February 24, 2023 - The Croatian government sent the final proposal of the Trade Act to the Parliament, according to which shops would usually be closed on Sundays. Retailers could choose 16 Sundays a year during which they would be open. The new law would enter into force on July 1, said the Minister of Economy and sustainable development, Davor Filipovic.

"We have the final draft of the Trade Act; we are sending it to Parliament for a second reading. Minister Filipovic will present the details. We believe that this will contribute to everyone's quality functioning. We wanted to make it sustainable and of high quality, and all interested parties were consulted," said PM Plenkovic at the beginning of the Government session, report Index / Poslovni.

As he said, the working hours of shops are regulated so that the shops are closed on Sundays and holidays, and the weekly maximum of working hours that a retailer will be able to distribute independently from Monday to Saturday is set at 90 hours.

"We have planned for some exceptions"

"When this final proposal is compared with the first reading, due to the need to supply the population, the continuous performance of public services, and the operation of those facilities that normally work on Sundays and holidays due to specificity, we have planned for some exceptions. Compared to the first reading, bakeries were removed from those exemptions because we took into account everything discussed in the committees and in the parliament," said Filipovic.

As for the possibility of working on Sundays, as he stated, the Act foresees 16 working Sundays throughout the year. It is also proposed that it enter into force on July 1, and for the sake of adaptation of business entities, in 2023, 16 working Sundays are not counted as working Sundays until the new Act comes into force.

"We found a model of 16 working Sundays, I think it's a good balance, and I believe it will contribute to workers' rights and family life, to quality functioning in this new working regime on Sundays, which was and is part of our program," said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic in the introduction of the Government session. We wanted to do it in a sustainable and high-quality way, and in the decision-making process, all interested parties were consulted, he added.

Retailers to choose the 16 Sundays they will be open

According to the proposal, the retailer independently determines which are the 16 Sundays of the working year based on individual needs, seasonality, micro-location and other relevant factors. In weeks in which Sunday is a working day, the maximum allowed hours are increased by 15, which makes a maximum of 105 working hours per week from Monday to Sunday.

The act prescribes exceptions to the general rule that are located within or are an integral part of railway and bus stations, airports and ferry ports, ports of inland navigation, ships, airplanes, and ferries for the transport of people and vehicles, gas stations, hospitals, hotels, cultural spaces and religious institutions and other subjects in culture, museums, visitor centers or interpretation centers, nautical marinas, camps, family farms and declared protected nature areas in accordance with special regulations.

Who is exempt?

Exceptions also apply to the purchase of primary agricultural products, the sale of own agricultural products at retail stands and benches at markets and the sale of own agricultural products at stands and benches at wholesale markets, occasional sales at fairs and public events, and sales through vending machines and distance selling.

As a special form of sales outside shops, press distribution through kiosks can be open on Sundays and holidays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

As stated in the explanation, the mentioned exceptions are prescribed due to the need to supply the population, the continuous performance of public services, and the operation of those facilities that normally work on Sundays and holidays due to the specific needs of consumers.

Read the entire document here.

For more, check out our dedicated News section.

December 9, 2020 - The National Civil Protection Headquarters held a press conference at 11 am on Wednesday. Interior Minister and Head of the Headquarters Davor Bozinovic announced new COVID-19 measures for shops in Croatia.

"Today is the 289th day since the virus appeared in Croatia. In the last 24 hours, we have 4520 new cases. The number of positive cases to date is 159,372. Since the beginning of the epidemic, 837,619 people have been tested. In the last 24 hours, we have 12,596 tests, which gives a positive percentage of 29.96. 2703 were hospitalized, and 377 were admitted. There are 277 patients on ventilators, which is 23 additional compared to yesterday. 268 people were released from hospitals. In the past 24 hours, we have 69 new fatalities, which gives a figure of 2367 deceased from the beginning," said the Headquarters, as reported by Index.hr.

Capak added: "Our weekly average has risen by 3.7% in the last week while we had a 17.4% increase last week, so this week our increase is less. Our incidence is still high; I'm talking about a 7-day incidence per 100 thousand people. At the moment, it is 582.1; the worst is in Međimurje and Varaždin with more than 1000," said Capak.

"When we look at the EU incidence scale, then we see that Croatia is in 26th place and only Luxembourg has a higher incidence. As for mortality, we are now 15th out of 27, and the rate is 547.8 per million people," Capak said. "As for the share of positives in testing, only two countries are worse than us."

"As we discussed on Monday in institutions dealing with COVID patients, today, we will emphasize the importance of caring for health professionals, whose experiences surpass all previous experiences badly. At KB Dubrava, there is permanent psychological and psychiatric care for all health professionals," said Health Minister Vili Beros.

