This article is from page 8 of the 2008-04-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 8 JPG
DESPITE more people on the streets, retailers in Ennis admit there has been a dip in the level of business ac- tivity in the town.
A more cautious customer, rising rents and rate levels and a reduc- tion in parking spaces are among the principal reasons behind a gradual slowdown, Say retailers
On a broader level, the overall downturn in the economy is high- lighted as another contributory fac- ro) a
Retailers also believe that a recent survey carried out by Retail Excel- lence Ireland and CB Richard Ellis doesn’t provide an accurate reflection of the business picture in Ennis. The
survey carried out in March 2007 showed that footfall on Ennis’ streets was up 39 per cent, bucking the trend at national level, which showed over- all footfall on Ireland’s streets to be down 17.3 per cent.
Gearoid Mannion, Chairman of the O’Connell Street Trader’s Associa- tion, said the findings were a snap- shot and didn’t factor in the changes in customer spending habits.
“Pedestrians aren’t necessarily shoppers. We had this before when Ennis Town Council tried to trum- pet the findings of a similar survey. Foottfall equals people on the street. That could be young children, babies in buggies. It doesn’t measure wheth- er or not people are buying.
‘Most businesses would be finding
themselves in a tight situation, with rents going up and rates too. It’s not completely drastic, that’s for sure, but the spender is becoming a bit more cautious and a small bit of reality is setting in. It is a competitive market- place and retailers are going to have to be more competitive.”
Oliver Moylan, owner of the Ennis Cash Company, believes activity has levelled off. He maintains this is due to the loss of parking spaces along Ennis’s main thoroughfares.
“At the moment, a lot of businesses in the town are struggling to sur- vive and a lot of places have closed down.
“When you take away parking on the main street, you keep away peo- ple who are in town to go shopping.”