LEADING BRITISH retailer Argos has defended an average 24 per cent mark-up on goods in its Irish stores compared to prices in Britain.
Responding to a survey which showed that prices in its Irish catalogue were up to 200 per cent higher than in Britain, Argos said it was “impossible” to make a straight comparison.
“Prices charged for products in different countries are affected by a number of complex factors including transport costs, exchange rate fluctuations, staff pay, market conditions, taxes and the cost of producing separate catalogues for different markets.”
The survey by Prof Barry Smyth of UCD’s Centre for Sensor Web Technologies found that 99 per cent of Argos products were dearer in Ireland compared to Britain.
Prof Smyth used software to get prices from the company’s Irish and British websites and then compared the two. Of 12,365 products available on both sites, 12,227 were more expensive in Ireland and only 138 were more expensive in Britain.
“These averages disguise a multitude of savings and there are literally hundreds of products that are 40-200 per cent more expensive in Irish Argos shops compared to UK stores,” he commented.
The biggest price difference was found on a 52-in high-definition Sony LCD television, which is listed at €3,339.99 on the Irish site and only €2,213 (£1,899.99) on the UK site. The average price difference across all flat-screen televisions was €400.
