Ok - I know it scheaper to get sinks, taps etc in France. Wondering if you get better quality kitchens aswell as a good price. If so - can anyone suggest places near calais and can U get them off the shelf?
Scott
When I lived in Switzerland, IKEA was 25-30% cheeper in than in England.
Rick
Ikea is cheaper in most European countries, especially in Sweden where it genuinely is bargain bucket prices. I have it on good authority (from Swedish friends) that the Ikea management laugh at the UK for paying such high prices for goods. Trouble is that we pay so damn much for everything in the UK that Ikea actually seems cheap in comparison.
The typical French kitchen looks more like something you would have seen in
1950s Britain - lots of individual units. There is a trend in new builds for 'American' (i.e. fitted) kitchens, but I don't recall seeing any DIY versions in my local OBI or M. Bricolage. Then again, I wasn't looking for them.Colin Bignell
Hey, you got THAT right! We are ripped off more than anyone else in Europe, I reckon. Not just in DIY and furniture, but food, clothes, travel, you name it.
MM
I've just bought some Ikea PAX wardrobes. Before buying them in the UK I checked prices in France and Germany. Germany was dearer than the UK and France was much dearer. As an example a PAX 100 x 236 frame is £47 in the UK, ?75 (about £50)in Germany and ?100 (about £67) in France. Just out of interest I/ve checked some other countries...
Prices for the same item:
Sweden - 859kr (about £65) Belgium - ?75 (about £50) Czech Republic - 3,690 CZK (about £76) Switzerland - 150 CHF (about £65) Poland - 295 PLN (about £41) USA - $90 (about £50)
This assumes, of course, that the prices quoted on their web sites are the same as those in-store - they certainly are for the UK so I don't see that they would be different in other countries.
I guess that not everything will be cheaper in one particular country, and other countries may be cheaper still, but it loooks like Poland is the place to shop.
Andy
This stems from when the pound was 'weak' against other currencies. In most cases, I think you'll find things different today. Unless, of course, the difference is due to UK taxes.
Leroy-Merlin (next to the Auchan hypermarket) has units available off-the-shelf, but there will almost certainly be something that's out of stock and needs to be ordered. They will check stock at Boulogne and Dunkerque for you if you ask and you can sometimes save a return visit at the cost of a 20-mile trip up or down the motorway. The Dunkerque branch has recently been extended and I prefer it as it's usually quieter than Calais.
Lapeyre (opposite Auchan) has a reasonable range that can be ordered on their website
Conforama (also on the Auchan site) covers the 'cheap and cheerful' end of the market.
Hope this helps,
Roger.
I saw an episode of Property Ladder where a couple did just that; however they did notice that some things are more expensive in France than in England. Also be careful with the taps - I think there might be some differences in the systems. Happy shopping otherwise!
Simulet
where a couple did just that;
Plumbing stuff in France is generally made for working at 3 Bar as that is what nearly all houses use - no stored water, gravity-fed as we here in UK commonly have.
I have bought stuff in France for several years now and whilst many things are cheaper ( most supermarket stuff, engine oil about half price, chemicals wide variety of D-I-Y stuff, lighting and tools in particular,) you can't assume that because its French its cheaper. Also check the quality, if it matters or is appropriate - some stuff is really very poor quality, but some is just the same as you get over here. I bought a cooker hood/filter, which extracts to outside for about £45, when over here, the exact same item was in one shed for 3 times the amount.
Overall though, there are big savings to be made if you plan and research the costs
Nick
The exchange rates I used were today's based on what you might get on a credit card.
I think you will find that Ikea is generally cheaper in the UK than other parts of the world. Whether this is to do with taxes I neither know nor care. VAT in the UK is 17.5%. In France its a bit more, in Germany its a bit less.
The exchange rate would have to change considerably to make France a good place to buy these particular Ikea products although Germany is not far off. The reason I checked the prices over there was because we had some relatives moving back to the UK from Germany. The transport costs to the UK would have been zero.
A LOT of things are cheaper in mainland Europe, but not all.
Andy
By all means get the units, but leave teh plumbing there. Half teh time it doesn''t fit UK fittings.
Hygena (MFI) trade over there.
DG
Food in Switzerland was much more than in the UK, soap and cleaning products were VERY expensice. But then the Swiss don't have the Common Agricrutrial Policy.
In my expereince you have to shop arround, and when you buy abroard, and don't speek the lingo is *REAL* hard to take it back.
Rick
I just did a quick search for property in Poland. For example: "House in Kaszuby, 150 sq m with garden 800 sq m, 40 m to lake, country area. Stara-Huta, near Gowidlino, Pomerania province, POLAND, 230,000 PLN"
That's about £33,000!
MM
There may be some differences, but nothing that Fernox won't fix!
MM
Crikey! How times change. I remember driving between Calais, Dunkerque and Ostend along the coast road through Gravelines. No motorway in the
1970s! There was an extensive section of no mans land between France and Belgium, around de Panne, I seem to recall. I wonder what state one would belong to if born there.MM
Tiny, tiny detail! A brazing torch, some pipe and I could make anything fit.
MM
Kin ell. That's tempting. My business could be run from anywhere given the courier costs of sending and returning engine bits for modification and I could arrange a UK address for receipt and onwards transport and run the entire thing from a small castle in Poland. However I don't know anyone in Poland so I'm looking at moving to Scotland to achieve a similar objective. 4 bed detached at
200k or less compared to 500k in Bucks. Gives me a bit of spare cash to play the stock market with anyway.Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines
A depressed one, I would say. That whole area is like a no-man's land. I find that whole area from the coast down along the French/Belgian border pretty depressing. I suppose when one considers the number of battles that have been fought there over the centuries, it's not surprising.
.andy
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