CTC-ARI Airports hails destination merchandise drive

Kypriaka showcases the best of Cypriot tradition, offering a wide selection of Cypriot foods, handicrafts, art and souvenirs

CYPRUS. CTC-ARI Airports’ competition to source new and innovative Cypriot products to enhance its destination merchandise range culminated in a high-profile awards event last week.

The retailer’s Kypriaka concept is a showcase of the best of Cypriot traditions and offers departing passengers from Larnaka and Pafos airports a wide selection of Cypriot foods, handicrafts, art and souvenirs. In February the company launched the search for new items, a drive that attracted 787 entries, of which 26 reached a short-list.

The three winners were:
*Food & Drink Category: Evagoras Hadjipavlou & Constantinos Ioannides for their “˜Trahanakia’ concept
*Souvenirs Category: Giorgos Pitsillides for “˜The Keryneia Ship’ concept
*Other Products Category: Marina Kittou Michael for her hand-made cards with ancient Cyprus pottery motifs.

The three winners were awarded a cash prize of €3,000, financial advice from Bank of Cyprus, Marketing support from Thompson Communications, and a showcase listing in both Larnaka and Pafos Airports.

The finalists showcase their entries to the judges, media and assembled guests

Minister Antonis Paschalides surveys the entries from the Kypriaka finalists before the ceremony

The awards event was held at the headquarters of Bank of Cyprus (one of the main sponsors), in Nicosia, in the presence of the Minister of Industry & Commerce Antonis Paschalides, other dignitaries and media.

CTC-ARI Airports Ltd General Manager Danny Galvin said: “We are very pleased with the public reaction to our Kypriaka competition. From what was initially conceived out of frustration in sourcing Cypriot products for our fantastic new Kypriaka area at Larnaka Airport, we have created a renewed interest in Cypriot products that represent Cyprus’ rich culture and heritage. We couldn’t have hoped for a more positive reaction and in addition to the winners, we now have a large pool of interesting products that we will use to develop our Kypriaka range.”

The awards ceremony was featured in the news bulletins of all major TV channels and in all newspapers. In his address to the guests, the Minister for Industry & Commerce described the competition as a much needed reflection on the traditional values of Cyprus and encouraged CTC-ARI to run the event annually.

Loizos Panayi, Assistant Purchasing Manager at CTC-ARI Airports, announces the winners

The Kypriaka competition winners gather on stage to accept their prizes

CTC-ARI Airports Ltd Head of Retail & Marketing Martin Mullen said: “We had a total of 787 entries across all categories. We found some very interesting products that, with a little bit of help, have a real chance of commercial success. The five-member judging panel, which included four members from outside the company, were very impressed with the variety and quality of the entries.

“This competition was the first in a series of Kypriaka events this year. We also have a children’s t-shirt design competition running and have major events planned with Commandaria and Zivinia, two of the most famous Cypriot liquors. We will continue to develop the brand by increasing the amount of Cypriot products and developing our own-label range. We will then look at developing the concept outside of our airports as we believe there is great potential. In addition to the commercial success of Kypriaka concept, the publicity that we are receiving is benefiting all our other categories by increasing the profile of airport shopping in Cyprus.”

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