Galway retailers are toasting a bumper twelve months as the turmoil caused by Covid-19 became a distant memory in 2023.

The manager at the Eyre Square Shopping Centre, Avril Smith, said footfall in 2023 had returned to 2019 levels while customers were ‘out to buy’ over the past year.

And while shopping patterns had changed over the past four years, consumer confidence was strong – and money was being spent.

Ms Smith told the Galway City Tribune that around 12.2 million people had passed through the Eyre Square Centre over the past year – a jump of more than one million on last year’s total of just over 11 million visitors.

“November was a really good month. You’re never quite sure about how the Christmas period is going to go and every year, businesses will be worried but when we had a strong November, we knew things were going well.

“We also had a really good December and the retailers are happy – they would say if not, but it has been a good year,” said Ms Smith.

All 70 units in the centre were leased, she said, which was “a big positive – we have people looking for units”, and despite increasing pressures due to sky-high electricity costs and overheads, most businesses were managing to keep their heads above water.
This is a shortened preview version of this story. To read the rest of the article, see the January 5 edition of the Galway City Tribune. You can support our journalism and buy a digital edition HERE.