Galway Independent Column - June 16th 2010

When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping…
There’s no doubt that it’s been a difficult time for the retail trade. Spending by the general public has been cautious of late with global recessionary worries filtering to local pockets. But as much as the retail sector is a barometer of the economy so also it is the life blood of our towns and cities. People come to town to shop and anything else is a bonus. It is not untrue to say that our hospitality sector depends on our retail sector and the health of one is directly affected by the other.

So, in order to keep a vibrant city economy we need to attract shoppers. We have a great product and must do everything in our power to bring people here in the first instance and make them want to return. On a recent radio programme presenter Lucy Kennedy, in a discussion about Grafton Street, said that her favourite shopping street is, in fact, Shop Street in Galway. This is the sort of thing we want to hear. With the new motorway Dublin is only a couple of hours away…We want Dublin people to come and shop here. We have flights from Dublin, Cork and Belfast into Galway airport, a stone’s throw from the city centre. We want them all to come here to shop.

This week the Galway City Business Association launched a shopping guide. It joins Galway Chamber’s Shop Galway website www.shopgalway.com, a free website listing business in Galway in all sectors where shops can advertise their special offers free. Using a password, retailers can change their offers and add and delete at will making it the most up to date shopping site available. These are some of the practical things that are being done to attract shoppers and make the experience of shopping in Galway the best it can possibly be.

And let’s not forget the search to find Galway’s Best, where Galway Chamber is pleased to partner with the Central Park Group, in association with Heineken in a quest to find and recognise customer service excellence in the service industry in Galway City and County. Also supported by Fáilte Ireland, the awards have developed from the very simple concept of recognising and celebrating the hard work put in on a daily basis in the service sector, by Galway businesses and their staff. Categories in the awards include best Hotel, Café, Restaurant, Pub, Fashion Retailer and Festival / Event. For details of the public voting process log onto www.GalwaysBestAwards.com

Having a great product is the best possible start but we still need to attract shoppers. We must be ambassadors for our product at all times. This week the Around Ireland 2010 Offshore Powerboat Race finished in Galway, last week the Latin Quarter salsaed to the Little Havana Festival, this week the Galway Sessions Festival 2010 brings a Scottish flavour to Galway with musicians and dancers from Stirling joining our own in gigs and a pub session trail… and we’re only a heartbeat away from the Arts Festival. All of these events are opportunities to showcase our shopping, to bring people into our city, to strengthen our retail sector and safeguard all of the jobs dependant on it.