Croatia’s leading domestic DIY and home improvement chain, Pevex, has opened its 32nd retail centre—this time in Gospić—in a move that underscores the accelerating regional retail development outside of the country’s largest cities.
The €10 million investment spans over 4,000 square metres and stocks some 20,000 products from both Croatian and international suppliers.
It brings 48 new jobs to the local community and signals the company’s deeper push into under-served areas, where major retail players have typically hesitated to invest.
Pevex’s CEO Krešimir Bubalo said the expansion is part of a long-term strategy to grow infrastructure, access, and community investment, all while fortifying the brand’s market position.
The Gospić store is just one piece of a broader plan that envisions 40 stores nationwide, with additional sites already underway in Đakovo, Dugopolje and Varaždin.
For Croatia’s retail landscape, Pevex’s assertive rollout is reshaping expectations—bringing big-box retail closer to rural markets and intensifying competition in a sector still dominated by foreign players.
