Traditionally, this time of year sees a large number of Irish consumers head over the border to Northern Ireland in search of bargains ahead of the festive period.
However, according to the Irish Times, this trend has now been reversed with retailers in border counties claiming that they have seen a double-digit increase in the number of Northern Irish consumers shopping in their stores, looking to take advantage of the weak Euro.
A new report from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium backs what retailers on the other side of the border have been saying, noting that footfall in Northern Irish stores has seen a significant year-on-year decline in November.
The report says that footfall numbers in Northern Ireland saw a 7.9% decline in November compared to the same time last year, the worst performance since December 2013.
Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Aodhán Connolly, said; "Shopper footfall in Northern Ireland’s town centres last month recorded its worst performance in two years, as consumers sought to take advantage of online 'Black Friday' promotions and discounts, which often ranged across several days. This is a significant drop but has to be seen in the context of October’s rise of 2.1 per cent.
Connolly noted that the weak Euro also played a part, saying, “In Northern Ireland, we also have the added burden of the strong Pound against the Euro, which means that some of our consumers may be tempted to cross the border."
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
