We wrote here yesterday about the news that Tesco are cutting prices and removing Irish brands from some of their stores. Conor Pope has an analysis piece in The Irish Times today, where he argues that all this new price cut demonstrates is that Irish consumers have been overcharged for years:
The fact that Tesco was able to cut the price of so many products by so much illustrates just what a raw deal Irish consumers have been getting for years. In a heartbeat, Gillette Fusion razor blades fell by nearly 45 per cent from €14.99 to €8.99. Birds Eye fish fingers dropped in price by 40 per cent from €3.65 to €2, Bite Size Shredded Wheat went from €4.65 to €2.65, a fall of 43 per cent, while 200ml bottles of Aptamil baby milk fell by a similar percentage from €1.19 to 68 cent.
He also talks about the expectation from Tesco executives that this move would be met with praise, instead of grumbling. What do you think? Do you think this change is a positive step towards lower prices in Ireland, or an act of desperation carried out to stop business leaking over the Border?