Colm helps Joe Duffy kick off Fiver Friday
AN Arklow man whose business had taken a big hit during Storm Emma sparked the return of Joe Duffy’s Fiver Friday last week.
Colm Kavanagh of Kavanagh’s on the Wexford Road said he had been severely affected by Storm Emma and, in a call to Joe Duffy’s Liveline, he suggested that the highly popular Fiver Friday should be reinstated to help small businesses.
A spokesperson for the show said the response to this year’s event has been phenomenal.
‘Previously, we had a twomonth lead-in. This time, it is only ten days but the response has been fantastic with interest from all over the country.’
Joe Duffy famously set up ‘Fiver Friday’ during the height of the recession. It gave a much-needed boost to small local businesses around the country, as well as giving them a mention on his programme, the second most listened to programme in the country.
This year, Joe felt the time was right to get Fiver Friday back up and running having spoken to Colm, who said how his business and other small businesses had been affected by Storm Emma.
Colm suggested to Joe that ‘on the eve of St Patrick’s Day, why don’t we have a bit of celebration, encourage people to go out there again and shop local, and encourage local retailers to give a bit of razzmatazz, a few special offers on the table? And it’s taken off like wildfire.’
‘When I was talking to the researcher I said that there hadn’t been a Fiver Friday for a while and explained how I was after being hammered by Storm Emma. It had been a total wipeout for a lot of businesses.
‘When I suggested it people really got behind the idea and behind me and I felt it might help give small businesses like mine a kick start again. This is a chance to put Arklow on the map and it’s up to us as retailers how we embrace this. We need to build on the positive. It can’t be something that comes and goes.’