Athens's first supermarket still in business

The stories of "firsts" are testaments to the forward-thinking mind-set and courage of those who decide to try something new, despite the risks. The story of the first supermarket in Athens is no different. The Thanopoulos family business became the catalyst for the modernization of the wholesale and retail trade of food and non-food items in Greece. Its evolution over more than a century reflects the evolution of the city itself, as it abandoned the outdated structures of the past and embraced the modern era.

In 1877, Panagiotis Thanopoulos, a sharp and hardworking man, migrated from the mountains of Arcadia to Athens, where he opened his first grocery store on Aiolou Street, then the center of the capital's commercial district. The shop was a big hit, as it capitalized on the needs of a society that didn't have access to the mod cons that we take for granted today while...