Croatian citizens spent HRK 391.7 million on Black Friday, 7.75% less than last year (HRK 424.5 million), while data on spending from Thursday through Sunday dropped 22%, the Croatian Chamber of Commerce (HGK) said on Tuesday.

Citing data from the Tax Administration, the HGK said Croatian citizens spent HRK 802.7 million in retail from Thursday through Sunday last week, down from HRK 1.03 billion a year ago.

“Before the coronavirus pandemic, Black Friday traditionally marked the start of increased spending,” Tomislava Ravlic of the HGK said, adding that “this year too citizens used discounts and promotional sales, notably online. But given the economic effects of the pandemic, the lower tendency towards spending was as expected.”