The meeting on the “basket of school supplies” convened today, Tuesday 20 August, by the Minister of Development Takis Theodoricakos, was attended by the President of the Hellenic Retail Business Association, Costas Gerardos.

“At a time when the Greek family is being tested, we, as an association, could not fail to support the measure of the “school supply basket”. On the contrary, we will support it with all our strength.

We must, however, raise a serious concern: Every business looks forward to an upward trajectory so that it can cover its expenses, pay its employees’ salaries and, at the end of the day, make some profit. In the last few months, Greek business has also been tested, because it sees demand declining, and its costs increasing, especially in transport and energy, and at the same time it bears the burden of shifting the responsibility of the government’s social policy to it. These facts, combined with the permanent government interventionist measures, put the “core” of the Greek economy, which is every Greek company, in a very difficult financial position.

We as an Association will do everything possible to lighten the family budget given this year’s school year” said the president of the Association, Kostas Gerardos.

At the meeting, the minister announced the establishment of the“basket of school supplies” that will come into effect from August 28 to October 15, while addressing the market players, he said that the relevant products are included in the provisions for the profit cap and for this there will be immediate controls by DIMEA.

The “student’s basket” includes:

-School bags
-Cassettes
-Books/notebooks (and notebook labels and covers)
-Wooden or mechanical pencils
-Coloured markers / crayons
-Pens
-Erasers
-Fountain pens
-Crayons
-Harasks (set of geometric instruments)
-Copy paper.

The meeting was attended by the General Secretary of Commerce Sotiris Anagnostopoulos, the General Secretary of the Hellenic Book and Paper Sellers Kalliopi Skagia, the President of the Hellenic Retail Business Association Kostas Gerardos, the President of the Central Union of Chambers of Commerce of Greece Ioannis Masoutis and the representative of the Union of Supermarkets Apostolos Petalas.