Organised retail has become the principal shopping channel for Serbian households, with 71.5% of consumers saying they visit a major retail chain daily or at least once a week. Including consumers who shop at large stores several times a month, the share rises to 87%. The findings come from consumer research conducted by Konzumer, with logistical support from Demostat, based on 1,024 respondents. The sample was structured according to Serbia’s population by gender, education, age and residence, using data from the 2022 census.
- Younger consumers show the highest shopping frequency
- National chains compete with domestic retailers
- Belgrade remains the largest retail market
- Retail concentration affects suppliers and prices
- Smaller food producers face higher supply requirements
- Alta Retail agrees to acquire Fortenova’s Serbian assets
- Potential new entrants target Serbia
- Competition shifts toward established networks
The results show that large supermarket operators have moved beyond occasional bulk shopping and become part of routine household consumption. National and regional chains now operate extensive procurement, logistics and distribution networks, giving them an important role in determining supplier terms, product visibility and access to consumers.
The most frequently reported pattern was shopping at a major chain several times per week, cited by 37.8% of respondents. A further 20.8% said they visited large stores every day. Only 4.5% reported visiting a major supermarket once every six months or less. Within that group, 2.2% of all respondents said they never shop at a major chain and instead use smaller local retailers.
Younger consumers show the highest shopping frequency
Daily visits are particularly common among younger consumers. Around 25.3% of respondents aged 18 to 39 said they shop at a major chain every day, compared with 26% among consumers aged up to 49. The frequency declines among older consumers. Approximately one-fifth of those aged up to 65 identified large chains as an everyday shopping destination, while the proportion fell to 12.9% among people over 65.
Shopping several times a week nevertheless remained the most common behaviour among older respondents. More than half of consumers under 29 reported visiting major retailers several times weekly, compared with more than 40% among those aged up to 39 and approximately one-third across the remaining age groups. Consumers who completely avoid major chains were most frequently men aged 40 to 49 living in rural areas of southern or eastern Serbia and generally having lower levels of formal education.
National chains compete with domestic retailers
The expansion of organised retail has produced a market ranging from neighbourhood convenience stores to large supermarkets and hypermarkets. Ahold Delhaize, through Maxi, Mega Maxi and Shop&Go, operates across several store formats. Lidl Serbia has expanded its discount model, while Idea, Roda and Mercator, historically controlled through Croatia’s Fortenova Group, maintain an extensive national network.
Domestic operators including Univerexport, DIS, Gomex and Aman remain significant, particularly outside central Belgrade. Their competitive position increasingly depends on purchasing scale, private-label products, logistics efficiency and access to suitable urban and regional locations. Regional differences in shopping behaviour underline the uneven development of organised retail infrastructure across Serbia. In Vojvodina, 43.9% of respondents said they shop at major chains several times a week. The corresponding shares were 37.5% in Belgrade, 36.6% in western Serbia and Šumadija, and 32.3% in southern and eastern Serbia.
Vojvodina has a dense urban network and established logistics infrastructure, alongside broad coverage by national and regional operators. Univerexport, headquartered in Novi Sad, has developed a network of more than 200 stores, while Maxi, Lidl, Idea, Roda and Gomex also maintain significant coverage in the province.
Belgrade remains the largest retail market
Belgrade remains Serbia’s most important retail market by purchasing power and turnover, although consumer choice in the capital is more diverse than in many other parts of the country. Households can choose among supermarkets, convenience stores, shopping-centre outlets, open markets, specialist food retailers and increasingly developed delivery platforms.
Southern and eastern Serbia retain a more fragmented retail structure. Lower population density, weaker household purchasing power and longer travel distances can make full-size supermarkets less commercially attractive in some locations. Local retailers therefore remain important in smaller municipalities, although national chains are increasing competitive pressure by introducing compact formats that require less investment and lower sales volumes to remain viable.
Retail concentration affects suppliers and prices
The increasing dominance of major chains has implications throughout the food supply chain. Large retailers can achieve lower unit costs through centralised purchasing and automated distribution centres, while their scale provides stronger negotiating leverage with suppliers. They can also provide wider product ranges, private-label goods, loyalty schemes and frequent promotions. Greater retail scale does not automatically translate into lower prices for consumers.
