THE unprecedented opening of stores and shops on St Stephen’s Day yielded a cash bonanza for local traders. While the usual cash boom in the days immediately leading up to Christmas was down, due to inclement weather, the traditional sales netted a substantial return that “will keep the shops and stores going through the tough months of February and March”.
Commenting to the Limerick Post, Limerick Chamber chief executive, Maria Kelly, said the traders had pulled out all the stops by offering particularly high reductions of 50% and 60% right across the board.
Actively being examined at the moment by the city manager, Tom Mackey is the Chamber’s recommendation of a rent rebate scheme tied to the annual rate of valuation for new businesses taking up vacant units in the city centre, to reinvest in the facade of their premises.
“This can also be adapted to include existing ratepayers expanding or improving their premises,” says Ms Kelly, who also pointed out that a special rezoning to ensure better development of the central core is currently underway.
Conceding the difficulties confronting the city’s traders, the Chamber chief sounded a note of optimism for the city going forward.
“It only takes a few innovative, imaginative start-ups – like the lovely new sweet shop on the corner of O’Connell and Roches Street, and a few other attractive and different shops that have opened up in the past weeks to get people thinking in new ways and bringing in fresh, exciting options that spark off other individual start-ups to attract new to shoppers”.
A spokesperson for Savins, O’Connell Street, said they were delighted with the groundswell of city and county people who “came into the city to support local business over and after Christmas.
“It was very noticeable and was very appreciated, and while 2010 was a difficult year, we are cautiously optimistic for a better 2011”.
