Waterford needs more big brand names to fill vacant retail spaces. That's the view of local Councillor Donal Barry, who says footfall in the city centre has dropped.
The Independent Councillor raised his concerns at a recent Metropolitan meeting of Waterford Council.
"Is there any interest shown by major brands or high street names about them coming to Waterford City Centre? We are losing over 500 million euros a year in leakage from Waterford City and County, and without a better variety and quality retail offering, we are not going to reverse that situation and it's as simple as that.
"Waterford is the capital of the Southeast. We are not only competing with Dublin and Cork, but the likes of Kilkenny and Wexford to get footfall into the City."
Director of Services for Economic Development with the Council, Michael Quinn, responded to Cllr. Barry.
"We undertook a significant report with the Waterford Chamber of Commerce in terms of presenting Waterford and the potential of Waterford both in terms of retail leakage but in terms of the potential growth in population and employment. "That has been put out there as a prompt for businesses."
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