If you run a webshop, a service business with published prices, or any website that mentions prices in Croatia, you've probably heard about "sidrena cijena" (anchor pricing) over the last couple of weeks and wondered exactly who it applies to and what you need to change before 1 October 2026.
Short answer: almost every business selling to consumers, plus a concrete technical requirement for anyone with a website. Here's what the regulation actually requires, without the legal jargon.
Summary
- From 1 October 2026, every displayed price must be shown alongside an anchor ("additional") price — the price that applied on 10 September 2026 (2 May 2025 for food, beverages, cosmetics and household products).
- If you have a website, you must publish a machine-readable price list in XML or CSV format, publicly accessible, kept up to date, and archived for 30 days.
- Applies to retailers and service providers selling to consumers (B2C) — sole traders and freelancers included.
- Fines go up to €30,000 for companies and up to €20,000 for sole traders.
- The deadline is 1 October 2026 — at the time of writing, that's under two weeks away.
What "anchor price" actually means
The anchor (formally "additional") price is a reference price you must display next to your current price, so consumers can see how much it has changed relative to a fixed reference date.
The legal basis is the Decision on Displaying the Additional Price as a Direct Price Control Measure and the Decision on the Publication of Product and Service Price Lists (both published in Narodne novine 101/2026, under the Act on Exceptional Price Control Measures). Both take effect on 1 October 2026.
Key things to know about the anchor price:
- It's not the promotional price. If an item was on sale on 10 September 2026, the anchor price is the regular (non-discounted) price that applied then — not the sale price.
- It's not a price ceiling. You can still raise prices after 1 October 2026. The anchor price is consumer information, not price control in the upward direction.
- It excludes special conditions like senior discounts or loyalty programs.
- For products/services introduced after 10 September 2026, the anchor price is the price at first listing.
This is separate from the existing rule (in effect since 2022) requiring merchants to show the lowest price of the last 30 days during a promotion. The two obligations combine — a discounted item can in theory carry up to four prices: the promotional price, the previous regular price, the lowest price in 30 days, and the anchor price.
Who has to comply
| Business type | Obligation? |
|---|---|
| Webshop selling to consumers | Yes |
| Physical retail store | Yes |
| Hair salon, auto repair shop, gym, driving school | Yes |
| Freelancers who also serve private individuals (photographer, consultant, developer...) | Yes |
| Sole trader / farm business selling to end consumers | Yes |
| Purely B2B business (customers are companies only) | Probably not — but the line gets blurry with mixed customer bases |
Exemptions mentioned in guidance published so far: pharmacies only for OTC products, certain financial services, and accommodation prices sold exclusively through third-party booking platforms (Booking, Airbnb, etc.).
Two separate obligations
It's easy to conflate "I must display an anchor price" with "I must publish a price list online" — these are two different things:
- Displaying the anchor price next to the regular price — applies to all B2C businesses, regardless of whether they have a website (also applies to a physical price tag or in-store list).
- Publishing a machine-readable price list (XML/CSV) — applies additionally, only to those who have a website. Social media profiles don't count as a website.
If you have a website that has ever displayed prices, you're almost certainly in both categories.
What the price list must contain
For products: name, SKU, brand, unit of measure, price per unit, retail price (with promotion flag and campaign name), anchor price, barcode, availability status.
For services: service name, retail price, anchor price.
Technical requirements for the file itself:
- Format must be .xml or .csv only — not PDF, not an image, not an HTML table
- Publicly accessible, no robots.txt blocking or other barrier to automated retrieval
- Retailers with products: updated every business day by 8:00 AM
- Service providers: updated on every price change
- Previous versions archived for at least 30 days
- The filename must include identifying details of the point of sale and a timestamp
A practical example
Imagine a hair salon with a service price list on its website. A haircut cost €15 on 10 September 2026 and the price hasn't changed since. Next to "Haircut — €15" the site must now also show "Anchor price: €15" (since the price hasn't moved, both figures match — the most common case in practice). If the salon later raises the price to €17 in December, the anchor price stays €15 (the reference date doesn't move), and the salon must update both the displayed price and the XML/CSV price list on the site the same day.
