerce for the 18th time. It was also the day when the best representatives of the retail sector were honoured with the most prestigious award of the trade.

VOSZ president János Eppel was the first speaker of the day. In his speech he stressed: the importance of commerce and the GDP it generates have strengthened recently. He talked about the role VOSZ plays in interest representation, and talked about the transformation taking place within the ranks of VOSZ, triggered by the organisation’s recent process reviews.

More than half a million taxpayers

László Krisán
president
VOSZ

László Krisán, president of VOSZ’s retail department told: 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 informed that in August 2022 retail volume sales were 2.4% higher than one year earlier if adjusted for calendar effects. Unfortunately consumer pessimism and the problems arising from the war will bring bad times for retailers, with rising costs and the purchasing power of Hungarians decreasing.

Greater responsibility, better opportunities

Dr. István Nagy
minister of agriculture

Minister of Agriculture Dr István Nagy told: the ministry has greater responsibility now than before, which includes not only food production but also the complex task that follows the manufacturing process. This also means better opportunities for taking the ministry’s policy goals closer to consumers, at the same time getting more direct feedback from people on the sector’s performance.

Next on the agenda was a roundtable discussion, moderated by Attila Prosits, president of the Hungarian Council of Shopping Centres (MBSZ) and managing director of Gránit Invest. The participants of the discussion were Gabriella Heiszler, president-CEO of SPAR Magyarország, Katalin Neubauer, secretary general of the Hungarian National Trade Association (MNKSZ), András Berendi, CEO of Roland Divatház, László Krisán, president of VOSZ’s retail department and CEO of KAVOSZ, and Géza Tóth, CEO of CO-OP Hungary.

At the roundtable reduction of overheads, price cap, inflation, labour shortage and digitalization were discussed

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