Athienitis Supermarket
Athienitis Supermarket is a supermarket chain based in Nicosia, Cyprus. It operates two stores in the Nicosia area: its original branch in Pallouriotissa and a second store at Nicosia Mall, which opened in 2018.
Athienitis has been cited in supermarket price surveys in Cyprus. A 2018 “price observatory” survey published by the Consumer Protection Service listed Athienitis as the cheapest supermarket in Nicosia for a basket of common products.
History
Athienitis Supermarket was established in 1963 in Nicosia. It began as a family-owned grocery business and gradually expanded into a large-scale retail operation. The business traces its origins to a general store opened by Christos Hadjichristofi on Ermou Street in Nicosia in 1959. During the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the original shop was burned down, after which the business re-opened in Pallouriotissa and later built its present premises in the area in the mid-1980s. For decades, its primary location in the Pallouriotissa district of Nicosia has been considered one of the busiest retail outlets in the country, attracting customers from across the district due to its reputation for low prices, often colloquially referred to as "Athienitis prices".The supermarket operates under the legal entity Hatzichristofis Supermarket Limited.
Nicosia Mall development
The Nicosia Mall project began construction in 2011 and was later suspended during Cyprus's economic crisis in 2013, before resuming following a restructuring involving the Bank of Cyprus.In August 2019, Cyprus Mail reported that Bank of Cyprus had agreed to sell its stake in Nicosia Mall for around €96 million to buyers including Athienitis Supermarket and other companies with outlets in the mall; the deal was expected to be finalised later in 2019. In a December 2019 press review, Politis reported that the sale had been completed and that Athienitis Contractors held a 36% stake in the mall following the transaction.
Pricing and market position
In a 2009 profile, Cyprus Mail described Athienitis as operating a “cost plus” pricing approach and “high volume, low margin” retail strategy.Athienitis has also appeared in Cyprus government price-monitoring reporting. In a 2007 Commerce Ministry survey of supermarket prices in Nicosia, Athienitis was listed as cheapest for eight of the surveyed items. In September 2025, Cyprus Mail reported that Athienitis ranked second-cheapest in an e-kalathi price comparison cited by the Cyprus Consumers Association.
Operations
Athienitis currently operates two major branches. In Nicosia; Pallouriotissa: The original store located on John Kennedy Avenue. And Nicosia Mall: A modern hypermarket located in the Lakatamia/Anthoupolis area.In a 2019 interview, general director and co-owner Mikis Hadjichristofi argued that the expansion of multinational supermarket chains in Cyprus was putting pressure on local businesses, and suggested limiting each multinational chain to a single presence per city.