Croatia's retail trade is moving in line with European and global trends, the HGK said in Wednesday's commentary on retail trends last year.
In Croatia, 26.03 percent of businesses are in the retail sector, as against one in four of the 5.5 million businesses in the European Union.
"The number of those employed in the retail industry in Croatia and the EU points to the fact that retail is the second biggest employer in the economy," said Sanela Vrkljan, director of the HGK's retail department.
According to the national statistical office, 16% of all employees in Croatia work in retail as against 13% in the EU (29 million people).
Retail mirrors all macroeconomic trends and its trends reflect every change in consumers' habits and possibilities, the HGK said.
Impacted by the global crisis since 2008, real consumption fell 15.3% in 2009 and 1.8% in 2010, but increased 1.1% in 2011, only to fall 4.2% in 2012 and 0.6% in 2013. In the first 11 months of last year, retail trade went up 0.2%.
The main characteristics of Croatia's retail market are concentration, internationalisation and consolidation, with the top ten retailers holding 72% of the market, said Ivona Bacelic Grcic of the HGK's retail department.
Due to declining revenues, some chains left Croatia, some announced their departure, while Ikea invested and opened its first store in Croatia.