The Paddy Price
Its has long been a suspicion in the Republic of Ireland that the prices paid for goods are more expensive compared the UK. A whole industry has grown up to provide ways to buy good online in the UK and deliver the goods to a UK address (getting UK prices) and then ship the goods to Ireland using services such as Parcel Motel or AddressPal. Unfortunately this does not work well with groceries, so we are forced to accept whatever arbitrary price supermarkets want to charge.
Products like washing powder and potato waffles can be up to 30% cheaper in the UK compared to the ROI even from the same retailer (ie Tesco).
Pricing Differences
It is easiest to spot the difference when comparing Branded products.
| Product | IRL | UK | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | SuperValu | Tesco | Sainsbury's | ASDA | ||
| Birds Eye 18 Potato Waffles 1.02Kg | €3.39 | €3.00 | €2.35 (£2.00) | n/a | n/a | |
| Heinz Baked Beans 415G | €1.04 | €1.05 | €0.88 (£0.75) | €0.88 (£0.75) | €0.88 (£0.75) | |
| Kelloggs Corn Flakes 1KG | €3.99 | €3.50 | n/a | €3.53 (£3.00) | n/a | |
| Persil Non-Bio. Washing Powder 23 Wash 1.61Kg | €10.10 | €9.44 | €7.07 (£6.00) | €7.07 (£6.00) | €4.71 (£4.00) | |
Some products are not available (n/a) in the same size at certain stores.
*Prices and exchange rates as of 20/02/2017
Why is the price in Ireland so out of kilter with the price in the UK? Most of these products are sourced from the same supply chain. Look like someone is making a great margin on products in Ireland.
It is likely that the Brexit process over the next couple of years will significantly affect prices in the UK and if Retailers insist in trying to maintain high margins then there is a good likelihood that future consumers will be more inclined to look at comparable products which reflect better value.
Paddy might be relaxed but they are not stupid!!