How Shops and Markets Will Operate During Easter Holy Week

Large malls and department stores will be open in Greece on Sunday, April 13, with extended hours from 11:00 to 20:00.

For Holy Week, opening hours will be:

• Holy Monday to Holy Thursday: 09:00 – 21:00
• Good Friday: 13:00 – 19:00
• Holy Saturday: 09:00 – 15:00

Retailers in food, toys, and clothing are counting on the Holy Week shopping rush and Easter gift-buying for family and social occasions to recover from a sluggish start to the year, according to Vassilis Korkidis, President of the Piraeus Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

As he explains, the Easter shopping season is short—lasting just a week—but intense, with total sales usually around €1.5 billion.

Korkidis notes that in Q1 of 2025, total business turnover rose by 7.5%, commercial sales by 5%, and retail by only 2.5%—below the 3.1% inflation rate. This decline in consumption has reduced retail’s share of total turnover to 37%.

The Easter bonus (doro Pascha) for private sector employees, which must be paid by Holy Wednesday and this year exceeds €1 billion, traditionally gives a significant boost to Easter shopping activity.

Although much of this bonus will likely go toward Easter food, purchases of gifts, toys, Easter candles (lambades), clothes, and shoes are expected to support turnover in both retail and hospitality sectors—particularly with the increase in holiday travel bookings.

Orthodox and Catholic Easter Coincide in 2025
This year, Orthodox Easter coincides with Catholic Easter and falls during the tourist season. The increased influx of foreign visitors is expected to contribute significantly to “imported consumption”.

Easter Basket

The special “Easter Basket” (Kalathi tou Pascha), which includes 50 different items and is available exclusively in supermarkets, will remain in effect through Holy Saturday, April 19. Its goal is to keep prices reasonable and avoid sharp fluctuations.

“This is expected to be the final edition of the consumer basket following the easing of food inflation,” Korkidis notes. However, he adds that persistent price hikes—after six months of stability—saw a 1.7% increase in March and April, according to Eurostat, though this was lower than the 2.9% rise in the Eurozone overall.

Source: tovima.com