Greek retail: Increased consumer traffic for last minute Easter shopping

Today, Holy Friday and tomorrow, Holy Saturday, consumer traffic in the market for the last gifts and for the preparations of the festive table peaks.

According to the merchants, commercial traffic has increased, more so in the local markets as a large part of the citizens have already left the big cities to the countryside without, however, “emptying” the big urban centers with tourism already showing its dynamics for this summer.

It is reminded that the opening hours of commercial stores today Holy Friday is 13:00 – 21:00 and for Holy Saturday it is 09:00 – 20:00 while the public markets will also be open as normal on Holy Friday and Holy Saturday.

On Easter Monday the shops will remain closed.

As far as the smooth operation of competition is concerned, the checks by the mixed echelons of the competent directorates are intensive and daily throughout the entire range of the market.

As the president of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Vassilis Korkidis, has stated, merchants expect the festive market to absorb a large part of the Easter bonus to employees, expecting to surpass last year’s Easter turnover of 1.5 billion euros.

He added that consumers have clearly changed habits, as shown by studies, and are buying fewer products, while being pushed to choose cheaper solutions. They are turning to the “haven” of private label products, the share of which reached a new record during the last 12 months, with 17.7%, which is the same as it was at the time of the deep financial crisis in 2012. But the addition of the baskets of “godfather” and “Easter” are coming, in combination with the payment of extraordinary benefits to pensioners and the increase of the minimum wage, to contribute to the improvement of the purchasing power of households, but also their psychology, which the market needs so much.

For its part, the political leadership of the Ministry of Development and Investments in its daily visits to the market, in recent days, has underlined that with tools made and developed by the ministry, such as household and godparent baskets and the electronic platform e -katanalotis.gov.gr the operation of competition is strengthened with benefit for consumers.

As far as the cost for the Easter table is concerned, the 24th week of the “Basket” shows new price reductions -1% on average, while the godparents’ basket seems to have had a good response among consumers, “with price reductions and absolutely no increase from week to week”, as stated by the Minister of Development and Investments Adonis Georgiadis.

Regarding the price of lamb and goat, traditional fare for Resurection Sunday, the price was kept at last year’s levels, although there was an intense discussion between the Ministry of Development and Investments and the breeders and butchers about the prices of lambs.

Producers and butchers resorted to the Competition Commission, complaining of market manipulation methods, while the ministry finds that, by choosing to include lambs in the Easter basket, the prices were finally kept at last year’s levels.