A concentrated retail market can enable leading operators to maintain margins, transfer some commercial risks to suppliers and preserve comparable pricing structures. Serbia’s prolonged food-price pressures have therefore increased attention on the relationship between retail concentration, wholesale costs and final consumer prices.
The government has previously introduced temporary measures affecting retail margins and selected essential goods in response to price pressures. Such interventions can provide short-term consumer relief, but the underlying price structure is also affected by competition, import costs, agricultural productivity, processing capacity, distribution expenses and the negotiating balance between retailers and suppliers. Major retailers also have considerable influence over product placement, promotional activity, payment periods, rebates and listing fees. For Serbian food manufacturers, access to organised retail can provide national distribution, but commercial terms may also put pressure on margins and increase working-capital requirements.
Smaller food producers face higher supply requirements
Small producers are particularly exposed to the requirements of national retail networks. Supplying a major chain requires reliable volumes, standardised packaging, food-safety certification and dependable logistics, as well as the financial capacity to accommodate deferred payments. Companies that cannot meet those requirements may remain concentrated in local stores, open markets or direct sales, limiting their ability to expand beyond their immediate markets.
At the retail level, organised chains have consequently become important gatekeepers to national consumer demand. Their purchasing and distribution systems influence not only retail competition but also which domestic food products can achieve broad market access.
Alta Retail agrees to acquire Fortenova’s Serbian assets
The ownership structure of the market is also beginning to change. Alta Retail, part of Serbia’s Alta Group, agreed in 2026 to acquire Fortenova’s Serbian retail assets, including Idea Marketi and associated operations. The Idea network covers more than 80 cities and towns, with more than 300 Idea stores, approximately 33 Roda outlets and two Mercator hypermarkets reported ahead of the transaction.
The transaction would move a major Serbian retail platform from regional foreign ownership to a Serbian financial and investment group. Its scope extends beyond store brands to warehousing, wholesale activities, supplier contracts, logistics infrastructure, commercial property and access to household spending across a substantial part of Serbia. The ownership change comes as additional international retailers consider entering the Serbian market.
Potential new entrants target Serbia
Italian discount retailer Eurospin has been preparing a potential Serbian entry, while Fix Price has established a Serbian subsidiary and assembled a local team. Carrefour has also been associated with possible plans to enter the market. New competitors could increase price pressure, although their effect would depend on the scale and speed of expansion. A limited number of outlets in Belgrade and Novi Sad would have a relatively narrow national impact.
A significant competitive shift would require distribution infrastructure, a substantial store network and purchasing operations capable of challenging Ahold Delhaize, Lidl and the Idea-Roda-Mercator platform. Discount operators could exert pressure through private-label products and simplified store formats. Serbia’s price-sensitive consumer base provides a market for those models, particularly after several years of cumulative food inflation. At the same time, weaker household purchasing power can constrain sales per square metre, while property, energy, labour and logistics costs continue to affect retail operating economics.
Competition shifts toward established networks
With 87% of surveyed consumers shopping at large chains at least several times a month, the next stage of competition is increasingly focused on taking market share within organised retail rather than persuading most households to abandon it. Store locations, loyalty data, private-label pricing and supply-chain efficiency are becoming central competitive factors. Retailers are also expanding through smaller urban formats, e-commerce, home delivery and personalised promotions rather than relying exclusively on large hypermarkets.
Independent stores are expected to retain a role in villages, smaller towns and neighbourhoods where proximity is a key purchasing factor. Their positioning increasingly centres on immediate convenience, personal service, local products and longer opening hours rather than the price and assortment advantages available through national chains. Serbia’s grocery market is therefore undergoing simultaneous consolidation in consumer behaviour and change in ownership and competitive structure. Major chains already capture most household shopping activity, while the emerging contest involves control of retail networks, supplier access and the ability of new discount operators to convert price sensitivity into changes in market share.
