site.btaTrade Unions Highlight Major Price Discrepancies between Wholesale and Retail Food Prices

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has noted an ongoing considerable disparity between wholesale and retail prices for some food products. They report a “typical markup ranging from 20% to 70% on goods at retail.” These findings come from an analysis of prices in the small consumer basket for August, with the data presented on Friday.

For many products, including rice, fresh milk, cheese, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and apples, the markup for the end consumer exceeds 50% compared to the wholesale market price, CITUB reports. The data also reveal significant regional price differences for several key products, with deviations reaching up to 19% above or below the national average price.

Smaller retail outlets generally maintain lower prices compared to large supermarket chains, the union adds. CITUB President Plamen Dimitrov commented that these discrepancies warrant further, more in-depth investigation. Several products consistently maintain lower prices in smaller shops, including frankfurters, eggs, and tomatoes, Dimitrov noted. He added that frankfurters are approximately BGN 1.60 more expensive in supermarket chains than in smaller stores. However, rice tends to be cheaper in the larger supermarkets.