In May 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina recorded an annual inflation rate of 2%, consistent with April's figures. Key price changes included a 0.9% increase in food and non-alcoholic beverages, a 0.8% rise in housing and overhead costs, and a notable 7.1% increase in restaurant and hotel services. Conversely, clothing and footwear prices decreased by 7.4%.
Retail sales in Bosnia and Herzegovina rose by 11.8% year-on-year in May, although there was a 1.9% decline compared to April. This follows a strong 13.2% increase in April, contributing to an overall annual growth rate of 14.1% in retail sales for 2023.
On the political front, Bosnia and Herzegovina was granted EU candidate status in December 2022, having made sufficient progress in aligning with the bloc’s standards, values and foreign policy to enter negotiations. Its accession to the European Union was green-lighted by other member states in March 2024, however, full EU membership is anticipated to be several years away, possibly not until the end of the decade.
Here's an overview of the top five supermarket retail chains in Bosnia & Herzegovina, according to their most recently-available full-year turnover. All data is supplied by Retail-Index (www.retail-index.com).
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1. Bingo
Turnover: €820 million (2022)
Bingo is the most profitable retailer in Bosnia & Herzegovina with an annual turnover of €820 million recorded in 2022.
The retailer had 199 stores in Bosnia & Herzegovina as of 2023.
Read More: Bingo The Most Profitable Supermarket In Bosnia-Herzegovina
2. Tropic
Turnover: €188 million (2021)
Tropic is in second place with an annual turnover of €188 million recorded in 2021. The group boasted 39 stores in the country as of 2023.
Tropic took a major step forward in 2014 when it acquired 39 Maxi supermarkets and Tempo hypermarkets from Belgian retailer Delhaize.
3. Konzum
Turnover: €178 million (2021)
In 2019, Konzum implemented an investment project to improve its retail network across Bosnia & Herzegovina.
The Croatian-owned retailer recorded an annual turnover of €178 million in 2021, while it operated 180 stores in Bosnia & Herzegovina as of last year.
4. Mercator
Turnover: €110 million (2021)
Mercator announced its return to Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2017.
The Slovenian retailer recorded an annual turnover of €110 million in the country in 2021. It had 79 stores in Bosnia & Herzegovina as of last year.
5. Amko Komerc
Turnover: €50 million (2021)
Amko Komerc is a domestic chain of stores founded in 1995, in Sarajevo.
It recorded €50 million in annual turnover in 2021, and had 49 stores in Bosnia & Herzegovina as of last year.
About Retail-Index
Retail-Index is a specialist supplier of management information on consumer retail markets, provided by Veraart Research Group in the Netherlands. Its mission is to supply managers with up-to-date key information on retail markets in Europe and support them in their international expansion.
The company dates back to 1964, when it started as a market research and marketing consulting company for consumer products and services. In 1989, it started publishing written reports on various retail sectors in Europe. As of 2005, it publishes its information on retailers through the online database and curated datasheet exports available on www.retail-index.com. A team of researchers manages the data to reflect upon current developments in the markets, collected from an extensive number of sources.
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