Sustainable development – a new trend of retail chain reporting in the Republic of Croatia

Purpose: The aim of this paper is to collect and analyze data on sustainable development of nine leading retail chains in the Republic of Croatia (according to sales revenue in 2021). The focus of this research is on finding out the extent to which retail chains report on their sustainable business practices through publicly available websites, as well as precise segments of sustainable development. Methodology: The research included retail chains whose predominant activity, according to the National Classification of Activities (NKD) 47.11, is the retail sale of various products, particularly food, beverages or tobacco, in non-specialized stores. The research was conducted from September 20 to November 20, 2022. The data were collected from the official websites of these retail chains, and the analysis primarily relied on descriptive statistics. Results: The collected information indicates that most retail chains in the Republic of Croatia do not report on the direct impact of their business practices on sustainable development, nor do they outline their intention to directly influence consumer behavior regarding sustainable development through their business practices. Customer trends are changing, and those retail chains that prioritize sustainable development as a business strategy gain a competitive edge. Conclusion: Unfortunately, in terms of sustainable development, retail chains in the Republic of Croatia did not take global trends seriously. Only a third of them make reports on sustainable development, and some have only recently become more actively engaged in such practices.