Athens Traders Association

This year's summer sales will begin on Monday, July 8 and go on until August 31. Next Sunday, July 14, as on the first Sunday of every sales window, shops will be able to stay open, with the hours recommended by the Athens Traders Association being 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Shops must display the price of each commodity before and after the discount.

The Athens Traders Association has announced that the opening of stores on Sunday, July 16, as part of the summer sales, is optional. The proposed operating hours by the Association are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The Athens Traders Association announced on Friday the proposed working hours for Athens stores during the Easter holiday season, which will start on Thursday April 6, and is as follows: Thursday, April 6 and Friday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday, April 8 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, April 9 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Thursday (April 10-13) from 9 a.m.

"Athens is Back" is an initiative of the City of Athens, in partnership with the Athens Traders Association and implemented by the Athens Development and Destination Management Agency, aiming to support businesses operating in Athens.

The market is putting great pressure on the government to allow stores to reopen from next week, by utilizing either the click-and-collect or the click-in-shop model, with the Athens Traders Association hosting a press conference on Wednesday to illustrate the low impact these models would have on the spread of the coronavirus.

One in four stores in Athens recorded a decline in turnover of more than 50% in the first week after the lockdown compared to the same week last year, while a total of 82.8% of stores reported worse turnover compared to a year earlier, according to a survey of 204 stores by the Athens Traders Association, most of which are in the center of Athens.

Sales in Greek stores nationwide will start on Monday (July 8), with shop owners hoping to recoup some of the losses they suffered in the first six months of the year.
"Due to the economic suffocation, the first half of the year was the worst period in recent years for all retail businesses," said Stavros Kafounis, president of the Athens Traders Association.

Just 5.3 percent of the total stock of apartments for rent in Attica are currently bound for short-term leasing, numbering below 12,000 across the capital, according to data presented on Thursday by the Sharing Economy Association (SODIA).

Traders on Ermou Street in central Athens are paying a heavy price, not only for the damage sustained by their stores a few days ago following a demonstration, but also for a hefty drop in turnover.

Turnover at the vast majority of stores in Athens is down by more than expected this winter sales period.

Data from a survey conducted by the Athens Traders Association confirm the general sense that consumer demand has dropped considerably in the first couple of months of the year.