‘Ireland’s retailers ready for euro switch’

Most of Ireland’s retailers are ready for the changeover to the euro currency on January 1, the Government revealed today.

Labour Minister Tom Kitt disclosed the results of a nationwide survey which found 96% of shops were getting their conversion sums correct and 85% of staff had a working knowledge of the euro.

With just over a month before the punt is ousted in favour of the euro, the Government is anxious to ensure the transition goes smoothly and that businesses will not take advantage of confused customers and overprice goods.

Codes of Practice have been introduced across Ireland to encourage companies to display prices in both euros and punts in the weeks leading up to the New Year, softening the blow on changeover day.

The Government also decided to send inspectors to survey retailers across the country, assessing how ready they really were.

Accompanied by the Director of Consumer Affairs, Carmel Foley, Mr Kitt said today: ‘‘It should be of great comfort to customers to know that where retailers are showing the price in punts and euros they are, in the vast majority of cases, doing the conversion correctly.

‘‘The level of correct dual pricing is even higher at 98% on till receipts and invoices and this is very important given that consumers can retain these and use them as points of reference,’’ he said at the event in St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Dublin.

Mr Kitt praised retail workers, with more than four fifths demonstrating in the survey that they would be able to cope with the new currency.

‘‘These people will be on the front line during the crucial changeover period so it is important that they have answers to consumers’ questions,’’ he said.

The survey found that 87% of retailers were displaying dual pricing and 96% of these were doing it correctly.

But the minister called on more businesses who had signed up to the Codes of Practice to display the special code logo at their premises, providing extra comfort to customers.

Some 19 inspectors from the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs surveyed 1,849 businesses across the country.