Christmas is going to get a lot more expensive this year. Higher prices will not only have to be considered when buying presents. Carp for the Christmas table, trees, sweets, and beer will also be more expensive.
“As Christmas approaches, it is becoming increasingly obvious that it will be the most expensive holiday in modern history. But for many households, they will also be the poorest for many years. This is also because payments for essential items such as energy, housing, or basic food will take precedence over spending on gifts or sweets,” economist Lukáš Kovanda said.
According to last year’s price list, spruce of the highest quality up to a height of two meters cost CZK 320, while a giant fir or Korean fir of the exact height cost CZK 580. So this year, similar spruce will be priced at around CZK 350.
You can still order trees on the internet at last year’s prices. Big chains like Mountfield are yet to announce their tree prices this year.
Potato salad lovers will also have to accept that it will become more expensive to produce. Last month, farmers sold potatoes alone for a third more than last year.
Eggs and mayonnaise are more than a quarter more expensive year-on-year, but these are now often on sale in supermarkets and hypermarkets.
Christmas Eve drinks will not be cheaper either. According to the Czech Statistical Office, beer lagers rose by 6.1 percent year-on-year in September, while their prices continued to grow. Plzeňský Prazdroj has increased the prices of its products by an average of eight percent since October, while Budějovický Budvar is planning a ten percent price increase from November.
Carp for CZK 140
Fishermen and traders have been raising fish prices yearly due to significant cost increases, especially in feed, fuel, energy, and wages. Depending on the development of the situation at production companies, the price of carp is also expected to increase for Christmas.
“In the case of stall sales, where costs are increased by transporting the fish to the site, renting sales points, and costs for sales staff and water, the price may range from CZK 120 to CZK 140 per kilogram per carp selection” Rudolf Provázek, head of Rybářství Třeboň, said.
Thus, year-on-year, Třeboň carp will be about ten to twenty crowns more expensive by Christmas. “The price will vary regionally – the lower prices are always at the producers’ fish farms, especially in the South Bohemia region and the Vysočina Region,” Provázek added.
Price fluctuations in sugar
Baking Christmas delicacies, including sweets, will become significantly more expensive this year. The price of flour, for example, increased by 61 percent in September, according to the Czech Statistical Office (CSO), while the cost of semi-skimmed long-life milk and butter increased by more than half.
According to Kupi. cz, a quarter of butter now sells for an average of CZK 59. On special offers, butter can still be found for less than CZK 50, but usually only as part of loyalty programs.
Recently, sugar prices, in particular, have gone up. A kilogram of crystal sugar became more than 60% more expensive between September and October.
Alongside this, the price of sugar beet is rising as farmers’ costs are also rising, mainly due to energy prices.