Despite the fact that the e-kalathi platform has been in operation for almost six months, the indications so far lead to the conclusion that it has largely failed to achieve its objectives, according to the Cyprus Consumers Association.

In its announcement, the Association states that e-kalathi has been operating since June 2025 with the aim of providing consumers with a useful and practical tool that would help them, on the one hand, choose the cheapest supermarket or the lowest prices and, on the other, contribute to price reductions through healthy competition.

At the same time, the Cyprus Consumers Association describes as a negative development the decrease observed in the percentage difference in the total cost of 200 common products between the supermarket with the highest total cost and the supermarket with the lowest total cost.

According to the Association’s announcement, this decrease “seems to be due more to an increase in prices at the supermarket with the lowest overall cost, rather than a reduction in prices at the supermarket with the highest cost”.

Specifically, it notes that in July 2025 the percentage difference was 13%, in August 11.7%, in September 9.3%, in October 6% and in November 5.8%.

Regarding key observations from the November 2025 price observatory, the Cyprus Consumers Association states that there are large supermarkets with islandwide store coverage whose total number of products listed on e-kalathi is very small.

It adds that the very small number of products included on e-kalathi restricts consumer choice.

It also reports that in November, some supermarkets continued to show price variations between branches of the same chain — variations that did not exist until August 2025.

Furthermore, it notes that personal care products recorded in November the highest price increase, which averaged 2.5%. The category of “other bakery items” recorded the largest decrease in November, averaging 3.5%.

Finally, the Cyprus Consumers Association states that it is observing a continuous decrease in the percentage difference in the total cost of common products between the supermarket with the highest overall cost and the supermarket with the lowest.