Supermarkets saw increased consumer traffic the days before Easter, celebrated in Cyprus over the last weekend, as consumers chose to spend on food and items for the holiday feast, while other retail stores did not, due to a decline in the habit of shopping for shoes and clothing during this holiday.

General Secretary of the Cyprus Confederation of Professional Craftsmen and Shopkeepers (POVEK), Stephanos Koursaris, told CNΑ that consumers chose to spend on basic needs, in the midst of recession. On his part, the Executive Secretary of the Cyprus Supermarkets Association, Andreas Hadjiadamou, noted that the turnout in supermarkets was as expected and he added that the shopping was satisfactory.

Hadjiadamou explained that supermarkets monitor the consumers’ behaviour and present to them offers that allow them to purchase all that they may need. Koursaris noted that consumers indeed spent plenty on basic needs and there was also an increase in traffic in businesses in the countryside, particularly dining venues, but clothing shops did not see the traffic that they used to do in the past.