BBC research finds prices up to 10% more in Jersey than UK

BBC research has found supermarket prices are higher in Jersey compared than in the UK

The cost of a basket of shopping at the same shop in Jersey and the UK can cost up to 10% more.

BBC Radio Jersey's business reporter, Chris Rayner, has been researching the cost of a basket of shopping at three supermarkets in Jersey and in Hampshire.

He created a basic shopping using items suggested by Jersey's Consumer Council.

It included a litre of milk, a kilo of white potatoes, cat litter, soap, toothpaste and ketchup.

It found items such as coffee at the same shop in the UK cost £1.32 more in Jersey.

Mr Rayner said: "While the quality of life here may be better, many feel we pay more for the privilege, whether it's through higher rents, more expensive food and travel costs."

The BBC visited three supermarkets in Jersey, the Co-op in Charing Cross, Waitrose at Rue des Pres and Marks & Spencer in King Street; and three in Petersfield in Hampshire: Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

He said he found out that doing business in Jersey was not cheap either.

The Channel Islands Co-op is one of the supermarkets that imports tons of food and other items from the UK every week which costs the business £60,000 a month.

Colin Mcleod, the Co-op's chief executive, said: "We've got high land costs, we've got high build costs, we've got high labour costs. But we're doing the best we can in that environment for our members."

A spokesman for Waitrose in Jersey said: "We continually monitor our prices to ensure we remain as competitive as possible, and because of this shoppers may find that many of our products now cost less than when we first opened our shops in the island.

"We need to reflect the additional costs of getting products to the Channel Islands in our prices but we pass on the savings of UK VAT to our shoppers in Jersey and have hundreds of relevant and meaningful promotions across our branches each week."

Tony O'Neill, the chief executive of Sandpiper CI, said over half their products in Marks & Spencer are sold on promotion.

The Citizens Advice Bureau and the Community Savings Bank told the BBC they were seeing more clients.

Brian Curtis, executive chairman of the Community Savings Bank, said it was not just those who find themselves unemployed.

He said: "I know some people on middle incomes who have not had any increase [in wages] for three years.

"They have still got a job, so that's fine in itself, but adjusting to a different scenario is not easy for some of these people."