Consumer agency wants new rival for supermarkets

EVEN though grocery prices have fallen by 14% over the last 18 months, the National Consumer Agency (NCA) wants restrictions to be lifted to allow the entry of foreign retailers to increase competition.

NCA research found a 14% drop in the price of branded groceries and items in the last year and a half but concluded shopping around saved buyers only a few euro.

Commenting on the survey results, NCA chief executive Ann Fitzgerald called for planning restrictions on supermarket sizes to be lifted so foreign retailers could enter the Irish market and boost competition.