Fine Gael Deputy Peter Burke is urging people to shop local in the run-up to the festive season, highlighting the statistic that every €10 spent locally on Irish products generates €24 of benefit to the local community.
“I am urging all locals to try their best this Christmas to shop locally and to buy local and Irish produce where possible. The free parking days authorised by Westmeath County Council now mean that shoppers can get even better value in Athlone in the run-up to Christmas.
“It is understood that approximately 45c of every euro spent locally is reinvested, whereas this figure is only 15c when it comes to multinational chains. I would point out that more and more grocery stores from foreign countries are stocking Irish produce and this is a welcome development.
“Buying from locally owned businesses means that money circulates closer to where it is spent. Local shops use local services, accountants, insurance brokers, and suppliers as well as employing local people and they also carry a higher percentage of locally produced goods overall.
“ISME have stated that if every consumer switched just one tenth of their ‘imported shopping’ to Irish produced goods it would shift the balance in favour of local producers, manufacturers, and retailers and this would make a huge difference in relation to sustaining Irish jobs, after what has been a very difficult few years.”
