The Cyprus Consumer Association has raised warnings regarding the potential for misleading price displays on the e-Kalathi platform, a tool initially designed to empower consumers by facilitating hypermarket price comparisons. According to the Association, the discrepancy in pricing information could be steering consumers toward inaccurate conclusions about which retailer offers the lowest prices.
Platform Inception And Diverging Outcomes
Launched in June 2025, e-Kalathi was intended to increase competition among supermarkets and lower consumer costs through transparent price comparisons. Seven months later, however, the platform appears to be delivering mixed results. The Cyprus Consumer Association reports that some listed prices may not accurately reflect actual store pricing, which could mislead customers about overall affordability.
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January 2026 Study: A Closer Look At Pricing Anomalies
A study conducted in January 2026 found that certain products shown on e-Kalathi were priced lower than comparable items not included on the platform. One example involved a strawberry-flavored children’s yogurt dessert. While the platform suggested a competitive price, other flavors sold outside the listing were often more expensive, potentially distorting how consumers interpret value.
Among the supermarkets reviewed — Alpha Mega, Sklavenitis, Athinainitis, Kkolias, Ioannidis, Super Discount and Metro — only Athinainitis and Ioannidis kept consistent pricing across different flavors regardless of platform presence. The study also noted a pricing difference between wholesale and retail levels: a product listed at €2.75 in a manufacturer’s catalogue was regularly sold for under €2 in stores.
Limited Product Overlap: Challenges For Consumers
The study also highlighted that out of seven major hypermarkets referenced in a Consumer Protection Service announcement on January 31, only one tracked a complete set of products on the platform. The remaining stores offered only a subset of products, thereby reducing the accuracy and effectiveness of price comparisons and limiting consumer choice.
Price Differentiation And Market Convergence
Additional findings indicated that some supermarket chains introduced price variations between their branches, a pattern not widely observed before August 2025. This may reflect stronger local competition. At the same time, overall prices for common items have moved closer together, with the gap between the highest and lowest nationwide prices narrowing from 13% in July 2025 to 4.4% in January 2026.
In conclusion, the Cyprus Consumer Association says the pricing inconsistencies observed on e-Kalathi could mislead shoppers about the true cost of their purchases. The findings are based solely on platform data and may require further review to determine the broader impact on consumers.
