Prices for the same products at Cyprus supermarkets differ by as much as 226 per cent, according to a new survey by the Cyprus consumers association, which has called for a review of the government’s e-kalathi price comparison platform.
The association’s findings, released this week, also showed that fruit and vegetables at a Nicosia farmers’ market were 26 per cent cheaper on average than equivalent products sold in supermarkets.
The findings have raised fresh questions about price competition, product availability and the accuracy of information published on the platform, which was introduced to help consumers compare supermarket prices.
According to the association, its survey, conducted on September 30, covered all products and supermarkets participating in e-kalathi.
Of the products examined, 54 items, representing 11.3 per cent, showed differences of between 100 and 226 per cent between their highest and lowest listed prices.
A further 231 products, or 48.5 per cent, recorded price differences ranging from 50 to 99 per cent, while 130 products, representing 27.3 per cent, had differences of between 30 and 49 per cent.
Moreover, 86 products, or 18 per cent, showed differences of between 50 and 137 per cent when comparing their highest listed price with the average price across participating supermarkets.
The association said the findings raised concerns about the level of competition among retailers, arguing that there appeared to be limited price competition among the overwhelming majority of participating supermarkets.
However, it also found that Cypriot products generally showed smaller differences between their highest and lowest prices.
Beyond pricing, the association questioned whether all products currently included in e-kalathi could reasonably be classified as widely consumed household essentials.
It pointed out that some products were available in only a small number of outlets, ranging from one to 40 stores, arguing that a product sold at just one supermarket outlet should not qualify as a widely consumed essential item.
The association consequently called on the competent authority to review the products included in e-kalathi and provide further information about the 1,000 additional products previously announced as part of the platform’s planned expansion.
It also reported that errors in price listings identified a month earlier had still not been corrected, raising further concerns about the reliability of the information available to consumers.
The latest findings follow an earlier association survey in September, which identified price differences of up to 207 per cent between supermarkets.
Meanwhile, a separate survey conducted on October 9 examined fruit and vegetable prices at the farmers’ market near the GSP Stadium in Nicosia.
The association compared the retail prices recorded at the market with average supermarket prices for the same products, using information published through the Agriculture Ministry’s e-kofini platform.
The comparison found that fruit and vegetables at the farmers’ market were 26 per cent cheaper on average than their supermarket equivalents.
The association said the findings demonstrated the importance of comparing prices across different retail outlets, particularly as households continue to face pressure from everyday shopping costs.
It also renewed its advice to consumers to avoid purchasing products that have recorded price increases, wherever practical, as a way of putting pressure on retailers to contain further rises.
The association explained that its conclusions were based exclusively on price information obtained from the Energy Ministry’s e-kalathi platform, the privately operated Smart Kalathi application and the Agriculture Ministry’s e-kofini platform.