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Shoppers in Cyprus could save more than €100 on the exact same basket of goods, depending on which supermarket they choose, according to new research by the Cyprus Consumers Association.
The findings come from e-kalathi, the government’s online price comparison tool launched in June, which tracks hundreds of products across major supermarket chains.
On August 31, the watchdog compared 260 identical items from five of the island’s largest supermarket chains. Sklavenitis came out cheapest with a total of €893.38, while Alfa Mega was the most expensive at €997.90. The difference between the two chains was €104.52.
Athienitis ranked second cheapest (€951.84), followed by Metro (€985.47) and Ioannidis (€997.06). Prices across different provinces remained largely unchanged.
The study also highlighted issues with “special offers.” Alfa Mega had 76 products on promotion, but in 66 cases, the “discount” price was the same as or higher than what another supermarket already offered as its regular price.
Looking at specific categories, Sklavenitis again offered the lowest overall prices. Dairy products, beverages, and personal care items all cost less there than at rival chains. For example, a basket of 45 common dairy products costs €119.21 at Sklavenitis, compared with €135.95 at Alfa Mega.
The watchdog noted that while prices shifted up and down during the first weeks of e-kalathi’s launch, overall reductions have been negligible, less than 1% in August. Instead, supermarkets appear to monitor each other’s discounts closely and avoid overlapping offers.
“The Consumers Association will continue to track prices and publish our findings with full transparency,” the group said in a statement, urging shoppers to compare before filling their baskets.
