The three-month block on offers in the event of price increases, the obligation to announce price increases to the competent services of the General Secretariat of Commerce, as well as the prices of fruit and vegetables, will continue after October 31, as the Ministry of Development is mulling extending the application of of these measures.
Although the duration of the new extension has not yet been decided, it is expected to be for at least another six months – that is, until the end of April 2026 to cover the Easter period.
At the same time, the reactivation of the “price reduction” initiative is in the works in an effort to tame inflation, after the resurgence recorded in the last three months. The activation of the latter measure, however, requires the consent and contribution of both retailers and suppliers, with the relevant discussions so far having only taken place with supermarkets. Representatives of the latter told Kathimerini that the measure cannot be financed only by retail. In the coming days, however, Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos is expected to have meetings with the Federation of Greek Food Industries and the Hellenic Association of Branded Products Industries to ask them to reduce prices on basic foodstuffs and other items of direct household consumption or at least maintain the reductions made during the summer.
Competent government sources emphasized that suppliers and retailers are called upon to contribute in this way to containing inflation, especially since the ministry finally satisfied the market’s demand and abolished the ceiling on the gross profit margin as of July 1.
The same sources say intensive inspections by the ministry are under way to ensure compliance with the legislation, which is largely used as a means of putting pressure on suppliers and retailers for a “voluntary” price reduction.
On June 2 the Interdepartmental Market Control Unit (DIMEA) requested in a letter to supermarkets price data for May 2025 for the five most basic codes per category from a total of 70 categories, to check whether the ceiling on the gross profit margin has been respected. A similar letter was also sent to multinational companies.