The National Euro Changeover Committee has provided funds to Union Haddiema Magħqudin (UHM) to be able to conduct a series of anonymous mystery shopping exercises to monitor any unjustified increases in prices during the changeover period.

Mystery shopping consists of regular monitoring of a basket of 200 frequently purchased non-indexed products and services from a number of retail outlets.

Forty mystery shoppers were sent out to purchase a number of products/services from the same outlets over a stretch of time.

The receipts collected by mystery shoppers will be analysed carefully and any unjustified increases in prices will be monitored.

A protocol was signed between UHM and the Malta Chamber of Small and Medium Enterprises (GRTU), by means of which instances of unjustified price movements will be referred to an anti-price abuse committee.

The anti-price abuse protocol seeks to request information and restore price stability. The protocol also provides for results of price movements to be made public.

UHM has already conducted two mystery shopping exercises, the results of which are currently being analysed and will be made public shortly. The project began in May and will run until March next year.