For a webshop this is harder because it has to be automated across the whole catalog rather than done by hand for a handful of items — more on that below.
Fines
| Entity | Fine range |
|---|---|
| Legal entity (company) | €3,000 – €30,000 |
| Sole trader | €1,000 – €20,000 |
| Responsible person within a company | €1,000 – €4,000 |
Common misconceptions
"If I don't raise prices, this doesn't apply to me." It does — the display and publication obligations apply regardless of whether prices change. If a price is unchanged, the anchor price is simply identical to the regular price, but it still has to be visibly displayed and included in the machine-readable list.
"I have a PDF price list on my site, that's enough." It isn't — the regulation explicitly requires XML or CSV suitable for automated processing, not a human-readable document. A PDF, image, or HTML table doesn't satisfy the technical requirement, even with identical data.
"I don't run a webshop, just an informational site with service prices — this doesn't apply to me." It does, if prices are publicly displayed on the site, regardless of whether you sell physical products or services.
Checklist before 1 October 2026
- Confirm whether you're a B2C obligor (do you ever sell to private individuals?)
- Gather the prices that applied on 10 September 2026 for all products/services (2 May 2025 for FMCG categories)
- Add an anchor price display next to every publicly listed price on your site
- Generate an XML and/or CSV price list with the required fields
- Publish it at a public URL, confirm it isn't blocked to bots
- Set up automatic updates (daily cron for products; on-change trigger for services)
- Ensure previous versions are archived (min. 30 days)
- Check that the existing 30-day-low price is still shown for any active promotions
If you have dozens or hundreds of items, this practically means: a database that tracks price history, an automated feed generator, and a small frontend change — all of it tested before 1 October.
How Crystalium can help
We build websites and systems for businesses across Croatia, and this is a classic problem we handle regularly: a new legal requirement, a short deadline, and a change needed in both the frontend and the data model. We offer anchor pricing compliance as a standalone, fast-turnaround service:
- Audit of your current site/price list to identify exactly what's missing
- A price-history data model (if you don't already have one) — without it, anchor and 30-day-low prices can't be calculated automatically
- An automated XML/CSV feed generator, connected to your product database or service price list
- A UI display of the anchor price next to the regular price, matching your site's design
- Archiving of previous price list versions (30 days)
- Optional monthly maintenance if you'd rather not track updates yourself
Indicative starting prices (final quote always follows a short consultation, depending on catalog size and existing infrastructure):
- Service websites (price list up to ~50 items, no automated catalog): from €190
- Webshops / e-commerce (automated feed connected to a product database): from €390
- Monthly maintenance (if you'd like us to own ongoing updates): from €49/mo
Given the deadline, reaching out in the next few days still leaves enough runway to get basic compliance live before 1 October — after that we can still help, just with less room to maneuver.
FAQ
Do I need to do this if I'm just a sole trader with a simple service website? Yes, if you sell to consumers (B2C) and have a website displaying prices, the obligation applies regardless of business size.
What if I only started my business after 10 September 2026? Your anchor price is the price you set when the product/service was first listed.
Do I have to change my prices? No. The anchor price is consumer information about price history, not a cap on what you can charge.
What if I sell to both businesses and private individuals? The safest, most conservative approach is to apply the measure across everything visible to end consumers, until clearer official guidance is published for mixed business models.
This is a brand-new regulation — are you sure all the details are final? Not entirely, and we'll be upfront about that: the rule only takes effect on 1 October 2026, and industry bodies (chambers of commerce) are actively seeking clarifications on several points. We track official interpretations and adjust client implementations at no extra charge if the core rules change within the first three months.
Need this sorted before October 1st? Get in touch — a short call is enough for us to scope it and give you a fixed quote.
This article is informational and does not constitute legal advice. For confirmation on how this applies to your specific situation, especially in borderline B2B/B2C cases, we recommend consulting an accountant or lawyer. (See also the Croatian Ministry of Economy's clarification, via RRiF.)
