Cypriot consumers wait until the last moment for their Easter shopping, said Andreas Hadjiadamou, Executive Secretary of the Pan-Cyprian Supermarkets Association, who stated that activity in supermarkets is expected to peak on Good Friday and Holy Saturday.
“The crowds are slowly starting to come to the market, as happens every Easter. As usual, it will peak today, even more so tomorrow and on Saturday. It always happens like this; it’s characteristic of Cypriots to wait until the last days, as far as Easter celebrations are concerned,” he noted.
Hadjiadamou pointed out that Cypriot consumers make sure not to miss anything from their festive table, regardless of prevailing conditions, and this seems to be consistent over time.
Asked if the current activity is similar to previous years, he said it’s too early to assess, “but based on our experience, we believe that activity will be at least at the same levels as last year.”
“It seems that every year we are at least at the levels of the previous year, and many times even better,” he added.
Responding to a question about the holiday hours of supermarkets, Hadjiadamou said that some supermarkets will be open until late afternoon on Saturday to serve consumers, while all supermarkets will be closed on Easter Sunday and Monday.
Regarding price levels, he said there are some increases but also some decreases, as indicated by the Observatories.
“We emphasize that everyone should be careful regarding price increases, not to proceed hastily and unjustifiably to increases. On our part, we do everything to keep prices reasonable and fair. We absorb increases to a large extent, we exert pressure on suppliers and the supply chain where we see continuous and unjustified increases many times,” he emphasized.
He noted that especially the prices of Easter delicacies are at last year’s levels, while adding that there are also “intense” offers, especially during festive periods, to offer the best possible to the consumer.
He pointed out that competition, especially from medium-sized units, has been strengthening in recent years, “and this is a plus in terms of consumer choice because in a neighborhood there are both large and medium-sized supermarkets, offering the consumer the choice to do their research.”
“And from the experience of recent years, it seems that the consumer does their research and takes advantage of the offers from various supermarkets,” he said.
Regarding the checks conducted by public services during this period, he said that in recent years, very good work has been done with the cooperation of all supermarkets and public authorities.
“There are careful checks. The issue of food safety and hygiene ‘has closed,’ as best as possible, after checks, established protocols, and quality systems adopted by supermarkets.”
“All these contribute to ensure that what ends up on the consumer’s table is absolutely safe and thoroughly tested by the authorities and the supermarket systems,” he noted.
Referring to the problem of staff shortages and pending government announcements on the issue, Hadjiadamou said that supermarkets always prepare for the best, “to address every consumer need.”
