How to write a letter reports Deutsche Welle, a Dutch trading concern Ahold Delhaize, the newspaper learns, will close a double-digit number of branches by the end of the year Maxisand in Serbia. "Every week, the Serbian subsidiary company reports losses of millions to the central office."
Last year, he recalls Handelsblat, Serbian branch Slide he reversed 1,4 billion euros and made a profit of 63 million euros.
"Management mistakes or strong competition are not responsible for the collapse, but the political will of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić," the newspaper writes. It recalls the decision at the end of August to limit retail margins.
"The German chain was hit." Lidl. "In the medium term, retail could be completely banished from the country," he says Handelsblat.
"Vreme" learns: Mass closing of stores in Serbia due to Vučić's margins
Hungary as a role model
He adds that such behavior of the candidate country "can hardly be tolerated in Brussels" and that it has consequences. For now, in the form of criticism in the latest progress report, where it is written that the limitation of margins violates the market principles of the EU.
About this, MEP Daniel Freund from the German Greens says: "Such market interference and price fixing by illiberal politicians ultimately leads to a worse offer for customers."
Düsseldorf Handelsblat adds that Serbia looks up to neighboring Hungary, where foreign companies have complained for years that special taxes and bureaucratic obstacles are being imposed on them. Due to margin restrictions, the European Commission opened proceedings against Hungary, and after a lawsuit against Austria Savings.
"Orbán justified the special levies against supermarkets by saying that they use inflation to increase prices and make extra profits. Vučić makes a similar argument," writes the German newspaper.
In addition, Vučić has been facing mass protests for a year, the article adds, so he found the alleged culprit in foreign traders.
Green Party politician Freund says that Orban and Vučić are primarily blaming foreign chains for their failed policy and desperate economic balance.
They are waiting for February.
The newspaper reminds that since September, a decree has been in force in Serbia limiting the margin on about 3.000 products to a maximum of 20 percent. "Since the retailer has to finance all expenses from that margin - rent, energy, marketing and manpower - with that limit, they can hardly work profitably," the newspaper writes.
It is added that the controls were intense, that the supermarkets had to prove within 24 hours that they did not violate the regulation for each product. Deleuze has already been fined 24,5 million dinars, against which the company is appealing to the court.
A wave of layoffs in smaller stores as well because of Vučić's margins
Handelsblat states that it is Deleuze was one of the few who criticized the measures with a public statement. "Therefore, it seems that it is no coincidence that the state inspections particularly rigorously controlled the shops of this chain. In the meantime Deleuze stopped commenting on state measures."
As it is added, traders are particularly angry that the rules apply only to companies with an annual turnover of over 38 million euros. "Thus, it mainly affects large foreign chains, not small Serbian traders."
The chains are said to be trying to cut costs and hang on for a few more months, hoping the regulation won't be extended beyond February 2026.
