Abstract:

The global retail industry has experienced a decline in its growth rate, but the sector has managed to hold up somewhat better than other industries. The never-ending desire of customers has led to the success of the retail industry year on year. This year, new trends, new consumer behaviour and demands, new technologies and tools, and new opportunities have entered the market. Due to such changes, retailers have been forced to meet the demand and stay ahead of the competition. The retail industry players have concluded that their survival exclusively depends on their ability to provide innovative offerings to customers and distinguish themselves from the other players. This paper focuses on the comparison of the selected business performance indicators of seven of the biggest retail chains and their positions, based on their results in the period of three years. Seeing how the total revenue, as well as the profit, is not enough to get a clear picture of a company's business, some other indicators and tools have also been used in order to give a better understanding of the current situation among retailers in Croatia. Furthermore, the analysis will give us a clear insight into the economic aspects of the retail industry and all of the factors that have the influence on the industry development and the changes in positions in the industry.