RETAILERS HAVE urged people to shop local this Christmas as new figures show continued high levels of cross-Border shopping.
Shoppers from the Republic spent €418 million in the North in the year to July, according to a new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). This represents a slight fall from €435 million in the previous 12 months.
Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) said cross-Border shopping at these levels translated into 5,000 lost jobs.
“It is, therefore, critical that Irish shoppers are encouraged to shop local this Christmas by making them aware of the great value that exists in this market,” said chief executive David Fitzsimons.
One in seven of those living in the Republic crossed the Border to shop at least once during the year, according to the CSO. Numbers are slightly down on 2009, but the figures show that those who do shop in the North are travelling there more frequently.
The drinks industry said its research showed cross-Border shopping was on the rise again and would continue to increase as Christmas approached.
The Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland called on the Government to reduce excise on its products by 20 per cent; excise on alcoholic drinks was cut in last year’s budget.
Mr Fitzsimons said he expected overall cross-Border shopping to continue to fall, especially when VAT in the UK rises from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent in the new year.
According to the CSO, 14 per cent of households made at least one shopping trip to the North during the period, down from 16 per cent in the 2009 survey.
The proportion of Dublin households shopping across the Border also fell, from 21 per cent to 15 per cent.
However, the frequency of cross-Border shopping trips increased among those who do make the trip to the North. Households who shopped there made an average of 8.6 trips in the latest survey, compared to 6.7 in the 2009 survey.
Consumers in the Border counties are also hopping across the Border more often; their frequency of trips increased from 5.9 per household to 8.6.
The average amount spent by households on shopping in the North on their most recent trip was €274, slightly down on the previous year.
The nearer shoppers live to the Border the more often they shopped in the North, the survey found. However the amount spent varied in inverse proportion to distance from the Border.
Those most likely to have shopped in the North were those living in the Border area, two-income households, those aged between 30 and 44, and households with children.