The president of the Athens Chamber of Commerce, Yiannis Hatzitheodosiou, highlighted the significant increase in expenses faced by small and medium-sized commercial enterprises, while he also referred to consumer trends during the Christmas period.
Speaking to public broadcaster ERT, he stressed that the big issue during 2025 will be housing, including commercial real estate, the lease contracts of which are expiring.
With regard to consumer trends, he distinguished three sales channels – the internet, multinational companies and small and medium-sized enterprises – noting that a large part of the turnover is now transferred to the first two options “with economic and social consequences for SMEs, 90% of which are family businesses, whose wealth remains in the country.”
The president also referred to unfair practices used by some large international online platforms and stressed the need for intervention on a European scale.
