The role of retail chains on the distribution of domestic agricultural products

Poljoprivreda i s njom povezane preradbene djelatnosti važan su čimbenik gospodarskog razvoja, a prvenstveno razvoja ruralnih područja. Stoga je cilj svake nacionalne ekonomije osigurati prisutnost domaćih poljoprivredno-prehrambenih proizvoda na tržištu. Trgovački lanci su dominantni otkupljivači poljoprivrednih dobara u Hrvatskoj, a visoka potrošnja stanovništva u njihovim prodavaonicama osigurava im vodeću ulogu na tržištu hrane. Ciljevi ovog rada su utvrditi stanje na tržištu trgovačkih lanaca, te opisati ulogu trgovačkih lanaca u jačanju hrvatskog poljoprivredno-prehrambenog sektora. Vodeći trgovački lanci u Hrvatskoj u 2018. godini su Konzum i Lidl. Uloga trgovačkih lanaca u plasmanu domaćih poljoprivredno-prehrambenih proizvoda očituje se kroz zahtjeve za visokim standardima zdravstvene ispravnosti, kvalitete i dostupnosti poljoprivrednih proizvoda, dok proizvode najčešće nabavljaju preko velikih distributera na tjednim natječajima. Poljoprivrednici čiji proizvodi zadovoljavaju navedene zahtjeve ostvaruju mogućnost izvoza svojih proizvoda kroz distributivnu mrežu inozemnih trgovačkih lanaca Spar, Lidl i Kaufland.Agriculture and food processing are an important factor in economic development and, above all, development in rural areas Greater supply and consumption of local foodstuffs stimulates the local economy. Therefore, the goal of every national economy is to ensure the presence of domestic agri-food products on the market. Retail chains are the dominant purchasers of agricultural commodities in Croatia, and the high consumption of the population in their stores provides them with a leading role in the food market. This paper aim is to determine the situation in the market of retail chains and to describe the role of retail chains in strengthening the Croatian agri-food sector. The leading retail chains in Croatia in 2018 are Konzum and Lidl. The role of retail chains in the marketing of domestic agri-food products is reflected in the high requirements of the standards of health, quality, and availability of products, while they are usually procured through large purchasers at weekly tenders. Farmers whose products meet these requirements are also able to export their products through the distribution network of foreign retail chains such as Spar, Lidl and Kaufland.