The figures come from Guardian Money snapshot research which looked at prices of popular items at pan-European retailers including Ikea, Apple, JD Sports and H&M, as well as Zara and Decathlon. Compare prices in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Ireland. It found that while at some retailers, such as JD Sports, prices are broadly similar across Britain and EU countries, at others UK prices are significantly higher. None of the retailers had generally lower prices in the UK. The findings add another twist to the UK’s current cost of living crisis. Zara, Europe’s biggest clothing retailer, has some of the biggest percentage price differences between the UK and the rest of Europe. A British shopper pays £49.99 for a linen tunic dress in one of Zara’s UK stores, equal to €58.70 at current exchange rates. But at Zara in Germany, France, Italy and Ireland, the price is €49.95 and in Spain only €39.95. A men’s hoodie that sells for £45.99 in the UK, equal to €53.99, sells for just €35.95 (£30.62) in Spain, meaning a shopper in Manchester is being charged 50% more than ,what in Madrid for the same species. Decathlon, the French sports retailer which operates 2,000 stores in 56 countries, charges £1,299.99 for a Riverside electric bike in its UK stores, equal to €1,525. But in France, Spain and Italy, the price for the same item is €1,199. So the e-bike shopper at Decathlon’s Brighton store is paying €326 (£278) more than if they’d jumped the channel and bought it in Dieppe. A Riverside Electric Bike at Decathlon. Photo: Decathlon Decathlon largely blamed Brexit for the price differences. He said: “The UK leaving the European Union has made stock imports more expensive. It also meant that Decathlon UK had to expand the size of its supply team in order to cope with the additional administration, costs and duties associated with Britain leaving the customs union. “In the UK in particular, we have the obvious challenges of dealing with ever-changing exchange rates, combined with the post-Brexit burden of having to pay import duties twice on some products (once as the goods enter the EU and once again they enter the UK). The research findings were presented to Zara, but the retailer declined to comment. The research had important limitations: it only compared prices on a relatively small number of identical items in each retailer, and comparative prices for the UK are subject to change according to daily fluctuations in the euro-sterling exchange rate. But it was notable that buyers in Britain were either paying much more, or largely the same, as buyers in other parts of Europe. We rarely found examples of prices being lower in the UK than on the Continent. The following is what we found when we went shopping at every retailer in the UK and elsewhere in Europe.
Zara
Our research found a fairly consistent pricing pattern, with the lowest prices in Zara’s home market of Spain, then a consistent price band in the euro-denominated countries, and then often (though not always) higher prices in the UK. The Zara linen tunic dress is £49.99 (€58.70) in the UK, but in Germany, France, Italy and Ireland the price is €49.95 and in Spain only €39.95. Photo: Zara We found that for the store’s lower-priced items – such as shirts – its prices in the UK were on par with most other European locations, although higher than in Spain. Concerned that we had been unfair to the retailer – perhaps on some items that were more expensive in the UK – we looked at several items in store and found even bigger price differences than at first. Take, for example, a printed kaftan dress that retails for £79.99 at Zara in the UK – equal to €93.90. In Germany it is €69.95 and in Spain only €59.95. So British buyers pay 56% more than Spaniards. However, we also found a men’s linen shirt costing £32.99 in the UK, equal to €38.73, which was €39.95 in Germany – €1.22 more expensive. But in Spain it was €29.95. Zara belongs to the Inditex group, which includes brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull&Bear and Bershka. At Massimo Dutti, we found similar price differences to Zara. A men’s wool blazer retails for £229 in the UK, equal to €268. But in Germany it is only €219 and in Spain €179. The buyer in Britain pays €89 more than the buyer in Spain for the same jacket. We don’t know why Zara and Massimo Dutti appear to be charging so much more in the UK and how much of the difference is due to Brexit, as the company declined to answer our questions. What we do know is that Inditex made a profit of £98m in the UK in 2021, according to its global annual report. The conclusion? If you’re going to Spain this summer and have your eye on a Zara dress or top, it’s definitely worth buying it there rather than in the UK – subject to UK customs and duties post-Brexit when you bring it back to the country.
