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Essential food prices are stabilising, Deputy PM Poulev says, as competition watchdog targets retail chains

1 min read

Supermarket aisle with crates of fresh vegetables and fruit and price labels shown without readable text Economy
Supermarket aisle with crates of fresh vegetables and fruit and price labels shown without readable text

Alexander Poulev said essential food inflation is running at 0% to 1%, and that the competition commission has opened proceedings against retailers with possible fines approaching 10% of turnover.

Prices of essential foods in Bulgaria are stabilising, with inflation in this group running at between 0% and 1%, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investment and Industry Alexander Poulev said in an interview with Bulgarian National Television on Saturday 31 October, BTA reported.

"We are seeing prices of essential foods stabilise. Inflation there is running at roughly 0% to 0.5%, or up to 1%," Poulev said. He compared this with what he described as an effective 100% rise in almost all product categories in 2025, which he blamed on the previous government's lack of price control and on profiteering ahead of euro adoption. BTA reported the claim as his statement; it was not an official statistic.

Poulev said the Commission for Protection of Competition had opened a series of proceedings against retail chains and that a major public announcement was expected, with penalties approaching 10% of the retailers' turnover. Fines of this size would have a strong deterrent effect across the whole value chain, he said.

According to Poulev, the government, Parliament and regulators were coordinating their work to protect consumers. Thirty-two unfair commercial practices had been defined together with Parliament, leaving no room for interpretation. The Commission for Consumer Protection had fined two retail chains for unfair practices, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency had found irregularities at seven warehouses of various chains, and four central kitchens had been closed, he said.

The government considered retail chains partners as long as they followed the rules and was not waging war on them, Poulev said. Financial instruments were being developed with the Bulgarian Development Bank to support Bulgarian farmers and give Bulgarian produce equal access to shop shelves.

For retailers and food producers operating in Bulgaria, the outcome of the competition proceedings is the key issue to watch. The size of any fines and the practices they target will show how strictly the new rules on unfair trading will be applied.

Sources