Newsroom
Drivers in Cyprus spent 29.3% more on fuel in September than they did a year earlier, even though they bought slightly less of it. At clothing and shoe shops, the picture was different. Sales rose 22.5% after adjusting for price changes.
Those figures show two sides of a strong month for Cyprus retailers. The amount taken in by shops, excluding motor vehicle sales, rose 10.4% from September 2025, the Cyprus Statistical Service reported Monday. After accounting for price changes, sales were still up 7.7%.
Sales of computers and communications equipment rose 27.5% in volume, while sales at supermarkets rose 4.9%. Fuel was a striking exception. Despite the jump in spending at the pump, the volume sold dipped 0.4%.
By October, households were taking a dimmer view of their finances. A separate survey by the University of Cyprus’ Economics Research Centre found that consumers felt worse about how their households had been doing financially and were less optimistic about the months ahead. The broader measure of economic confidence fell one point from September, driven mainly by the drop in consumer confidence. Retailers, meanwhile, were more upbeat about their sales prospects.
The September figures show what went through the tills. The October survey shows how households felt about their budgets a month later. Whether those worries translated into people putting off a purchase or trimming the weekly shop will be clearer when October’s retail figures come out Dec. 1.
*Source: CNA, Cystat
