A new boycott of stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to high prices has been announced for Friday, February 14, with citizens urged to refrain from shopping that day. Pročitaj više

The organizers are encouraging people to rationalize consumption on other days, avoid buying perishable goods, refrain from purchasing items that have increased the most in price, buy only essential groceries, and completely avoid shopping on Friday.

“Recognizing that the previous boycott on January 31 was much more successful than the current multi-day boycott, the administrators and moderators of this group, in consultation with the members, believe that we need to return to the proven method and hold the boycott every Friday,” the organizers wrote on their Facebook page ‘BOJkot.ba.’

This will be the third consecutive Friday of the store boycott in BiH.

As the boycott coincides with Valentine’s Day, it will be held under the slogan: With love for good prices!

The campaign has already produced some effects—price reductions and freezes on certain products, as well as discounts and promotions in some stores.

To alleviate pressure on consumers’ living standards, the FBiH Minister of Trade, Amir Hasicevic, held a meeting with representatives of the Employers’ Association in the trade sector, domestic producers, the processing industry, consumer associations, and the Trade Union of Retail Workers. They agreed to continue the project of reduced and locked prices for essential food and hygiene products.

Merchants presented a draft version of the “50+20 items” list, aimed at ensuring access to essential groceries, especially for socially vulnerable groups.

Meanwhile, the Tax Administration of the Federation of BiH released data on spending during the two-day store boycott.

According to the report, on February 6, the total turnover in the Federation of BiH amounted to 205,226,808.31 Bosnian marks (€104.9 million), with store turnover reaching 105,339,993.86 marks (€53.8 million).

On Friday, February 7, total turnover fell to 190,144,339.49 Bosnian marks (€97.2 million), while store sales dropped to 93,549,831.65 marks (€47.8 million).

On Saturday, February 8, total turnover amounted to 73,735,142.18 marks (€37.7 million), with store turnover recorded at 47,738,989.66 marks (€24.4 million).