Retailers should look on the changeover period for the euro as a means of gaining competitive advantage, Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs Mr Tom Kitt said yesterday.

The Minister was speaking as the national code of practice on dual display of prices in Irish pounds and euros came into force.

"Over coming months, people want to be relaxed about this, they want to be confident that they're not being ripped off. This code is very important in that sense. Those who apply this code to the largest extent and apply it right across the board will certainly in my view be gaining consumers and they will be giving consumers confidence," said Mr Kitt.

Retailers and other subscribers to the codes will be entitled to display a special logo devised by the Director of Consumer Affairs as evidence of a commitment to implement the changeover fairly and not to seek financial advantage from the conversion.

Subscribers to the codes also commit to displaying prices in both Irish pounds and euro, in-store and on till receipts until March 9th, 2002.

They also undertake to prominently display the conversion rate used and to provide information in-store to help consumers understand the conversion.

The Director of Consumer Affairs will publicly "name and shame" any trader who displays the logo but fails to live up the commitments involved, the Minister said.

"It is very important also that consumers realise the power that they themselves have if they feel they are not being treated fairly - and that is to take their business elsewhere.

This should be the ultimate sanction for any trader who seeks to take advantage of the changeover," said Mr Kitt.

The Director of Consumer Affairs, Ms Carmel Foley, said 20 inspectors from her office would begin conducting a survey next week to check that dual pricing is being implemented and that the right conversion rate is being used. The survey will take three weeks.

Mr David Croughan, EMU project director with IBEC warned that while retailers were ensuring price stability in converting to the euro, there were still inflationary pressures in the economy that could cause some prices to rise between now and the euro's introduction.