Markups on some dairy products at major retail chains reach more than 140%, Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) Chair Maya Manolova said Monday as she presented the first results of inspections of retail chains.
The CCP launched inspections on October 2 to establish the actual retail prices being charged and the commercial practices being used. The checks are being conducted by food category, beginning with dairy products, fruit and vegetables, which generate the most consumer complaints.
The inspection compared prices in October with those in August. It found markups of 141% on butter, 133% on cheese, 127% on tomatoes, 106% on yellow cheese, 106% on onions and 99% on yogurt.
Manolova said the CCP will ask retailers to justify the economic factors behind the price increases and warned that sanctions would follow if no such justification was provided.
She said the Commission had also checked data provided by retail chains on products sold on promotion. In those cases, markups reached as much as 40%, she said. “Prices are rising from August to October, markups are rising as well, and this is probably also leading to higher profits for the retail chains,” Manolova said. She added that the inspections had found price differences between stores belonging to the same chain in Sofia and elsewhere in the country.
According to Manolova, the market is distorted and shows anomalies. She said the gap between purchase and retail prices was placing severe pressure on household budgets and argued that such differences were not seen elsewhere in Europe.
Manolova outlined several stages in addressing the problem. She said the first was the Basket with Care initiative, which retail chains had supported but which, in her view, had failed to deliver results. The second was making the inspection findings public.
The third stage will be the introduction of a “fair value” benchmark, expected to take effect within days, which will show deviations from what the CCP considers a fair price level. The fourth will be seeking penalties in cases of substantial deviation. Manolova said the Commission prepared draft legislation and submitted it to MPs.
The CCP will also hold meetings in the coming weeks with businesses in sectors generating the largest number of consumer complaints. “Our goal is to see results over the next month on food and medicine prices, unfair practices by telecom operators and bank fees,” Manolova said.
She said the CCP would also inspect prices at fast-food outlets and restaurants, where increases have also been reported, as well as in the services sector. She said the level of prices for food, medicines and a number of services had long exceeded what households could reasonably bear.
Manolova also said retail price abuses predated the introduction of the euro. She argued that additional measures had been taken to prevent prices from being inflated ahead of the adoption of the single currency, but said the problem was not the euro itself, rather the way the transition had been handled.
The CCP also plans checks on medicine prices, likely together with the Health Ministry and the Commission for Protection of Competition, Manolova said.
CCP Market Control Directorate Director Ignat Arsenov commented the fuel prices, saying that in 8% of the 50 outlets and fuels checked, increases in purchase prices did not sufficiently justify the rise in retail prices. This applied mainly to LPG. Further inspections are under way, and traders are being asked to explain the economic factors behind the increases. He said LPG prices rose by between EUR 0.01 and EUR 0.03 per litre, amounting to roughly EUR 2 for a full tank.
Markups on Some Dairy Products at Major Retail Chains Exceed 140%, Consumer Watchdog Chair Says THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-12 14:21:00
Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Economic news Bulgaria, Bulgarian economy news, Bulgaria economic news, latest economic news, breaking economic news, Bulgarian business news, Bulgaria business news. Bulgarian financial news, Bulgaria finance news, Bulgarian markets, Bulgaria stock market, Bulgarian banking sector, Bulgarian investments, foreign investment Bulgaria. Bulgaria inflation, Bulgaria GDP, Bulgarian exports, Bulgarian imports, Bulgaria trade, Bulgarian industry, Bulgarian companies, Bulgarian entrepreneurs. Bulgarian business economy, economic growth Bulgaria, Bulgaria economic policy, Bulgarian fiscal policy, Bulgarian monetary policy, Bulgaria budget, Bulgarian public finances. Bulgaria wages, Bulgarian employment, Bulgaria unemployment, Bulgarian labor market, Bulgaria salaries, Bulgarian taxes, Bulgaria taxation, Bulgaria energy market. Bulgaria real estate market, Bulgarian property market, Bulgaria construction sector, Bulgarian tourism economy, Bulgaria agriculture economy, Bulgarian manufacturing, Bulgaria technology sector. Bulgarian startups, Bulgaria investment news, Bulgaria corporate news, Bulgarian financial markets, Bulgaria interest rates, Bulgarian banks, Bulgaria euro adoption, Bulgaria economic reforms.
BULGARIA NEWS – NEWS AGENCY 2009–2026 2026-10-12 14:21:00