IRISH CONSUMERS HAVE been encouraged to ‘shop local and buy Irish’ by a leading business association.

The Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association (ISME), which represents SMEs around Ireland, has encouraged consumers to consider their support for the Irish economy in the run up to Christmas.

Speaking about this, CEO of the ISME Mark Fielding, said, “Despite the imported US gimmicks of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Small Shop Day, the 8th of December is the traditional Irish start to the festive season, as shoppers prepare themselves for Christmas.”

The organisation estimates that for every €10 spent locally on Irish products, a potential €24 could be created for the local economy.

Dublin's Grafton Street Source: Sam Boal/Photocall

Consumer footfall 

A new report, conducted by Savills Ireland, shows that Ireland’s retail sector could be set to enjoy its best Christmas trading period since 2007.

The study conducted by the estate agents anticipated that pedestrian movement on Grafton Street and Henry Street could see 1.1 million customers a week – something that has not occurred since 2009.

This was attributed to the numbers on the live register falling continuously over the past three years. The past year has seen 28,000 new jobs created, with this figure expected to rise in 2015.

Average weekly footfall on Dublin’s Grafton Street and Henry Street hit a low in 2010 – when it dipped below 1 million for the only time in a decade – hitting 963,436.

The Dublin-based estate agent is hopeful that the upturn will lead to a greater demand for commercial property in and around the nation’s capital.

Read:  Which counties are the biggest spenders in Ireland this Christmas?

Also: Going shopping in Dublin? The Garda Christmas traffic plan begins today