e-Kalathi app to launch within the week

The e-kalathi mobile app will be go live for the public within the week, the consumer protection service announced on Wednesday.

Approval for Apple devices using the iOS system which was pending since April, has been secured, service spokeswoman Aliki Iordanou told the Cyprus News Agency, and the project can thus move ahead.

Supermarkets will be informed two to three days before the app’s launch so they have time to upload prices for the listed products. They were notified of the expected Apple approval on May 2, Iordanou added.

Twenty-two supermarket chains, with a total of 165 outlets, are participating in the project. A total of 478 products will be featured, with prices updated only when changes occur.

The system will display information to supermarkets as well as to the consumer protection service, and if an excessively high price is identified, immediate feedback will be provided to the vendor, to determine the reason.

The e-Kalathi platform is designed as a tool to help consumers quickly compare prices on identical essential goods and shop more efficiently.

Its rollout has faced several delays due to pushback and system security concerns.

The platform will include all supermarkets with an annual turnover of €5 million or more.