ACNielsen Shops Around

Finland is the most expensive place in Europe for popular grocery products, while the cheapest countries are Germany and the Netherlands, according to new data from the twice-yearly ACNielsen Euro Price Barometer. The survey reveals huge differences across European countries.

A large bottle of still mineral water costs only €0.92 in Switzerland, the cheapest in Europe and less than half the €2.09 it costs in Finland. However, Switzerland is also the most expensive place in Europe to buy a packet of potato crisps. Finnophiles must generally be financially flush, with the country topping the price league in many categories. Disposable razors, for example, will set them back €6.05 a packet, more than twice the €2.59 paid in Germany.

Bargain hunters should go to the Netherlands or Spain to buy a can of soft drink, Germany for chocolates and Denmark for bags of crisps. Prices for popular international grocery products are tracked across 16 European countries - top line results are as follows:

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Frank Martell, President and CEO ACNielsen Europe, comments, 'While ... grocery prices are slowly converging across Europe, for some products there is still considerable differences according to what country you do your shopping in. Factors that influence costs of an average grocery basket include geographical location, freight costs, sales tax, land cost and the retailer landscape of that country.' Martell says the low prices in Germany and the Netherlands reflect the dominance there of hard discounters such as Aldi and Lidl who are keeping prices competitive.

ACNielsen is online at www.acnielsen.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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