Slovenian suppliers sell the majority of their food and drinks to Mercator, and at this moment business with Mercator is normal. However, most Slovenian suppliers also do business with Croatia’s Konzum retail chain. The financial problems of Agrokor, the owner of Mercator and Konzum, have so far mostly affected companies in the meat-processing industry, which is the biggest food sector in Slovenia.
"We will establish the amount of the total debt and how to move forward. Our wish is that Slovenian suppliers delivering products to Konzum are treated equally as Croatian suppliers," are the expectations of Izidor Krivec, the head of the Celjske Mesnine company, ahead of the meeting of Slovenia’s suppliers.
Among Konzum’s suppliers is also the Pivka Group, which sells canned fish and poultry. So far, they have managed to solve the problem of unpaid shipments through compensation deals. But according to the head of Pivka, Janez Rebec, the company still has some open claims: "We currently have over 500.000 euros in outstanding receivables, while some are still not due, so we’re pretty much affected by all this."
Expect help from the state
Slovenia’s suppliers fear that there will not be enough money to pay all of Agrokor’s creditors during its restructuring process. That is why they want the government’s full support in solving the problem of their open claims.
A. Č., Jernejka Drolec, Radio Slovenija; translated by K. J.