The turnover of the Croatian retail grocery sector amounted to HRK 43.4 billion (€5.7 billion) in 2021, which was 8.4% higher than the previous year, new data has shown.
In its 2021 report, Croatia's Agency for the Protection of Market Competition (AZTN) analysed 47 companies with 4,825 outlets (+2.5%) between them, and a net sales area of 1.5 million square metres (+4.8%).
According to the data, the largest grocery retailer in 2021 was Konzum Plus, with a market share of 20% to 30%, slightly down on 2020, and 620 outlets, up from 608 in 2020.
During the period, the company completed one acquisition, with the purchase of Miracola, which operates 13 small scale outlets in Istria.
Elsewhere, Schwarz Group continued its growth trend of previous years, with its with Lidl banner accounting for a 10% to 20% share and Kaufland holding 5% to 10%.
Domestic retailer Plodine has a market share of 10% to 20%, while Spar, Tommy and Studenac all have market shares of between 5% and 10%.
Among the top ten grocery retailers, Plodine recorded the largest increase in market share compared to 2020, followed by Tommy and Studenac.
Revenue Growth In 2021
In 2021, 38 companies from the grocery retail trade achieved revenue growth, while nine retailers recorded a negative trend.
Plodine recorded the highest nominal revenue growth, followed by Konzum Plus, Lidl, Trgovina Krk, Tommy and Kaufland.
Studenac is the market leader in terms of the number of points of sale (696) it operates, but these are mostly small format stores and supermarkets, the data found.
Supermarkets Lead The Way
Supermarkets are still the dominant type of store in Croatia, accounting for 5o% of total revenue in the grocery retail trade, followed by hypermarkets (22%).
Supermarkets recorded the highest nominal revenue growth (+11% y/y), while small stores saw growth of less than one per cent.
Online sales in the grocery retail trade are still marginal, with Konzum Plus being the largest player in this area.
Loyalty programs are currently operated by 16 retailers, with Lidl and Tommy unveiling their schemes in the past year. Konzum Plus and Kaufland have the largest number of loyalty card holders, meanwhile.
The highest average profit margins for food products are in the bakery products and confectionery categories, while they are also relatively high in the fresh fruits and vegetables and basic food products (flour, sugar, rice, noodles, edible oils, etc) segments.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest Retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
