Loafing Along

Now stuffing catalogues through the mailbox, prices pretty much Ikea standard, cannot believe they would "shoot themselves in the foot" by charging more than Lisbon store.

Do believe wise to stay away from Loule the first week of April - am sure it will be packed and the traffic chaotic

Knoxy_UK

I think EMR meant, 'we'll see' about Ikea and the new shopping complex sucking the life out of older shopping complexes, and whether they'll provide local jobs.

But I'm just guessing, lol

EMR

You are right, where is the sudden growth in the population coming from .
Euros spent in this 4th shopping centre will come at the expense of the other 3.

MDNBEE

Ikea Portugal is expensive...

I went and got a quote for a new kitchen - it came to 8,000 Euros (this does not include the appliances)

I then went on to the UK and Spanish sites and compared the prices.

As an example one of the kitchen doors is 80 euros, the same door in Spain is 70 euros and the same door in the UK is £30!!!

I am now going to enter the whole kitchen in to the UK site, I think the saving by buying the kitchen in the UK and shipping it over will be about 3500 euros.

alf1956

That kind of shoots down in flames EMR,s comments about them all being the same price & Ikea being a business & not a charity.

Knoxy_UK

Get you EMR, they do sell at different prices

I knew there was a difference between UK and Lisboa (I thought it was due to exchange etc) I didn't expect a difference between PT and Spain.

macliam

One obvious difference is the VAT rate (althought that doesn't account for everything) - but on the other side, the wages will be higher in Spain (and even higher in the UK).

Jonny22

That'a really surprising. I did a quick comparison (not a full quote obviously) and a door that's selling for £25 in the U.K. is €32 here. Still, you've got the figures.

EMR

What are you talking about.read posts 10,11 12.
Local prices on a Portuguese forum means Portugal not the UK

EMR

The original reference was to Portugal o not the UK.
Do keep up.posts 10.11 12

macliam

Ummm, so prices differ between Portugal and other places. No surprise.

The differences between Sterling and Eurozone pricing has a currency factor - but I would still expect prices in Spain to be slightly cheaper than here due to the differing VAT rates - no doubt prices in Germany are cheaper still, with a 4% difference in rates.

However, companies also price for local markets - there's little competition for IKEA in Portugal and many prices are higher than across the border (cars, fuel and much more). The cost and hassle of transportation prevents cross-border shopping for most people. On higher value purchases, you would also be liable for the difference in VAT, which would erode any savings.

If prices are seen to vary between Lisbon and Loule, that would be an issue...... but it seems unlikely.

So, other than feeling hard done by, what does price comparison gain you?

EMR

The next phase are so called outlet stores where seconds and old styles are sold at " bargain prices ".
These are very popular in the UK where it was discovered that the " premium brands " were manufacturing a lower spec item to sell in their stores, the buyer thinking that they were getting the real thing.
Still it will be some where go on a rainy day.
One up from the " Gypsy markets ".

macliam

My nephew bought a Dents black leather belt in TK Maxx, supposedly reduced from over £30 to £12. He wore it to one interview and found that the coating on the leather had started to rub off in places, making the belt look really scruffy.

So, he complained to Dents, who basically said "it's made for TK Maxx, what do you expect?". He told them he didn't expect to pay £12 for total rubbish ... to which the reply was....... you guessed it ...... don't buy at TK Maxx.

Not everything is like this - but the proportion of bought-in "specials" against real overstock/outdated items has definitely increased since TK Maxx first started. Just like Poundland, they now have sufficient market clout to make manufacturers dance to their tune.

peterfc

Hi All

I wanted some LED lighting for a project i was working on and at Ikea PT it was 9.99€ but going up to Porto was to far. I contacted my son who was working over the road from an Ikea in the UK after i checked they had what i wanted. I asked that he get what i wanted and to put it in the next parcel he was sending over to me.

Price in Portugal 9.99€ UK price £12.00 ???

See the pictures below for the same item the spec for each item is the same. All i am saying is check first before you buy anything.

Peter

Loafing Along

Actually Nike has a brilliant "Outlet store" at Albufeira, some great bargains every so often and definitely original stuff