“Following the Prime Minister’s initiative and the findings of the Parliamentary Interim Commission Examining the Pricing Structure of Food Products, Medicines, and Fuel, our agency was tasked with consolidating the best retail market offers into a single information platform. Consumers can now review the top deals on 13 essential goods, including milk, sugar, pasta, chicken, and eggs,” announced Irakli Lekvinadze, Chairman of the Georgian Competition and Consumer Agency, regarding the newly launched information portal, www.ekalata.gov.ge.

Lekvinadze added that the website’s traffic surpassed 20,000 visitors on its very first day.

“The website www.e-kalata.gov.ge is an information portal that aggregates the best available deals on the core products of a typical family shopping basket into a single space.

Acting on the Prime Minister’s initiative and the conclusions of the Parliamentary Interim Commission Examining the Pricing Structure of Food Products, Medicines, and Fuel, an assessment of the FMCG [Fast-Moving Consumer Goods] sector was carried out. Short, medium, and long-term actions were identified to make the overall pricing chain more efficient, alongside measures to support market competition. Part of this short-term strategy involved supermarket chains presenting their best offers on staple food items to the public. This could mean a discount or simply the best standard price available within their respective network. I want to emphasise that ‘offers’ encompass both price reductions and the most competitive standard shelf prices.

Following this, the agency was instructed to host these supermarket deals on a digital information platform. Shoppers can compare prices on 13 everyday essentials, including milk, sugar, pasta, chicken, and eggs. A wider selection of products is also available across the site. Furthermore, a built-in comparison tool enables users to bundle items. Whether looking for the best overall deal on five, seven, or 12 products, users can instantly identify which supermarket chain offers their specific selection on the most favourable terms.

User traffic exceeded 20,000 visitors on day one. Naturally, public interest has been remarkably high. We receive this pricing data directly from the supermarket chains. Twelve networks are represented at this stage, and discussions are underway to onboard several more. These twelve chains, and the organised retail market in general, represent roughly 65 per cent of the entire FMCG market. This means these networks cover a massive market share, a share that continues to grow year on year,” Irakli Lekvinadze noted.