MOST POPULAR GROCERY STORE

 

Do you love shopping food? Athens, the capital and the largest city of Greece, has enough surprises on offer for shoppers. No matter what kind of food you are looking for or what type of products, Athens is not going to be a letdown for you. I strongly and warmly recommend you to visit this super article which gives very good advice. There are plenty of shops and markets that can take satisfy the foodholic in you. However, if you are looking for everything in just one spot, catch a flick in the middle of shopping, enjoy some coffee or a drink or two or enjoy a meal after shopping, the supermarkets and shopping malls are worth checking out. Here are some of the best supermarkets in Athens, Greece that you may like to check out.

Thanopoulos

This is an advanced supermarket that is located in Nea Kifisia, and you can find high end items here. You can find imported goods with a large variety. This is a classy store that has been designed by Klab Architects, and wows you with its inviting and fresh ambiance.

In the whole of Athens, there are just 3 stores of Thanpoulos – and all of these are situated in the northern suburbs. The rich households of the place form the target market for the same. The store consists of many items, some of which are unique and cannot be found in anywhere else. However, that does not mean that you have to pay more for the products than what you are expected in other markets.

The Nea Kifisia supermarket was renovated in 2017 and got rave reviews from across the globe. The basement level has groceries as well as other items on sale while the ground floor is for fresh foods. The second floor has a child-friendly cafe where you can have your kid engaged for sometime as you shop. The roof deck offers some amazing views. The cafe is good for children to have fun in while their parents can relax after shopping and enjoy some coffee.

AB - Vasilopoulos

The Greek people call it "Vasilopoulos" or "Alpha Vita". This is a famous supermarket that is quite popular across the country. You can get foods as well as many other services here, such as a free of cost home delivery for buying things over 60 Euros. In case you place the order prior to 11:30 in the morning, you can get same-day delivery. If you have a VISA card, you can redraw a small sum – between 10 and 50 Euros – from the cashier alongside the items that you buy. A transaction through Western Union is also possible.

Lidl

Until recently, this was a supermarket with cheap products that were looked down upon by the upper and middle classes in Greece. Most of the customers were foreigners and the market has a less inviting ambiance, which were something local customers did not like. However, the financial crisis and wages nosediving in the aftermath changed such behavior. On its part, the store has also used special offers, stocked new products and implemented fresh marketing tactics to woo new clients. As far as marketing is concerned, Skarmoutzos and Lazarou – two Greek celeb chefs were hired by the store. When they prepared recipes with stuffs from the market, and popularized the fact, their well presented videos on kouzinalidl.gr appealed to shoppers and made them come to the store in large numbers.

The items sold at this store are primarily a combination of German and Greek products. You can check the market catalog to look for special offers every week, which may be checked online. It is not that the store only sells foods. You can also find home maintenance items, DYI tools, small utility items for homes, clothes and more. But there are limited stocks and these tend to go off the shelves fast as these are cheaply priced.

You can also find good wine. Recently, the store has included some French white and red wine with varying prices. It is also possible to find Greek wine, other than ‘Repanis’ or ‘Hatzimichalis’ which are quite famous.

Sklavenitis

It is among the largest Greek retail groups, and the Grecian Sklavenitis family is the sole owner of the same. This is a very popular market among Greek families. This major retail group in Athens built its base a long time back in the country. The logo of this retail giant can be observed in almost all the cities of Greece. The supermarket remains closed on Sundays only. The market is the symbol of Greek pride and the Sklavenitis family is its sole owner. This is the most popular supermarket in Athens, as well as in all the other parts of Greece. You can get that classy, upmarket feel here that is missing in many of the smaller retail chains in Athens – for reasons that are obvious of course.

The stores of Sklavenitis are situated in almost all parts of Athens, and thus tourists have no problems in locating one close to their hotel, home or Airbnb accommodation. It has some of the most amazing selection of wines in Greece. It is amusing to find how junk foods are priced lower here as compared to healthy foods, although this is true in many countries today.

Although this is a famous supermarket loved by a lot of shoppers, it is quite costly here. The grocery budget can be a little too steep, and stuffs like chicken, fresh vegetables, fruits and cheese come at a higher cost here. The ambiance and inviting atmosphere, with friendly staffs, can make shopping a joy here.

OK Anytime Markets

These happen to be small sized markets that open everyday and operate from 8 in the morning to 11 at night. It happens to be the sole market which is open on Sundays and remains open at late night. But its products are costlier than the ones that can be found on the regular market, which explains why it has little or no presence in the popular sites of Athens. Still, for tourists in Athens, it happens to be quite a practical option.

Carrefour Marinopoulos

The multinational French retailer Carrefour of the same name used to own this store, but it left the country some time back and the shares were sold to Marinopoulos. That, however, did not lead to a change of name. The shares of Carefour have lately been acquired by Sklavenitis. Financial problems have hurt the Carrefour Supermarket in recent times, which is the reason why so many items cannot be found on the shelves. Still, it remains one of the best supermarkets in Athens to check out.

Marousi (The Mall Athens)

This market in Athens happens to the largest that can be found in Greece. You can find it in the district of Marousi, and it can be accessed by bus as well as taxi. It remains open for 12 hours – from 9 in the morning to 9 at night on all weekdays for the public. On Saturdays, it stays open for an hour less in the evening. This is a sophisticated market and is nothing short of a mall, where you can combine shopping with a cup of coffee or nice lunch. You can find items from many popular Greek clothing chains as well as esteemed international brands.

My Market

This market has many fresh Greek and Italian products. It does not have as good a location as that of Sklavenitis, and is situated more on the city’s outskirts. Thus, you are unlikely to find it located close to your hotel or the accommodation that you are staying in. However, if you don’t mind the not-so-central location of the mall, you are going to love it – given that the pricing for the items on sale is fair.

The store has products of decent quality. If you are on the hunt for international products, more varied items, fantastic Greek cheese, a wide array of coffee and more at fantastic prices, this is a grocery store worth checking out. Although the store is not located in the middle of Athens, it is known by one and all here. You can have any cab driver take you to this store from anywhere in Athens. If you are looking for some grocery shopping at good prices, this is where you need to be. That said, if you are a budget traveler who is trying to save on every penny while moving about or shopping here, you would probably like to try the Central Market in Athens. More than 100,000 people come here every day as customers – looking for fresh ingredients and products that are available at much less than what local supermarkets charge here. This market is covered now, and is divided into three major sections – a fish market, a meat market and a vegetable & fruit market. But if you are looking for a classier ambiance, it is possibly a supermarket and nothing less that would whet your appetite as a shopaholic. In that case, the options mentioned here can be worth a try!