New Charleville Chamber group will have to redouble efforts to regenerate local economy
THE onset of the Covid-19 virus thwarted the annual general meeting of Charleville Chamber, forcing its cancellation; however, the incoming committee will be giving thought to measures to regenerate the local economy.
This is especially in the retail, industrial and commercial sectors, which have been so badly hit by the lockdown and the cessation of normal business.
This will require imagination in attracting the public to shop again as they had been doing in the past, and will of course be predicated on the advice of the public health authorities. Perhaps, it will be easier on the retail end as people continue to buy food and other essentials as usual, but it will pose a more difficult task for the pub and leisure trade as people may be reluctant to congregate in numbers in the bars, hotels and restaurants, when the crisis is over, and also the fact that they have got used to drinking at home.
This is understandable as there is always the danger of the virus recurring when crowds gather for an event, especially when we approach the autumn period when the ordinary ‘ flu sets into the population.
Incoming President of Charleville Chamber Cllr Ian Doyle said that it is imperative that we do everything possible to encourage people into town to shop to restore the retail trade to its former vibrancy as it has taken a big hit with the lockdown, as indeed has the bar and hotel trade, and this section too must be assisted.
“It will take innovation and imagination to attract customers back again, and we in the Chamber will do everything in our power to achieve this and restore the sector to it former healthy state, as it means that many jobs are on the line for the local population if this does not happen. We will be asking our committee members to devise a plan to kickstart the local economy in the months ahead, as soon as it is safe to do so,” he said.
While in the industrial sector many of the employees have been able to work from home, this is not the case in the smaller shops within the retail trade, the hair dressing, beauty and nail salons, where people work at close quarters. They have all had to shut shop for the duration of the lockdown and consequently their finances have suffered greatly, and indeed may have a detrimental affect on some businesses.