"We are also trying to prevent the so-called burn out syndrome, and workshops and webinars with the idea of psychological help are organized. An active form of intervention has also been developed, where target groups are being helped in various ways, primarily by health professionals. I would not like to omit the efforts of the Croatian Psychological Chamber; they have established a network of emergency telephones and hired more than 150 psychologists who assist citizens," said Beros.

Questions from journalists followed

We still have week-to-week growth. What is the plan for further introducing measures? What are the new rules for shopping centers, and if this continues, what are the next steps?

"We discussed, in general, the criteria for strengthening or reducing measures. The direct answer is that on the 21st, we will consider which measures are appropriate; on the 21st, we will consider the situation. In case we get worse, of course, we will consider strengthening the measures. In all the measures we adopted about 10 days ago, there is a possibility that we further limit the number of gatherings and economic and social activities. Still, the 21st is the date when these measures cease to apply, and we amend the situation or the need to tighten measures," Capak said.

"As for the organization of shops and shopping centers, we have prepared a decision that is likely to be signed during the day and relates to the special organization of shops from this Saturday to January 10. In terms of this decision, stores and shopping malls are grouped according to the retail space's net area. The number of customers who can be in the store at the same time will be limited in such a way that in stores that have up to 10 square meters of retail space, there can be only one customer.

From 11 to 100 square meters, the maximum number of customers that can be in the store at the same time is determined so that there must be at least 10 square meters per customer. In spaces up to 200 square meters, there must be at least 12 square meters per customer. In shops up to 2000 square meters, there must be at least 16 square meters per customer, and for those larger than that, there must be at least 20 square meters per customer.

For shopping malls, the maximum number of customers will be determined to be at least 16 square meters for each customer. Stores and malls will need to make this clear at the entrance and strictly adhere to it. All stores are to take additional measures during the expected arrival of a larger number of customers so that more customers do not stay in the premises than allowed. For stores with more than 2,000 square meters and shopping measures, new measures are being introduced that include organized transportation of customers and the introduction of stewards who will prevent the entry of too many customers, obligations to remove or disable seating in common areas of shopping centers and remove or disable entertainment devices. The obligation to warn customers is also being introduced, and the competent civil protection service will have to be given information on the ventilation system," said Bozinovic.

"Representatives of stores will certainly do everything to ensure that these measures are respected, because if not, then there is the part concerning sanctions, which we are trying to avoid. It is in everyone’s interest here to engage to the maximum. And that figure determined by the size of the space is appropriate to the situation, not only epidemiological but also the average number of store entries during the epidemic. If citizens see that the queues are large, they may give up or go to another store. We cannot prescribe all life situations. This is a rational decision to keep such an important activity open," Bozinovic added.

"We will make this decision during the day; it will be valid until January 10, so we plan to keep stores and shopping centers open until then. This is now a special decision for stores, and we anticipate that they will work safely until January 10. No one can say whether there will be any sudden deterioration or improvement, but keeping in mind all the elements and assessments, we made this decision," Bozinovic concluded.

To read more about coronavirus in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

If you've ever spent any time whatsoever in the City of Dubrovnik or in Croatia's southernmost county of Dubrovnik-Neretva, you'll more than likely have shopped once or twice in a local Pemo. Pemo is one of the less glamorous symbols of southern Dalmatia and supplies local residents and foreign tourists alike.

While Pemo's products are most commonly sold out (and quickly) to foreign visitors stocking up their fridges in their rented accommodation, the stores have a long history in southern Dalmatia and employ several hundred employees.

As Novac writes on the 10th of March, 2020, the equally well known Studenac chain is taking over Dubrovnik's Pemo in order to further strengthen its position along the Croatian coast, according to the retail chain.

Pemo has 35 stores and approximately 370 employees in Dubrovnik-Neretva County in the extreme south of Dalmatia, and after the Competition Agency (AZTN) approves the announced Studenac takeover and fulfills all agreed terms on both sides, Studenac will acquire a 100 percent stake in Pemo d.o.o.

''Over the past year and a half, we've developed a very attractive format of trade in Dubrovnik, which primarily meets the needs of local customers, but also meets high standards of tourist demand. Accordingly, our results in this area are above average, which is especially important for this transaction as we're going to become a significant player in the region and strengthen our leadership position on the Croatian coast,'' stated Michal Senczuk, CEO of Studenac.

Lovorko Milosevic, founder of the much loved and long standing Pemo, thanked regular customers of the Dubrovnik retail chain for their loyalty to the store, stating that he believed that those same faithful customers will continue to shop there and show the same support in the future.

For more on business events and economic activity in Croatia, follow our dedicated business page.