‘One of the best’ in Listowel

KERRY’S rural towns reported brisk trade for the post- Christmas sales period.

Listowel enjoyed one of its best retail periods in a number of years, as its Christmas Festival attracted more shoppers to the town.

One of the main indicators of the successful period was the fact that many shops held off running sales until after Christmas.

“We are very happy with it and I think one of the greatest indications of confidence among traders here is the fact that most held off on sales until after Christmas,” Listowel Independent Traders’ Association spokesperson Kelly Browne told The Kerryman.

“That would be unusual for Listowel and it was unlike the bigger towns, where sales were well underway before December 25,” Kelly explained. “It appears to have been one of the best Christmases for Listowel in a few years.”

Dingle traders were pleased, where a similar campaign to Listowel was mounted in a bid to increase Christmas business.

“We’re happy with the period and the shop local campaign we ran would appear to have paid off,” President of the Dingle Chamber of Commerce Richard Williams said.

“The last couples of days were very good and these would be the big days for Dingle in recent years. St Stephen’s Day to January 3 is the main period for Dingle with a massive influx of people renting homes for the week.”

The sales period made up the shortfall of a quiet early December for Castleisland. “It’s been very busy since Christmas around town, which would appear to have made up for the very quiet start to December,” Bill Costello of the Castleisland Fashion Capital of Kerry traders’ group in the town said. “The budget did a lot to hold the spend back at the start of December, but the sales period has evened things out thankfully.”