Mr. Alex Taylor:

If the Deputy looks at our membership base, he will see that there are suppliers, such as my company, and merchants, such as Ms Graham’s company. A high percentage of that base is small, Irish family-run companies. They may be part of buying groups which have come together to buy more effectively but there are many businesses such as Ms Graham’s which have been passed down from generation to generation.

In respect of online shopping, if people come to a builder’s merchant and want to buy a specific product, unless they are tradesmen, they want first-hand advice from someone they believe is an expert. They do not get that advice on-line. Our experience is that they are much more comfortable talking to somebody they trust and who they believe can answer their questions. Providing that service for a company such as Ms Graham’s, or all the merchants we recommend, is costly because it means that one has to have an expert in electrical matters, in plumbing and so on.