The Consumers’ Association Efektiva has been prepared to file a lawsuit from the onset of its boycott action against retail chains, stated Dejan Gavrilović, a representative of the association, in an interview with Nova Ekonomija. He also emphasized that if the Delhaize company proceeds with a lawsuit, “the dispute should be won.” Gavrilović’s remarks follow the announcement from Delhaize, the company behind Maxi stores, which indicated that it might file a lawsuit against Efektiva after the association called for a boycott due to high prices.
“The mere announcement of potential criminal proceedings has, in my opinion, accelerated the boycott,” said Gavrilović.
He asserted that there is no legal basis for the lawsuit, pointing out that “anyone can sue anyone.”
“We’ve done everything we could, and we tried not to single out anyone specifically; however, the individual boycotts apply to all five major retailers,” he explained.
Recently, Delhaize issued a statement to Efektiva, accusing Gavrilović of making false public claims about the company, which, they argued, is punishable by law. According to Delhaize, Gavrilović made false and unfounded accusations, alleging that the company employs a “policy of misleading prices.”
When questioned about what constitutes “misleading prices,” Gavrilović explained that it refers to situations where a yellow label on a product indicates a “special price,” but the old price, which is identical to the marked price, is left on the product.
“For example, if a product is marked with a yellow label stating that it costs 50 dinars, reduced to 40, but the original price of 40 dinars remains displayed, then that’s a misleading price,” he said.
Gavrilović further clarified that this issue also arises when prices are lowered by just one dinar, or when discounts are offered on items not available on the shelves.
Asked if such practices could be proven in court, Gavrilović confirmed they could.
“There’s a legal provision concerning misleading practices, which states that such actions can mislead consumers, even if it’s not guaranteed but possible,” he explained.
Gavrilović emphasized that the purpose of the boycott was not to empty any store, nor is that expected to happen. However, “it is certain that there will be a reduction in foot traffic,” as confirmed by the recordings and consumer feedback the association has gathered. “If there had been no impact, the retail chain wouldn’t have even mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit,” he added.
Delhaize did not respond to New Economy’s questions regarding whether it would pursue criminal proceedings against Efektiva, or whether the ongoing five-day boycott had caused any significant damage to the company.
On October 10, 2024, the Serbian Commission for the Protection of Competition launched an investigation into potential violations of competition law by Delhaize, Mercator S, Univerexport, and DIS, amid suspicions that these companies may have colluded to set prices for certain products.
The Commission’s analysis found that from April 2023 to March 2024, the retail market in Serbia experienced value growth while volume slightly decreased. Notably, the increase in retail prices was nearly twice as high as inflationary pressures during this period. Furthermore, the Commission noted significant growth in income and profitability for the companies involved between 2016 and 2023.
In its conclusions, the Commission stated that the gross margin for the retail market increased substantially from 35 billion dinars in 2016 to 87.4 billion dinars by 2023. Gross margin reflects the difference between income from sales and the cost of goods sold, highlighting how much a retailer earned after deducting the direct costs of acquiring the products.
