Jumbo reports higher first-half profit and sales, plans new Cyprus store

Nicosia, Cyprus. Greek retail group Jumbo reported net profit of €120.6 million in the first half of 2026, up 2.92 per cent year-on-year, while sales rose 4.42 per cent to €519.26 million. The company kept its full-year outlook unchanged and announced an extraordinary cash distribution of €1 per share.

Cyprus operations and expansion

Jumbo said disruption initially caused by Cyprus’s proximity to conflicts in the Middle East had gradually eased, with market conditions normalising over the summer months.

Cyprus is one of the group’s four directly operated markets. Jumbo has six stores on the island, alongside 53 in Greece, 10 in Bulgaria and 20 in Romania, for a total of 89. It plans to open a new store in Cyprus in 2027 as part of a targeted expansion programme across its core markets.

Strait of Hormuz traffic

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz fell to nine vessels this week, as Cyprus joined dozens of countries calling for the restoration of free navigation through the shipping route.

Preliminary Kpler data published on Friday showed eight vessels leaving the strait and one entering, down from 14 crossings a day earlier. The 10-day average was 18. Vessels crossing with their Automatic Identification System transponders switched off may not appear in the figures.

Thursday’s outbound traffic included a ballast very large gas carrier, a fully laden very large crude carrier, Panamax and Supramax ships, and short- and medium-range tankers. The only vessel recorded entering was a Handymax dry bulk carrier.

Air transport prices

Passenger air transport prices in Cyprus were 5 per cent higher in August than a year earlier, according to Eurostat figures released on Friday. Airfares across the EU fell slightly over the same period.