Significant price reductions have gone from today (1.9.2025) large supermarket to Serbia Applying the government decree on a ceiling on commercial profit. The Serbian government on September 28 decided to limit commercial profit to 20% for about 20,000 products.
The list includes all food products (bread and pastries, meat, milk and derivatives of, vegetables, legumesetc.), as well as homes chemicallythe paperthe kitchen accessoriesthe personal hygienethe cosmeticsthe baby food and the diapers. The decision concerns a supermarket in 2024 which had a turnover of more than 38m euros. Serbian Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said that the audits carried out found that prices this morning was reduced on average 15%. He even said that he himself went shopping and found that the decision was implemented.
“I bought 25 products from 23 categories subject to the profit margin limitations. Three days ago, 4,992 dinars (42.6 euros) cost and today I paid 4,247 dinars (36.2 euros) for the same products, namely a difference of 744.8 (6.4 euros), “said Sinisa Mali.
Economists estimate that government interventions will have no effect in the long run because there is no political will and proper market control mechanism.
Finance Professor Lyubodrag Savic points out in an interview with Serbian Public Television RTS that large commercial chains will find a way to bypass the government’s decision. “The state is not doing its job well, nor is the consumer associations, which have more or less formal substance. The big commercial chains are well organized, the government brought them to the Serbian market and will not easily give up from the high profit they have had to date, “Savic estimates.