Christmas shoppers focus more on supermarkets, less on clothing and footwear

Christmas shopping went well for supermarkets with a better turnout than the year before, representatives of the Consumers' Association and the Supermarkets' Association have said. At the same time, shopping for clothing and footwear was down, with an exception for children's gifts.

The President of the Cyprus Supermarkets Association, Andreas Hadjiadamou, told CNA that "the consumer, especially in the last days of the holidays, could be deprived of something else, but not the Christmas feast."

He noted that despite the price pressures of the last two years, "due to the competition and the effort we constantly make to create incentives for the customer to visit the supermarkets, the prices were at last year's levels", adding that prices took a downward turn, especially for some key products, such as meats.

"We are completely satisfied with the turnout and we think that it will continue for the next three days", said Hadjiadamou, adding that today and tomorrow is expected to be relatively slow. "On Friday, Saturday and on New Year's Eve, we are sure that the the turnout will be very high," he said.

Accordingly, the President of the Cyprus Consumers' Association, Marios Droushiotis, said that supermarkets and butcher shops had a good turnout compared to last year.

He noted that today the market is relatively slow, with consumers expected to shop for New Year's during the weekend.

He also said that prices remained the same today when supermarkets reopened after the Christmas holidays, while there are no shortages of fresh produce.

Clothing and footwear shops record a fall

Droushiotis added that this year there was a good turnout on sales of gifts for children. However, the adult clothing and footwear market, especially men's, did not fare so well, he said.

People are browsing but they are not consuming, George Ellinides, President of Cyprus Confederation of Professional Craftsmen and Shopkeepers (CyCPOVEK), told CNA.

He said that shopkeepers find it difficult to cover rents and expenses. "The market has dried up, it's not like it used to be," he said.

Asked if the festivities taking place these days in city centers helped move the market, he said that they did not help retail. They were nice for "recreation, to get people moving, to have a good day. But there was no consumption in commercial stores", he noted.

(Source: CNA)