The days when wily Southern shoppers trekked North to make savings are long gone and a new breed of cross-Border bargain hunter has emerged. Meet the Ulster Punt-er - by their shopping bags ye shall know them.
Designer shopping bags, that is. Take a stroll down to the newly revamped Connolly Station in Dublin most Saturdays and you can't miss the shoppers alighting from their trains anxious to make the most of the strong sterling.
By the time they arrive back into Belfast Central Station they are burdened down with purchases. With the pound falling to record levels against sterling in recent months, shopping down South has been costing them up to 30 per cent less than had they shopped at home.
Passenger figures from the Enterprise train service between Belfast and Dublin show that journeys originating in the North now account for 63 per cent of their custom - an increase of 15 per cent since five years ago. Banks in the North are being inundated with requests for to buy cheap cars while, for smaller purchases, people are using credit cards and getting their pounds from cash machines down South.
The majority of Ulster Punt-ers drive their cars (more space to carry all those bargains) with the added bonus that filling up their fuel tank is also cheaper in the Republic. And why not pick up the weekly shop on the way? Superquinn in Dundalk has reported that their Northern custom has doubled in the past year. Manager Michael McArdle said that they offer a special rate that means sterling shoppers can save 40 per cent on goods. "For £1 sterling they can buy goods worth IR£1.40. That is a big attraction," he said.
But not everyone is happy. There are reports of "ghost towns" springing up along the Border as normally loyal customers drive a few miles south, lured by the promise of cheaper goods. Dozens of filling stations have closed in the past two years.
According to Frank Caddy, the chief executive of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, the exodus southwards is having a greater effect on Border regions. But Belfast retailers are feeling the pinch too; he estimates that between 5 and 15 per cent of sales in Belfast may be deflected South.
"This is mainly sales of designer goods or big ticket items such as electrical goods. The A-grade Northern Ireland consumer who can afford the fare from North to South is saying - why should I pay £900 for that item of clothing up here when I could buy it cheaper in Dublin?"
THE exchange rate is not the only factor. "It also has a lot to do with the change in consumer lifestyles. People now think it is fun to travel for shopping purposes. So they go down to Dublin and often spend the weekend there," says Mr Caddy.
Belfast-based Trevor Caughey, Bord Failte's manager for Ireland, is clearly delighted with the situation. Enquiries into short breaks in the South, particularly Donegal and Dublin, are up around eight per cent this year. Mr Caughey says the price differential is the main attraction but that competitive prices offered by Southern hoteliers are a factor.
"More and more people North and South are taking short breaks these days, so that is definitely a factor, but there is no doubting that price is the deciding factor. It's swings and roundabouts; not so long ago the situation was reversed. We have to make hay while the sun shines."
Anecdotal stories doing the rounds show just how canny the Northern shoppers have become, especially when it comes to cars. Take Peter, a Belfast businessman who bought his first BMW down South 18 months ago, making a saving of around £4,000 due to the exchange rate and the fact that Vehicle Registration Tax does not apply to Northern importers. He has bought and sold four since then, making several thousands each time - and the savings mean the flash Beamer he drives around Belfast cost him almost nothing.