decathlon
The retailer has 47 stores across the UK, usually large edge-of-town stores near the likes of Ikea. However, while it is highly regarded for the quality of its own brand sporting goods, we found that prices in Britain can be significantly higher than elsewhere in Europe. As previously reported, its Riverside e-bike sells 27% more in Britain than in France or other European locations. There are similar price differences in other items. For example, its standup paddleboard sells for £299 in the UK, equal to €351. But in France it is €269. France is Decathlon’s home turf but elsewhere in Europe prices are lower than in the UK. This paddleboard is €269.99 in Germany and Italy. Guardian Money included Ireland in its overall price survey because in many cases everything sold in Irish stores comes from logistics centers in the UK, so one would assume that prices would be similar to the UK, plus perhaps a little extra for additional transportation. Ikea’s Billy bookcase. Photo: Ikea But even in Ireland, where consumers have long endured some of the highest retail prices in Europe, the Dublin Decathlon came out cheaper than the UK – in some cases substantially. Decathlon explained that Brexit, as well as other factors, were behind the higher prices in the UK. “First and foremost, it is important to note that each Decathlon business unit operates as an independent, autonomous entity in its respective country. Decathlon has a number of very different competitors in each of the countries it operates in and the pricing needs to reflect that.” In relation to Ireland, the company added: “Their stock comes directly from France and as they are an EU member state they don’t incur the same additional costs as the UK.”
Ikea
The first item we chose to price check was the furniture retailer’s classic: the Billy bookcase. The base version is £50 in the UK, equal to €58.70 at the time of testing. In Spain it was €59 and in France €59.99 – so almost no difference. But in Germany it was €55, so a few quid cheaper than the UK. Next we moved on to a chest of drawers: the Koppang. This was £150 in the UK, equal to €176. Germany and Spain were this time significantly cheaper, at €149, or 15% cheaper than the UK, although France was higher. Next we looked at a couch. Ikea’s best-selling basic two-seater Klippan sofa in dark gray is £279 (€327) in the UK, but €259 in Germany and €249 in France. So shoppers at Ikea in Britain pay nearly a third more for a basic Ikea sofa than those in France. We asked Ikea the same questions we asked Zara and Decathlon. He declined to answer the questions and instead sent a statement. He said: “We are not immune to the current macroeconomic developments that businesses, retailers and the public are facing. Many Ikea countries have seen price changes. However, changes will vary from country to country as prices are affected not only by raw material prices but also by transport, logistics costs and local market conditions.”
JD Sports
This British company based in Bury now operates in 29 countries, with 3,300 stores. But don’t expect to buy your trainers on holiday – prices were very similar in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. For example, the Nike React Vision Men’s Trainers are £120 in the UK, equal to €141. But in every other European market we tried, the price was €135. So the UK price was more expensive – but only by 4%. This is the gap where movements in the euro-sterling exchange rate could soon wipe out any difference. JD Sports prices Nike React Vision Men’s Trainers at £120 in the UK (€141), but in every other European market tested by Guardian Money, the price was €135. Photo: JD Sports
apple
Apple products have long been cheaper in the US than in Europe, but within Europe the differences, judging by our price test, are minimal. We tested the new 6.7-inch 256GB iPhone 13 Pro Max in various markets across Europe. This was the only item where the UK came out cheaper – albeit only by 1.5%. The UK price was £1,149 or €1,349. In Germany it is €20 more expensive and in France and Spain it is €30 more expensive. Inevitably we found it cheaper in the US, where it retails for just under £1,000 at current exchange rates – a saving of £150 compared to the UK. Apple appears to be using a pricing model with small price fluctuations across Europe, making it pointless for shoppers to cross the border to buy, while offering its products significantly cheaper at home in the US. He did not respond to questions submitted by Guardian Money. Within Europe, the price differences of Apple products, judging by our test, were…
