Prices of the same goods can differ by a few euros from Lidl stores in one country to the next. Some differences are to the cost of Estonian customers, while others work to their benefit.
The price of food has been growing rapidly in Estonia over the past year, which has sparked questions of whether supermarkets or producers are cashing in and whether higher prices are always fair.
ERR compared prices at German supermarket chain Lidl stores in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as similar goods were offered and could easily be compared in these countries. While there are considerable differences in prices, they are not always to the detriment of Estonian shoppers.
Estonians have to pay more for fresh cucumber at 99 cents per kilogram, while shoppers in Latvia have to pay 75 cents and those in Poland 79 cents per kg.
Items on sale in Estonia this week include a 500-gram pack of pistachio nuts for EUR 6.59, which is available for EUR 4.79 in Latvia and EUR 3.85 in Poland.
A liter of Cappy juice goes for EUR 1.89 in Estonian Lidl stores this week, while it is EUR 1.59 in the two southern Baltic countries.
Chanterelles are also more expensive in the Baltic States. While shoppers in Poland can get a 200-gram box for EUR 2.27, they go for EUR 3.49 in Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian Lidl markets.
Prices charged for blueberries differ in all four countries, ranging from EUR 1.81 in Poland to EUR 2.99 in Lithuania. The price in Estonia is EUR 2.69.
Olive oil from Crete runs shoppers EUR 7.99 in Estonia, while it’s just EUR 6.80 in Poland.
Lidl’s recent sales brochure for Estonia does not list sunflower seed oil, while it can be bought for EUR 1.99 per liter in Latvia and Lithuania, EUR 1.81 in Poland and EUR 1.59 in Germany.
But there are also examples to the contrary. Coffee beans on sale in Estonia are available for EUR 7.99 per kilogram, while this rises to EUR 10.99 in Latvia and Lithuania.
A 200-gram pack of 30% fat sour cream costs 69 cents in Estonia, while it’s 85 cents in Latvia. In Lithuania, a 400-gram pack is offered for EUR 1.44, which puts the price of 200 grams at 72 cents.
A half-kilogram pack of Gouda cheese runs customers EUR 2.29 in Estonia, EUR 2.75 in Latvia and EUR 3.17 in Poland.
A six-pack of Coca-Cola Zero costs EUR 3.96 in Estonia but climbs to EUR 5.96 in Latvia and Lithuania. A box of oat cookies goes for EUR 1.25 in Estonia but EUR 1.45 in the neighboring countries.
Lidl stores in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania offer 40 rolls of toilet paper for EUR 8.28 this week (for 21 cents per roll). A 24-roll pack fetches EUR 5.67 in Poland at 24 cents per roll.
Many products also have the same or very similar prices in all countries, with broiler filet, salmon and Greek yoghurt running the same price in Estonia and Latvia and whole grain bread in all Baltic countries. (ERR/Business World Magazine)