Hundreds of Croatian retailers caught breaking price cap rules

ZAGREB, 7 April 2025 (Hina) – From 7 February to 4 April, the Market Inspectorate of the State Inspectorate carried out 1,819 inspections to monitor compliance with the Government’s decision to cap retail prices.

Violations were found in 490 cases, the State Inspectorate (DIRH) reported on Monday.

The price control decision—enforcing direct measures on the pricing of certain products and categories in retail—came into effect on 7 February.

Since then, 1,819 inspections have been carried out, with no violations found in 73.06% of cases (1,329 inspections), DIRH confirmed.

To recap, the Government expanded the list of products subject to price caps. The original list, set in September 2023, included 30 products.

That number has now risen to 70. Prices for the original 30 items remain unchanged, except for some adjustments to hot dogs, apples, and toilet paper.

The maximum prices for this group apply universally, regardless of brand.

For the 40 newly added products, retailers are required to offer at least one item in each category at the capped price. If a particular item runs out, they must replace it with another from the same category, also sold at the limited price.

Among the 490 inspections where violations were identified, inspectors found that retailers failed to display the required visual identification label on 1,535 items.

Additionally, 255 items from the original group of 30 were being sold above the maximum permitted price. For the group of 40 newly regulated items, 392 violations were recorded where retailers had not designated at least one item per category to be sold at or below the capped price.

Inspectors also identified 174 violations related to consumer information—particularly the absence of required posters and separate product display sections.

These included 142 instances where posters were missing, 14 violations where larger shops (over 400 square metres) failed to create dedicated display areas, and 18 cases where retailers did not offer at least one capped-price item in these dedicated sections.

According to the DIRH, most retailers rectified the irregularities during or shortly after the inspections by aligning their practices with the official pricing decision.

However, the Market Inspectorate will initiate appropriate legal proceedings in response to confirmed violations, the statement concluded.