Northern Ireland is top region for counterfeit and fake fashion

NORTHERN IRELAND is the "knock-off capital" of the UK regions outside London, according to a new report by UTV News

The PwC report published on Wednesday said counterfeit goods have gone mainstream with adults in the UK regularly buying counterfeit alcohol, cigarettes, medicines, films and music, clothes and car parts.

The report found that outside London - the most fake-infested part of the UK - Northern Ireland is the regional counterfeit capital, while those surveyed in Scotland reported significantly fewer fake purchases than the national average.

People in Northern Ireland admit to buying more counterfeit clothing and accessories, films, music and alcohol than other regions.

More than half of those surveyed in Northern Ireland said they "sometimes" purchased counterfeit clothing and accessories, films and music - the highest percentages across the UK, including London.

Almost a quarter of respondents in the region said they had bought counterfeit alcohol, compared to the UK's 18% average.

Of those who had bought fake goods, 64% of respondents said they did so because they "cannot afford the genuine product".

Mark James, from PwC's anti-counterfeiting team, said that counterfeits have an obvious impact on profit and jobs, yet people increasingly see access to fakes as a normal, consumer choice.

"The digital economy and global supply chains have made tracking counterfeit goods and measuring their economic damage fiendishly complex," he said.

"Companies invest significant amounts of time, money in effort in developing their products, while manufacturers and buyers of counterfeit goods strike right at the heart of that.

"Ultimately, companies are seeing their brand, reputation and revenues stolen."

According to the European Commission counterfeiting and piracy could be costing the UK economy £30bn and over 14,500 UK jobs.

For luxury authentic products and services; http://www.luxuryonlinestore.net

If you enjoyed this post, please consider sharing it, leaving a comment or subscribing to the RSS feed to have future articles delivered to your feed reader.