Consumers pay up to €100 more for the same products depending on the supermarket they shop from, the Cyprus Consumers Association said on Tuesday.

“There is strong evidence that supermarkets monitor the offers of competing supermarkets and avoid having the same offers over the same period of time,” the association said.

According to a comparison of 260 products listed in the e-kalathi application, designed to help consumers compare prices on basic goods, available in the Alphamega, Athienitis, Ioannidis, Metro and Sklavenitis supermarkets, the total price difference amounted to €100.

Sklavenitis, at a total cost of €893.38 ranked as the cheapest. Athienits came in second at a cost of €951.84. Metro followed third at €985.47, followed by Ioannidis at €997.06, and Alphamega at €997.90.

From the 260 “common products” selected for the comparison, Alphamega was found to have a total of 76 products on offer. In comparison with other supermarkets, however, 66 of the 76 products were found to either have the same price or be more expensive.

Comparing the total cost for dairy products, based on the selection of 45 items, Sklavenitis ranked cheapest at €119.21, again followed by Athienitis at €128.24. Ioannidis at €131.19, Metro at €132.55 and Alphamega at €135.95.

In the non-alcoholic beverages category, the association compared the prices of 36 common products. Here, Sklavenitis was again found to offer the cheapest prices at €116.76, followed by Athienitis at €124.45 and Ioannidis at €129.65, Alphamega at €131.94 and Metro at €132.11.

The consumers association also compared supermarket prices on 28 personal care items, with Sklavenitis again offering the cheapest prices at €139.61, Athienitis at €147.35, Alphamega at €149.03, Metro at €149.68, and Ioannidis at €154.65.

With only 117 available, Lidl has the smallest selection of e-kalathi products available, compared to Sklavenitis with the largest range of products, 461 of 478 products.

Ioannidis has 433 products, Metro 412, Athienitis 399 and Alphamega 371.

E-kalati, which was officially launched in June, displayed several price differences within the first weeks of its use, including both de- and increased prices, the consumer association said.

“[We] will continue to transparently and publish findings based on the processing and evaluation of prices,” it concluded.