Irish Shoppers Head North For Booze

Figures released by the Irish Brewers Federation have shown that Irish shoppers are heading North to buy their alcohol.

Announcing the findings today, Director of the Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), Rosemary Garth, said the statistics demonstrated a major increase in cross-border alcohol shopping, to the extent that by the end of the year the drinks industry estimates that 10% of the South's off-trade will have moved to Northern Ireland.

Ms Garth was commenting on new data from Nielsen Ireland that also demonstrated that off-sales in Northern Ireland have risen by a staggering 30% in the year to August, while off-sales in the South have declined by 7% over the same period.

The trend however is not limited to alcohol sales with separate reports showing a quarter of a million households in the Republic are now grocery shopping north of the border.

Ms Garth said: "Both drinks industry and retail groups have estimated that cross-border shopping has cost the Irish Exchequer €400 million in lost revenue this year.

"This figure is set to increase in advance of Christmas as thousands more shoppers will understandably choose to shop in Northern Ireland, in particular should the rate of Sterling continue its present decline against the Euro.

"It is clear that the major price differential between alcohol is a key driver of this trade."

Ms Garth added that Irish consumers faced the highest alcohol taxes in Europe, and the Government should urgently review its excise regime with a view to lowering the rates and "stem the tide of trade to Northern Ireland".

(DW/BMcC)