Website gives route to cheapest prices in US

A new Website has been launched to challenge “Rip-off Britain”, currently being pilloried by the Government, the media and many UK consumers.

The site, at wowstars.com, allows customers to check prices of everyday items on retail Websites in the US and order the cheapest by linking direct to the seller’s homepage.

In the wake of the new Competition Act and a pledge by Tony Blair to clamp down on high prices in the UK compared with other countries, particularly the US, consumer associations are calling for UK retailers to cut their prices in order to match foreign counterparts.

The new site, which draws information from a joint venture site, US page coolshopping.com, means UK customers now have direct access to American retailers and goods which are up to 50 per cent cheaper than in the UK. The site shows where people can buy CDs for $9.99 (£6.25), compared with £12.99 in the UK, and get an Apple Imac computer for $1,200 (£725), compared with £899 in the UK.

Wowstars.com chief executive Noel Adams-Tait says: “We anticipate people will come to the site with an idea of how much a product costs on the high street. They can then compare with the US and 99 times out of 100 it will be cheaper.”

The coolshopping.com site is a retail search engine which asks users to enter the product of their choice and then lists the cheapest price and offers a direct link to the seller’s homepage. Customers can then order the product direct.