One of the most enduring concerns of Pricewatch readers over more than 20 years has been the sometimes wild price discrepancies between the exact same products selling here and in Britain.
As a result, it takes a lot to shock us on that score. But even we were rendered almost speechless by the prices charged in Boots here and there as outlined by Seamus Greaney.
“I just got back from Glasgow this weekend,” his mail begins. “As an ex-Irish retailer I would have my finger on the pulse with some costs [and] it takes a bit for me to email a complaint but the cost differences are extraordinary to say the least between Boots here and in Glasgow.
And what kind of price differences are we talking about
Helpfully he sent me a list.
Sure men’s deodorant (200ml) in Glasgow cost £2.20; in a Boots outlet in Galway the same product cost €5.99. For the purposes of clarity we should make it clear that the euro price of the product in Scotland based on last week’s rates was €2.64. Or still less than half of what it cost in Galway.
There was more. Dove deodorant 200ml Boots UK price is £2.75 (€3.30) while the Boots in Galway was selling it for €5.99.
There was even worse.
The 400ml Dove body wash in Scotland was £1.95 (€2.35) while in Boots in Galway the same product was €6.49.
L’Oreal men’s body wash XXL in Glasgow price cost £3.05 (€3.66) while in Galway it cost €6.99.
“Even allowing for the differences in sterling, VAT and other logistics the differences of up to €3-€4 is staggering,” Seamus says. “I know a few of the discounters personally and they think it’s crazy. So are the retailers taking extra margin or are the Unilevers or P&Gs of this world. Either way, you might throw in a ‘Scud’ to see what they are saying.
We did just that. We sent Seamus’s mail to Boots and received a statement we will let you judge for yourselves.
“At Boots Ireland, offering excellent value is a key focus and we constantly monitor our pricing to ensure that we offer our customers the best value. We set our pricing to reflect manufacturer RRPs.
“From time to time our value promotions aren’t aligned with Boots in the UK due to different promotional strategies, reflecting the different pricing and promotional regulatory framework in Ireland which is different to the UK. For instance, pricing differences may reflect a higher VAT rate in Ireland versus the UK, a differentiated supply chain and different laws around price promotions.
“Our valued customers are choosing to shop in store and boots.ie in record numbers, so we believe that they recognise the effort we take to offer them great value.”
