Wexford to miss big shopping bonanza

December 1986

Wexford town is set to miss a big shopping bonanza on Sunday next. Of all the major towns in the south east, it will be the only one without shops open for Christmas trading.

The Sunday before Christmas is now a major shopping day for many families and has been a feature in cities like Dublin, Limerick and Cork for many years.

Now it has extended to the provinces and shops were already open last Sunday in Waterford, Kilkenny, Clonmel, and Carlow, where traders all plan to open again this Sunday, December 21.

In Waterford last Sunday, the large city centre department stores were open, as was the shopping centre at Lisduggan. In Kilkenny, the massive new Dunnes Stores complex was open for business. In Clonmel, the major department stores were open, and it was the same story in Carlow.

But in Wexford, it was a closed shop. And while all those stores will again open in the other towns this coming Sunday, Wexford will be a closed shop then again too. Anyone in Wexford wishing to do Christmas shopping will have to travel elsewhere.

While the shop workers unions would most likely have vigorously opposed any plans to introduce Sunday opening hours, it is understood it was ‘not really considered’ by the traders themselves anyway.

Mr Jim Jenkins, one of the town’s most prominent businessmen, said he was very much in favour of extended opening hours at night, but he would draw the line at Sunday trading. ‘I don’t want to trade on Sunday, because the six days we have is enough,’ the department store boss said.

Chamber of Industry and Commerce President, Mr Ian Scott, said he wasn’t aware of a demand for Sunday trading in Wexford, but if people wanted access to shops at times to convenient to them, then the business sector would have to respond.

‘It is desirable to have opening hours that suit customers, particularly when so many businesses are struggling,’ Mr Scott remarked.

Wexford Corporation member, Padge Reck, described himself as a vehement opponent of Sunday trading and said that he would look for another job if it was introduced.

‘It has been said that the shops should be open to suit people, but the workers count as well,’ said the Main Street shop assistant.

He said he doesn’t believe that Wexford is long out through the lack of Sunday opening. ‘ There is only so much trade and so much money to go round. People are just spending it over the six days, instead of seven,’ he said.

One local woman who travelled to Waterford to shop last Sunday felt differently, however.

‘We would have stayed in Wexford if the shops were open, but Sunday was the only day that suited us to go shopping as a family because my husband was working on Saturday and so we decided to go to Waterford instead,’ she said.

‘ The Sunday shopping was great choice to have and I really don’t see why we can’t have it in Wexford as well, for just one or two Sundays in the run up to Christmas. People want to shop at this time of year and I don’t understand why the shops are sending business to other towns by not even opening here,’ she added.