Upgraded Purchasing Power & Rapid Growth

At a time of historical high level in bilateral relations, North Macedonia is a potentially important destination for Greek export companies. Our first stop was Skopje, the capital of North Macedonia, a market that is developing rapidly, upgrading the purchasing power of the residents, thus also the commercial opportunities within its market. The mission was headed by the company’s Director of the International Department, Mr. Filippos Papanastasiou and the Hosted Buyer Manager, Ms. Ioanna Lalia.

Important meetings

Mr. Papanastasiou and Ms. Lalia met with institutional bodies and people of the market - indicatively, Mr. Antoni Peshev, director of the Economic Chamber of North Macedonia, but also Ms. Daniela Mihajlovska, from the Union of Tourism and Hoteliers, in view of the ΧENIA exhibition, which took place in the 26th, 27th and 28th of November 2022).

Valuable help in organizing contacts but also in understanding the special conditions of the market were provided to the Forum team by Ms. Anastasia Zografou, Economic and Commercial Affairs (ECA) Consultant Α’ and Ms. Gina Andreadis, Councilor A’ and Acting Ambassador, while the meeting with

Mr. Aris Vlachos, president of the Hellenic Business Association and former president of Hellenic Investments in the Balkan countries was particularly informative.

Excellent Commercial Momentum

The North Macedonian market is an excellent commercial penetration opportunity for Greek food companies, mainly due to its rapid growth and the upward trend in attracting investment, especially in areas such as agri-food technology and manufacturing. At the present stage, the trade balance between the two countries is 3 to 1, while Greece is North Macedonia’s 3rd trading partner, with an impressive export growth of 63.2%, which has more than covered the losses of the pandemic period - it is worth noting that Greek products are considered to be of exceptional quality and are highly regarded by the consumers of the neighboring country. It is worth mentioning that relations between the two countries, Greece and North Macedonia, are at a historic high after the signing of the Prespa agreement, and Greek business activity already is intense in Skopje, with open scope for deepening cooperation, especially in the F&B and Hospitality sectors, since the purchasing demand for high-end products is increasing in the last few years.

1,8 MILLION PERMANENT RESIDENTS

25.333 SQUARE KILOMETRES OF LAND