Summary of ideas submitted in the Retail category…

• Remove street parking charges from the town centre in Dundalk for Saturday shoppers.
• Remove / reduce higher pay rates on Sundays.
• Retail businesses are stifled by over-regulation, deregulate.
• Retail multiple chains and pharmacies should pay higher base corporation tax rates and publish their accounts for trading results in Eire.
• Introduce more second hand outlet-shops.
• Self-Regulation is the way forward.
• Sell self-assembly greenhouses at a competitive price.
• Sell the “fragrance of Ireland”.
• Set up a reduced rates/rent scheme where the landlord will sign up to a new type of lease that is based on a percentage of sales.
• Set up showrooms for classic cars (30 year old cars).
• Set up a second hand maternity shops.
• Shopping centres should be closed on Sundays and by 6pm Monday to Friday.
• Shops should be set up in the larger towns which would specifically sell Irish made goods only and discount them as much as possible.
• Sole traders should investigate how they could broaden the products/services offered to customers.
• Start a sewing school.
• Stop 24 hour opening of all shops.
• Supermarket pricing needs to be more transparent.
• Swap Shops should be introduced.
• Tackle increased retail prices in stores owned by UK retailers operating in the Republic.
• Tax rebates should be introduced on longer life items.
• Tax small consumable items that are used in large amounts
• Tax sugar. (Repeated idea).
• Tax take-away foods.
• Tax text messaging. (Repeated idea).
• The Duty on cars applies to import and export alike, the duty on cars being exported should be vastly reduced or scrapped.
• The government should bring the price of cigarettes, beer, wine, food and cars down as a lot of people are going to the north and buy them from over there.
• The government should establish a website similar to mysupermarket.co.uk where retailers upload their daily price file from their computer systems.
• The government should research and publish the percentage take of all players in the retail sector on a weekly basis.
• The government should have commercial premises at rent levels that would be affordable for starting up local businesses.
• The government should pressure the banks to pressure commercial landlords who are in debt to either sell commercial premises or rent them out for whatever they can get.
• The internet makes it easy to target and reach us. Improve security.
• Use of store cards should be advertised more.
• Voluntary marketing/advertising organization for smaller towns.
• Vouchers that accrue in value should be introduced.
• We do not manufacture cars so we must be very careful about introducing car scrappage schemes which work in car manufacturing countries but are totally counter productive in Ireland.
• We must slash VAT on groceries and make it cheaper than the North.
• Website to compare supermarket prices is needed. (Repeated idea).
• Why can’t the Republic of Ireland shops also charge in Sterling?