Katalin Neubauer: the entire retail trade is in a vulnerable position

She believes that the government should focus primarily on managing the unmanageable energy bills and contracts instead of regulating prices, as lower utility costs would bring down commercial prices. Regarding the new compulsory sales policy, she doesn’t think it will do much to reduce inflation beyond what would happen naturally in the industry, but hopes it will pave the way for the discontinuation of official price controls at the end of June. She hopes that the new measure, unlike price caps, will not involve mandatory stockpiling, which she deems unfeasible due to perishable goods. It remains to be seen how the revenue threshold for franchise stores will be determined. Neubauer also suggests that the sales policy may draw business away from rural small businesses, as customers flock to the hope of lower prices elsewhere. Thus, the government is hitting hardest where it least wants to: Hungarian small businesses.