In Croatia, consumers blame their protest against continuous inflation in the country. A boycott of one week of three retail chains and three product groups started on Thursday. On Friday, citizens are again called up for a general boycott via Facebook, they have to do it without all purchases and services. According to the Croatian media, a similar campaign was successful last Friday.
The Facebook platform “Halo, Inspector” (Hello, Inspector), which is managed by a Zagreber Consumer Protection organization, called for the Boycot of the store. “We have to send a message to those who are responsible for price madness,” said their consultant Josip Kelemen.
Boykott calls against Coca-Cola
Consumers are called for previous purchases of two discounters and a drugstore chain from Thursday to 5 February. According to the platform, the three retail chains were selected for price comparisons and the analysis of complaints from consumers. For a week, the citizens must also do without the purchase of Coca-Cola and other soft drinks, bottled water and dishwasher. The prices for these products have risen considerably, it said.
The start of the sale printed with 50 percent
The first campaign last week would have a great answer: according to Media reports, the Burgers participated in the Boycot and the shops throughout the country last Friday remained largely empty. According to the Croatian Tax Authority, the sale in the retail trade deposited by more than 50 percent compared to the previous week.
The general boycott must be expanded on Friday. People are not only called upon to do without all purchases, but also to prevent transactions with banks and telecommunications providers, orders through delivery platforms and even costs in cafés and restaurants.
The boycott was declared after Croatian retailers recently announced new price increases. According to reports, prices must continue to rise by at least 3 percent. The initiative was supported by other consumer protection organizations, trade unions, political parties and even Minister of Economy Ante Šušnjar.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenković described the boycott as “important and clear message of the citizens”. He announced last week that the government would take this message for further measures for the price limit.
The government is expanding the price coverage
In the fight against continuous inflation, the Croatian government is planning to expand the existing price limit for food and hygiene articles. The list of currently 30 product groups, on which main food such as eggs, flour, milk and oil is located, must be supplemented with further products. In the first instance it was said that 20 other products were on the list. However, Plenković announced on Thursday that a total of 70 products should be subject to a price limit in the future.
With an inflation of 4.5 percent in December 2024, Croatia registered the highest inflation in the eurozone. The average rate in the eurozone was 2.4 percent in December. Everywhere in the EU, only Romania and Hungary have higher inflation rates than Croatia.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
