Newsroom
The Consumer Protection Service of the Ministry of Commerce in Cyprus is urging greater transparency in supermarket pricing, requesting the disclosure of discounts offered by supermarkets and the names of those included in the Price Observatory.
Marios Droussiotis, President of the Cyprus Consumer Association, emphasized the need for clarity, stating that out of 21 product offers monitored by the Observatory, the prices of 20 of these items were higher than those of another supermarket that wasn't offering discounts, in other words, it seems likely that prices were raised for each of these items before a discount was applied.
"The consumer will be able, through the price table of the Service, to identify what is actually the case for each supermarket," Droussiotis explained.
The scrutiny arose following a comparison table released by the Consumer Protection Service, highlighting disparities between three supermarkets in Nicosia. Of the 21 offers at one hypermarket, prices were higher for 20 products compared to another supermarket where prices were not discounted.
This discrepancy underscores a broader issue where some supermarkets offer purported discounts, which, when compared, may result in higher prices overall.
For instance, one hypermarket advertised Kellogg's Coco Pops Chocos 330g at €3.27, while another had the same product priced at €2.65 without any discount.
Droussiotis stressed the importance of consumer awareness and informed decision-making, urging the Consumer Service to disclose supermarket names and the extent of discounts offered by each.
"While the actions of the hypermarkets are legal, consumers armed with the right information can push for fairer pricing," he added.
