Florists Navigate Cost Increases and Legislation

The news in Croatian

1. cvjećar (m.)
   Osoba koja se profesionalno bavi uzgojem i prodajom cvijeća. ↩︎
2. blagdan (m.)
   Dan koji se obilježava kao vjerski ili državni praznik. ↩︎
3. fleksibilan
   Sposobnost prilagodbe promjenama ili različitim okolnostima. ↩︎
4. proglasiti
   Javno objaviti ili navijestiti nešto službeno. ↩︎
5. blagdan (m.)
   Dan koji se obilježava kao vjerski ili državni praznik. ↩︎
6. cvjećar (m.)
   Osoba koja se profesionalno bavi uzgojem i prodajom cvijeća. ↩︎
7. cvjećar (m.)
   Osoba koja se profesionalno bavi uzgojem i prodajom cvijeća. ↩︎
8. trošak (m.)
   Količina novca koja se troši na neku svrhu ili potrebu. ↩︎
9. veleprodaja (f.)
   Prodaja robe u velikim količinama, obično trgovcima na malo. ↩︎

Translation

Text Comprehension

Question: What opportunity are florists happy about?

Question: What do florists want to change about the law?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
cvjećar (m.)	florist
blagdan (m.)	holiday
fleksibilan	flexible
proglasiti	declare
trošak (m.)	cost
veleprodaja (f.)	wholesale

Read the full story

The Croatian Chamber of Trades and Crafts (HOK) highlights significant impacts from recent amendments to the country’s Trade Law. These changes primarily affect businesses situated at cemeteries, religious sites, and souvenir shops — locales experiencing peak visitor numbers on Sundays and holidays. The HOK has often petitioned the Ministry of Economy for law revisions that would exempt these traders from restrictions, allowing them to set hours that suit customer demand.

In a positive development for these businesses, the Croatian Government has once again designated All Saints’ Day as a nationwide fair day. This classification ensures all Croatian florists are treated equally, unaffected by the decisions of local authorities, and can plan their operations accordingly. Edita Merćep, president of the HOK’s Section of Florists, acknowledges the importance of this decree, emphasizing that it encompasses all flower shops, not just external sales.

Florists are also navigating increasing input costs, which significantly affect the pricing of flower arrangements. The rising prices of flowers and raw materials, alongside higher transportation and labour costs, are compounded by the impact of climactic changes and frequent adverse weather conditions. These factors contribute to the ultimate cost customers face when purchasing floral products.

A current concern within the industry is the lack of restrictions on wholesale purchases of floral goods. The HOK suggests that only registered florists should have access to wholesale buying options to maintain fair competition. Presently, unregistered entities, including individuals and companies, can purchase floral products under the same conditions as professional florists, posing challenges to the profitability and sustainability of legitimate floral businesses.

According to data from the Ministry of Economy’s Crafts Registry, as of September, Croatia hosts 806 registered floral trades. A minor increase in these numbers reflects a slight growth in the market, although the nuances of registration and activity diversification slightly blur exact counts within the florist sector.

Info: ‘Croatian Learner News’ is a service from ‘Let’s Learn Croatian’, a language school dedicated to teaching the Croatian language. We offer a variety of online Croatian courses, catering to learners of all skill levels.