Consumer group finds big price gaps in e-kalathi comparison
The Cyprus Consumers Association has released its evaluation of prices listed on the e-kalathi digital platform, publishing detailed conclusions following a multi-day review.
In an announcement issued this week, the association reminded the public that the e-kalathi system became available for public use on June 12, 2025.
It explained that its assessment was based on data recorded between July 29, 2025, and August 3, 2025.
The association explained that out of the 478 product codes listed on e-kalathi, a total of 267 common codes were identified across five major supermarket chains in Cyprus.
The stores include Sklavenitis, Athienitis, Ioannides, Metro, and AlphaMega.
These supermarkets were found to offer the highest number of overlapping products when compared to other retail chains.
A price comparison conducted on July 29, for the 267 common products revealed a cost of €926.52 at Sklavenitis, €979.49 at Athienitis, €1,025.85 at Ioannides, €1,047.76 at Metro, and €1,049.87 at AlphaMega.
According to the association, the prices of these supermarkets remained unchanged across districts, for those with branches in multiple areas.
The association added that as of August 3, AlphaMega offered a total of 89 products on promotion among the 267 shared items, compared with 16 at Athienitis and 2 at Sklavenitis.
“A comparison between these promotional offers showed that 78 of the 89 AlphaMega offers involved prices higher than the usual prices at Sklavenitis, and 60 were higher than those at Athienitis,” it said.
It emphasised that these conclusions were drawn exclusively from prices recorded on e-kalathi.
“The association will continue monitoring price developments on e-kalathi and will keep publishing its findings transparently, based on the processing and evaluation of the available data,” it said.