Robne

Robne is a term used in several South Slavic languages to denote goods, merchandise, or stock related to commerce. It usually appears as an attributive form of the adjective robni, modifying nouns such as zalihe (stocks) or proizvodi (products). In practical use, robne emphasizes that the items are intended for sale or trade, distinguishing them from services or raw materials.

Etymology and usage across languages: The word is part of the shared Slavic commercial lexicon and has cognates in Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, and Macedonian. It underpins many compound terms found in everyday commerce, such as robna kuća (department store) and robni kapital (inventory capital), which reflect the focus on tangible merchandise in retail and logistics.

Contexts and implications: In business and accounting texts, robne zalihe refers to inventories of merchandise held by retailers or manufacturers. The concept is central to inventory management, financial reporting, and liquidity analysis, since stock levels influence turnover, storage costs, and working capital requirements. The term also appears in regulatory and policy discussions about trade, retail taxation, and market regulation, where the handling of robne zalihe intersects with competition and consumer protection.

See also: robna kuća, robni kapital, robne zalihe.