RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley was interviewed on RTE Drivetime about the impact of high energy costs on independent shops and the cost of food. Buckley said Government needed to address the fact that Ireland has the highest gap between wholesale and retail energy prices in Europe. She said that despite investing significantly in energy efficiency and reducing their energy usage, independent shops continued to pay extortionate bills including standing charges, thru-put costs and Government levies.

“Independent shops and supermarkets saw their bills rise from €5k a month before the War in Ukraine to 20 - 25k a month. Their hearts are sinking listening to all the reports about how wholesale energy prices are going up due to the war in the Gulf. They literally cannot afford further increases on top of all the other business costs increases that they are managing.”

Buckley said that waiting for the Cost of Business Forum to report later in the year was too long and Government should take action now.