Service description
Traditionally, the sales season in Cyprus begins on the first Monday in February. But this year, shop windows have been brimming with tempting offers since mid-January. Many residents and visitors to the island eagerly await the moment when the magical word ‘SALE’ appears on shop doors. These red signs excite people – especially the ladies – just as a bullfighter’s cape teases a bull.
During the sales season, Cyprus’s shopping streets and city centres attract those keen to snap up goods from world-famous brands at staggering discounts. During the sales, you can buy not only clothes, shoes and accessories, but also furniture, household appliances, jewellery, homewares and even food. Huge discounts are offered by the global department store chain Debenhams, as well as shopping centres in Limassol, Paphos and other towns.
In every town on the island, all shops and boutiques take part in the sales, ranging from small souvenir stalls to the largest shopping centres: My Mall, Kings Avenue Mall, Home Centre and others.
Although all shops are holding sales, each offers different discount percentages (ranging from 30 to 90 per cent); each shop has its own particularities, and you need to understand certain details to get the best value for money.
The sales season in Nicosia
The island’s capital, Nicosia, is home to the boutiques of leading European designers. It is only here that you can purchase the latest collections from global brands such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès. At the start of the seasonal sales in Nicosia, shops reduce prices by 30 per cent; discounts then increase to 50 per cent, reaching a maximum of 70–90 per cent by the end of the season. Of course, it’s extremely tempting to buy an item you like for 10 per cent of its original price; however, by the end of the sales, the shelves are usually left with ‘slow-moving luxury items’ — shoes and clothes that are too large or too small, or items that are simply not in demand.
In Nicosia, women’s clothing and footwear can be purchased at reduced prices much earlier than men’s collections. This is due to the way the fashion industry operates: women’s collections are far more varied than men’s, and they are released much more frequently. What’s ultra-trendy today is already out of fashion tomorrow. That’s why shopping centres and boutiques start by reducing prices on women’s collections first, whilst the biggest discounts on men’s collections are seen in the middle and at the end of the season. However, whilst women have only a limited chance of finding something worthwhile at a good discount by the end of the season, men’s collections are still very diverse during this period.
It is also worth noting that shops in Nicosia catering to the middle class start selling their stock at discounted prices much earlier than boutiques selling collections by famous designers such as Versace, Escada, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and others. Boutiques start to reduce prices on clothing, accessories and footwear towards the middle of the season.
The sales season in Limassol
Limassol’s shops are a very good option for updating your wardrobe during the sales season. On Makarios Avenue – the city’s main street – there is a continuous row of boutiques and shopping arcades that make it impossible to walk past their shop windows during the sales season. Here you’ll find Woldford and Escada, Dolce & Gabbana and Versace, along with other well-known brands, as well as less expensive but no less prestigious labels such as Trussardi, Calvin Klein and Baldinini. At the moment, all the shops on Makarios Avenue are offering discounts of up to 50–70 per cent.
The atmosphere is just as lively in the shops along the seafront. The well-known multi-brand boutiques Saga and First, which stock world-famous brands such as Zuhair Murad, Balenciaga, Roberto Cavalli and so on, are delighting their customers with 50 per cent discounts.
Those looking for the best value for money should check out the Saga outlet, situated on the seafront near the 5* Apollonia Beach Resort. During the sales season, discounts here reach up to 70 per cent.
The Debenhams shopping centre stocks both high-end clothing from brands such as Diesel and Lacoste, and items at more affordable prices. Homeware items are particularly worth noting during the sales season: bed linen (priced at around 60–80 euros per set) and bathroom essentials (towels and bathrobes).
The sales season in Paphos
Whilst in Paphos, be sure to check out the Kings Avenue Mall, which opened this year. This shopping centre is home to shops from world-famous brands such as Zara, Zara Home, Bershka, Mango, Tommy Hilfiger, Lacoste and others.
Discounts at the mall in February range from 30 to 70 per cent.
Jewellery and fur
Throughout the island, during the sales season, you can buy jewellery and fur items at very attractive prices. Most fur departments are offering their goods at a 50 per cent discount, with a mink or arctic fox waistcoat costing between 650 and 700 euros, whilst a mink stole can be bought for 400 euros. By way of comparison, a similar ‘scarf’ in Moscow costs around 1,000–1,500 euros.
So, the sales season in Cyprus is a shopaholic’s paradise – a time when goods from well-known brands are at their most affordable. However, don’t let the discounts go to your head; stay alert and try to make purchases that are as practical as possible – ones that will bring you joy in the future rather than leaving you regretting money wasted.
You’ll have to agree that it’s hard to call an uncomfortable pair of shoes or a dazzling ball gown a necessary purchase – items you’ll only admire yourself, occasionally pulling them out of the wardrobe, from which, incidentally, everything else you have to wear will fall out onto you.
