Supermarkets expect small increase in sales

Supermarket sector officials are anticipating an average turnover increase of 0.5 percent year-on-year over the first six months of 2019, based on developments in the retail domain and expectations of capitalization in sales and profit terms following the mergers and acquisitions of recent years, according to a survey by the Research Institute of Retail Consumer Goods (IELKA).

The expansion prospects are not based on any improvement in consumer spending or regarding the economy and politics; in fact, social, political and economic uncertainty ranks as the main problem for 59 percent of the sector's officials, as 2019 will be an election year and has started with relentless political developments.

The survey, conducted between January 15 and 26, showed for a third consecutive six-month period that a growing share of respondents (33 percent) expect to see an increase in...