Slovak retailers are demanding changes to the conditions under which shops are being allowed by the government. While welcoming the gradual return to business, members of the initiative say the current restrictions have not been adequately justified and that they are discriminatory. Restricting store openings according to their size is unfair, they claim to shops that are technically above the allowed size only because their storage space is counted as part of the store. “We don’t understand a system in which the same type of goods can be sold by one retailer but not by another, simply because the store is larger or in which certain types of goods can be sold without any restrictions (such as bikes, flowers and automobiles”,” they wrote. In addition, they claimed it was unfair that supermarket chains were allowed to sell non-food items without any restrictions. They also suggested that allowing larger stores to open as well would reduce the concentration of shoppers in any one shop and would therefore be safer.
