Supermarkets to see sales rise

Officials from supermarkets and the food and homeware industry agree that organized retailing may enjoy a marginal increase in sales volume in 2021 compared to what was already a robust 2020, according to a survey by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA).

The projections for this year are made in comparison to 2020, which saw turnover grow by 9.7% year-on-year according to Nielsen data, or 800 million euros. The survey estimated a small decline of 0.2% on average over the first half of the year on an annual basis, but this is expected to reverse in the second half to lead to an overall result of 0.1% growth for the entire year.

The reasons the projections have now turned from negative (in IELKA’s previous survey) to positive are the continued lockdowns that have kept other sections of the retail market closed, and the anticipated recovery of the tourism sector this summer that will see consumption and food service rebound, benefiting supermarkets.

Nielsen data showed that supermarket turnover amounted to €11.34 billion last year, led by the market’s main player, Sklavenitis, which enjoyed an annual rise of 19.5% in turnover.