PRICE DIFFERENCES of up to 162 per cent in the cost of over-the-counter medicines and personal care goods have been found by the National Consumer Agency (NCA).
An NCA survey of 117 products found vast differences between the prices across eight leading pharmacy groups, four independent pharmacies and the four largest supermarkets.
While supermarkets generally offered the lowest prices, independent pharmacies were sometimes cheaper than large pharmacy chains.
Tesco emerged as the cheapest supermarket for a basket of items, while Superquinn was the most expensive. The Blanchardstown branch of Bradley’s was the cheapest pharmacy, while Hickey’s in The Square Tallaght, also a chain store, was the dearest.
The biggest price difference for a single product was for L’Oreal Paris Recital Preference Hair Colour which was €4.89 in Dunnes Stores and €12.79 in an unnamed independent pharmacy in Dublin 15, a difference of 161.6 per cent.
As the range of over-the-counter medicines that can be sold in supermarkets is limited, the individual product comparisons were made only in relation to items such as shower gels and tooth pastes.
For similar reasons a “supermarket comparison” of a basket of common items was made separately to a “pharmacy comparison” which included some items in the basket which could not be found in supermarkets.
A basket of 25 common items was compared across Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Superquinn and SuperValu. The cost of this basket was cheapest in Tesco at €80.85 and dearest in Superquinn at €95.65, a difference of more than 18 per cent. Dunnes Stores came in second place for value at €83.52 a basket, while SuperValu was third at €90.65.
The supermarket products with the largest price difference were: Radox Herbal Bath Muscle Soak 500ml liquid €1.89 in Tesco and Dunnes Stores, €3.69 in Superquinn, a difference of 95.2 per cent; Simple Sensitive Pure Soap 125g x 2 €1.35 in Tesco, €2.35 in Superquinn, a difference of 74.1 per cent; and Sure Women antiperspirant spray 150ml €2.15 in Tesco and Dunnes, €3.45 in Superquinn a difference of 60.5 per cent.
The difference in prices was far smaller among pharmacies. A basket of 15 common items surveyed across 12 pharmacies was found to be the cheapest in Bradley’s in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre at €106.31 and dearest in Hickey’s, The Square Tallaght at €113.30, a difference of 6.6 per cent.
The products with the largest variation in price in pharmacies were: Senokot Senna 20 tablets €3.45 in Bradley’s, €4.53 in Hickey’s a difference of 31.3 per cent; Alkaseltzer 20 effervescent tablets €4.44 in Bradley’s, €5.55 in Hickeys, Mulligans, an independent in Kilkenny and an independent in Co Dublin, a difference of 25 per cent; and Zantac 75mg 12 tablets €7.86 in Bradley’s and €9.37 in Hickey’s a difference of 19.2 per cent.
NCA chief executive Ann Fitzgerald said the high price of these products meant it was important to shop around.
The NCA said it did not name the independent retailers because they believed it would be “unfair” to do so.
