Town shops report brisk holiday trade

December 1999

BRISK business is reported by retailers in the run-up to Christmas with many northern shoppers heading south to avail of a favourable exchange rate between Punt and Sterling.

‘ The response from traders is that sales are well up on last year,’ says Mary Murray, president, Dundalk chamber of commerce.

‘You only have to walk into town to see the numbers of people flocking to Dundalk shops, which I think is not only due to the Punt/Sterling situation, but to a willingness to celebrate Christmas and the dawning of a new millennium in style.’

A spokeswoman for Dundalk shopping centre reports an excellent level of sales ‘ thanks largely to an increase in Northern shoppers’.

Meanwhile, ‘ business is booming in Park Street, with an estimated 15-20% increase on previous years,’ remarks Kevin Mullen, manager, Dunnes Stores.

‘We operate an exchange bureau in-store, but we have found that not a lot of shoppers are using this facility, and are obviously changing their money before crossing the border, so we have no accurate way of judging how many shoppers we have from the north,’ he adds.

‘I think there is a definite ‘feel good’ factor at the moment, with positive aspects of the recent budget, and ultimately people’s willingness to spend more money to enjoy themselves during the last Christmas of this millennium.’

In Clanbrassul Street the picture is no different.

‘When you look at the gap between the value of the Punt and the Pound of just over 20%, it is obvious that shoppers from Northern Ireland are going to take advantage of opportunities to get more value for their money,’ points out Andrew Dearey, James Dearey & Co.