Filenews 5 September 2022 - by Dora Christodoulou
The preparatory work at the level of legal processes and the conclusion of the commercial agreements for the activation in the port of Kato Paphos of one of the largest catering chains in Cyprus, revealed by "F" since March 13, 2021, has now been carved. Our information states that while the involved bodies, such as the Ports Authority and the Paphos Municipality, were at an advanced stage of consultations with the company, in order to agree on all aspects of the deal and to follow the signing of the contracts, things took a different turn when businessmen who were previously active in the area and left the buildings due to a discrepancy with the increases that had been decided, took legal action against the state and municipal authorities. This, according to our information, was done because the operators in question considered that the rental prices agreed with that chain were well below those demanded by them, which, they argued, constituted unfair competition and illegality, since no call for tenders for expression of interest in the rental had even been launched.
Following these developments, the completion of the lease agreement of the buildings in the port of Kato Paphos with the chain of the catering industry, that has under its management responsibility in Cyprus some of the most famous brands in the catering industry, has been frozen. The group had rented three premises in the harbour, which consisted of two fish taverns and a café, with the intention of converting one of them into a café and the other two into restaurants. Due to the expected agreement, the installation of the iron additions in front of the shops of the land area of the port had been made in order to allow the installation of table seats, acting as vertical protective shades during the winter months.
Now the developments are uncertain, a competent source told "F" yesterday. The completion of the agreement had been deemed vital for the survival of all businesses in the area, even by the businessmen who traditionally operate in the harbour with businesses such as fish taverns, restaurants and cafes. As some of them have told us, although under normal circumstances a place that is the hallmark of a tourist area would have to move with different types of businesses from the global chains that exist everywhere, however, any move that brings general commercial activity today is welcome.
