Everyone feels the increased prices at the checkout at the supermarket, but fortunately many people from Brabant live close to the Belgian border. A random check at two Jumbo supermarkets shows that groceries from our southern neighbors are much cheaper. The difference is particularly large with the house brands. That is striking, because they come from the same factory and also from the same distribution center in Veghel.
We bought fourteen private label products and fourteen comparable A-brand products from Jumbo in Pelt in Belgium and Budel in Brabant. The differences are remarkable, especially with Jumbo’s own brand. Not a single product bought by Omroep Brabant is cheaper in the Netherlands.
Outliers
If you buy a small glass jar with 89 grams of salt in the Dutch supermarket, you have to pay 2.99 euros. Exactly the same jar costs only 89 cents at our southern neighbors. A difference of more than 2 euros.
The shopping bag full of private label items at a Dutch and Belgian Jumbo (photo: Omroep Brabant).
You can see the same difference with a pack of cheese slices of 400 grams. In Budel we had to pay 5.79 euros and in Pelt only 3.67 euros. With Diet Coke, the difference is 54 percent. You pay 89 cents for a 1.5 liter bottle in Budel and only 58 cents in Pelt.
Hazelnootpasta
Although the price differences for the A-brands are less than for the house brands, it also pays to cross the border for this. White beans are more than a euro cheaper in Belgium. There you can buy a pot for only 1.99. The same pot from Hak costs 3.12 euros in Budel.
The shopping bag full of A-brand items at a Dutch and Belgian Jumbo (photo: Omroep Brabant).
With the hazelnut spread it is completely cash. For a large pot of Nutella of 825 grams you have to pay 6.52 euros in the Netherlands, but if you drive a few kilometers to Pelt, you pay only 4.09 euros for the same pot. That is a difference of 2.43 euros and you can buy half a pot extra for that in Belgium.
‘Jammer’
Consumers in Budel are shocked by the enormous price differences just across the border. “I think that’s a shame, that shouldn’t be possible,” says a woman we address for the Jumbo. “Even with such a small bag you already have a difference of 8 euros. So if you do the weekly shopping, it is definitely worth it.”
Another woman indicates that she has been shopping in Belgium for many years. “I definitely notice the difference. You walk out there for 50 euros with a full shopping cart. For that money you have half a car in the Netherlands,” she says with a laugh. She also thinks that the large price differences with the private label should not be allowed.
“I’ll also have a look in Pelt then,” says a Budelse just before she picks up her shopping cart. “Belgium is normally more expensive and here in the border region there have always been price differences between the two countries. You also have to learn to live with that a bit.”
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2023-08-08 16:55:59
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