Croatia’s new Sunday shop closing law: Here’s what will be open and when

(Photo: Macic7/CC BY-SA 3.0)

The amended Trade Act came into force in Croatia on 1 July, meaning shops will only be able to operate for 16 Sundays a year. Retailers can choose 16 Sundays throughout the year to remain open.

Shops at railway and bus stations, airports and ports, on ferries and petrol stations, as well as in hospitals, hotels, cultural and religious institutions and museums are all exempt and will remain open on Sundays.

Kiosks, which sell newspapers and other small products and are located all over the country, are also exempt. They will be able to open Sundays from 7 am until 1 pm.

Shops will also be open within visitor centres or interpretation centres, nautical marinas, campsites, family farms and declared protected nature areas in accordance with special regulations. 

So who will be open and closed when? Check out the list below. 

Konzum

Konzum plans to adapt the working hours of each individual store to the needs of the tourist season, holidays, micro-location events, and other relevant factors. You can follow the most up-to-date information on the working hours of all stores HERE.

Regarding purchasing on Konzum’s online store, delivery and pick-up will not be available on Sundays starting from July 2.

Kaufland

Kaufland confirmed that all their stores will be open on Sundays during July and August 2023. Check the details for each branch HERE.

Lidl

The following stores will not be open on Sundays during the summer: Beli Manastir, Bjelovar, Čakovec, Daruvar, Donji Miholjac, Dugo Selo, Đakovo, Đurđevac, Ivanec, Ivanić Grad, Jastrebarsko, Karlovac, Koprivnica, Krapina, Križevci, Kutina, Našice, Nova Gradiška, Novska, Osijek, Petrinja, Požega, Samobor, Sesvete, Sisak, Slatina, Slavonski Brod, Sveta Nedelja, Valpovo, Varaždin, Velika Gorica, Vinkovci, Virovitica, Vrbovec, Vukovar, Zabok, Zagreb, Zaprešić, and Županja.

All other Lidl stores will be open on Sundays throughout the summer.

Studenac

You can check the working hours on Sundays for Studenac stores on their official website HERE.

Bipa

You can find the list of Bipa branches and their working/non-working Sundays HERE.

dm

You can check the working hours on Sundays for dm stores on their official website HERE.

Westgate

The following are the Sundays when Westgate will be open:

• July: July 16, 2023, and July 23, 2023.
• August: August 27, 2023.
• September: September 3, 2023, September 10, 2023, and September 17, 2023.
• October: October 8, 2023, October 15, 2023, and October 22, 2023.
• November: November 5, 2023, November 12, 2023, November 19, 2023, and November 26, 2023.
• December: December 3, 2023, December 10, 2023, and December 17, 2023.

Avenue Mall

 The list of working Sundays at Avenue Mall:

• The first three Sundays in September.
• The first four Sundays in October.
• All Sundays in November.
• All Sundays in December.

Arena Centar

During July and August, stores at Arena Centar will not be open on Sundays and holidays. From September 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, the non-working Sundays will be on October 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023, while the other Sundays will be working, with regular working hours, as stated on the Arena Centar website.

Max City Pula

Max City will be open every day until the end of September, from Monday to Sunday, from 9 am to 10 pm. From October 1 until the end of the year, the working Sundays will be on November 26, 2023, December 17, 2023, and December 24, 2023.

Mall of Split

In the Mall of Split shopping center, all Sundays in July, August, and September will be working. In October, three Sundays will be working: October 1, October 8, and October 22, 2023. All Sundays in November and December will be non-working.

Bauhaus

From July 2, 2023, to October 15, 2023, all BAUHAUS stores will be open every Sunday from 9 am to 2 pm.

IKEA

The working hours of IKEA for this Sunday and the following one on July 9 are from 10 am to 6 pm.

Banning trading on Sundays has been discussed in Croatia for a long time now and it has now come into effect. The aim of the changes is to create a better work-life balance and give citizens more family time, which remains the basis of society.