Newsroom
Nearly six months after its launch, the Cyprus Consumers’ Association says the government’s e-kalathi price-comparison platform is falling short of expectations. According to the Association, the tool was designed to help shoppers identify cheaper supermarkets and encourage competitive pricing, but evidence so far suggests it has not delivered meaningful results.
A central concern is the limited range of products listed on the platform. Even large supermarket chains with stores across Cyprus are contributing only small portions of their inventory, which the Association argues significantly restricts consumers’ ability to compare prices effectively.
Data from the Association’s November 2025 price observatory also highlights a trend the group considers worrying: the gap in the total cost of 200 commonly purchased products between the most expensive and least expensive supermarkets has been shrinking, but largely for the wrong reasons. Instead of high-priced supermarkets reducing their prices, the Association reports that the cheaper chains have been increasing theirs. The difference in total basket cost dropped from 13% in July to just 5.8% in November.
Another issue raised is increasing inconsistency within supermarket chains. Since November, some retailers have been charging different prices for the same items across their own stores, a practice the Association says was not observed during the early months of the platform.
In terms of category trends, personal care items saw the steepest price increases in November, averaging 2.5%. Meanwhile, products in the “other bakery goods” category recorded the largest average decrease, at 3.5%.
Overall, the Association concludes that the platform’s limited product coverage and the current pricing trends undermine the original purpose of the e-kalathi, which aimed to promote transparency and competition for the benefit of consumers.
