Town Centre businesses welcome senior shoppers
Eight town centre - Elmay Boutique, Guiney’s, Houstons, McEvoys, Backhouse Pharmacy, McAteers Food House, Dundalk Specsavers and Dundalk Credit Union - have achieved Age Friendly Business status, according to Louth County Council’s Economic Development Office.
All 8 businesses have completed Age Friendly training, have appointed an Age Friendly Champion, and have implemented three simple changes in their stores to make the environment, and the customer experience, more appropriate for older customers.
Age Friendly Ireland is currently rolling out training for businesses all over Ireland to help them respond to our rapidly ageing demographic in a positive and supportive way. These businesses recognise that, despite the challenges of Covid19, it is important to focus on encouraging and supporting older customers to continue using the products and services they need and enjoy.
The businesses received their Age Friendly Charters and they will be on display in store plus they will be listed on the Age Friendly Business directory at agefriendlyireland.ie
Louth set the pace for the first Age Friendly Business Programme in Ardee in 2012 which has been replicated in the national programme we are now witnessing all over Ireland says Mary Deery, Louth Age Friendly Coordinator. Gavin Duffy, the Louth Age Friendly Ambassador has always been working in the background supporting Age Friendly business in Louth and it is with great pleasure we now see a newly refurbished Clanbrassil St with an Age Friendly ethos to be inclusive of all generations.
The Louth Age Friendly Business Programme is fully supported by the Louth Older People’s Forum and Harry
McCarthy, Louth’s rep on the National Older People’s Council welcomes the Clanbrassil St businesses’ decision to embrace Age Friendly. Clanbrassil St is a wonderland of shops and services older people appreciate and support.
Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council and President of the EU Covenant on Demographic Change welcomes the support of the Dundalk BIDS and businesses in Clanbrassil St to the Age Friendly principles.
‘Louth County Council is very proud of the refurbishment project in Clanbrassil St and we did listen to the voice of older people in their submission when we were developing the design. To have businesses now also become Age Friendly is a real success story for the Louth Age Friendly County Programme.’
Colette Moss, Senior Executive Officer, Louth County Council is delighted to have
delivered this initiative in partnership with the Age Friendly Programme, the Dundalk Bids Office and the businesses involved and would like to thank the businesses involved for participating in this worthwhile programme.
Martin McElligott said ‘ As Town Centre Commercial Manager I was delighted that Clanbrassil Street was chosen to pilot the Age Friendly Business Status, the retailers have really embraced this opportunity to enhance the experience of older people in their businesses. The feedback from older consumers who participated in the surveys, on location, in the retail premises was key to its success. Knowledge is power, and when we know better we do better. The majority of the recommendations were very easy to implement and low cost or no cost to the traders but made a huge difference to their valued older consumers.’