Another boycott against high-priced stores begins in Croatia

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 02. 04. 10:45

The Croatian Facebook group “Halo, inspektore”, launched by the European Consumer Centre, has called on citizens in Croatia to boycott stores that charge high prices, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List reported on Thursday.

Josip Kelemen, the platform’s founder, said that starting Thursday, they will boycott three retail chains for a week: Eurospin, Lidl and DM. They have also announced a seven-day boycott of carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, and dishwashing and laundry detergent sold in all retail chains.

On Friday, they are preparing a similar action to last week,

asking citizens not to buy anything in stores, but also in cafes, restaurants and gas stations, in order to draw attention to unjustified price increases.

Josip Kelemen said that the boycott will be extended to three other retail chains next week and will not stop until retailers lower their prices.

He added that after last week’s boycott, retail chains have reduced the prices of more than 2,500 products and announced 50 percent discounts on items that were previously only 20-30 percent off.

According to data from the Croatian Tax Office, as a result of the one-day boycott, retail sales last Friday decreased by more than fifty percent compared to the previous Friday, and online sales also fell by 30-40 percent.

Croatian retail chains have not yet commented on the boycott, while the Croatian Employers’ Association (HUP) said that it does not support the action.

They pointed out that in the past two years, individual consumption has largely contributed to economic growth.