A survey of prices has claimed that British retail chains with stores here are charging Irish consumers far more than British consumers for certain goods.
The Sunday Business Post survey claims that stores such as Habitat, Dixons and Argos are marking up goods by up to 60pc. It says that Irish shoppers are paying 40pc more than British consumers for certain electrical goods, up to 23pc more for clothing, up to 40pc more for household furniture and up to 60pc more for DVDs.
When contacted by the paper, a number of the retailers said that shipping costs, VAT, currency fluctuations and higher liability insurance were adding to their costs, but claimed that their goods were competitively priced.
Recent figures from the Central Statistics Office showed that increased mark-ups in shops and bars since 1997 are costing consumers E1.3bn each year, or more than E1,000 per household.
Dermot Jewell of the Consumers Association has accused retailers of “profiteering”, determined to sell at the highest price the market will take.