SOURCING ROW:THE HEAD of supermarket chain Superquinn has criticised the National Consumer Agency (NCA), saying its grocery price surveys are "imbalanced and misguided" as they don't take account of quality or whether products are sourced from Irish producers.
Simon Burke, executive chairman of Superquinn, said "chasing cheap prices" without reference to the quality of products or whether they were sourced from the Republic was "a shallow and short-sighted basis for making choices about what to buy".
The NCA's surveys have shown German discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidl to be substantially cheaper than other retailers.
Mr Burke said: "I have no difficulty if people are looking for value but good value is not necessarily about the cheapest price. A national agency should know better."
He said the Government should be encouraging customers to buy Irish products to support Irish businesses and not to "rush out" for the cheapest price. Customers should also be looking for the best quality products and that Irish producers were able to offer high quality food at reasonable prices, he added.
"We can vote with our feet for our home industry without feeling that we are selling ourselves short or being ripped off," he said.
Ann Fitzgerald, chief executive of the NCA, said its surveys gave customers options and shoppers could make their own choices.
"All these retailers were in a comfortable place and some consumers are voting with their feet and they are driving change and increasing competition," she said.
She added that the NCA's price surveys did not take account of product quality but that this was a "subjective" issue and up to each individual consumer to decide.
Mr Burke said that Superquinn, which trails Tesco, Dunnes Stores and SuperValu/Centra in the grocery market, rarely competed in price wars with its rivals.
