Retailers hiking online prices

IRISH online shoppers are paying more for the same items than are on sale in British retailers.

Stores such as Karen Millen are setting up dedicated Irish sites for shoppers and charging more for the same items than a shopper would pay in Britain.

Traditionally, Irish shoppers have purchased clothes online at British retailers to save money.

A dress, for example, on Karen Millen’s Irish online store is selling for €250 while the same dress is priced at £199 (€212) in Britain. Although delivery to Ireland is free, Irish shoppers are still being forced to pay €38 extra for the same item.

British stores that do not have dedicated Irish sites usually charge between £5 (Topshop) to £10 (French Connection) for delivery of a dress to Ireland.

A statement from Karen Millen said that the store does not operate a onepricing policy for all markets.

It said each market is individually priced and reviewed regularly to reflect market positioning and competitors’ pricing approaches.

It said taxes and other duties on shipment are also factored into the pricing applied to products.

Meanwhile, a survey has found that shoppers in the Republic are still paying almost 20% more than those in the North, despite a supermarket price war.

A basket of groceries in Tesco costs on average 18% more in the South compared to the same products in the North, according to Consumer Choice magazine. The price difference for some items was as much as 37%, while 24 of the 25 items surveyed were more expensive in the Republic.