Retail News May RI Conference

Page 1

26|Retail News|May 2014|www.retailnews.ie

Retail Ireland Conference

Recovery Well Underway at Retail Ireland Conference The country’s top retailers gathered in Dublin for the Retail Ireland MasterCard Annual Conference, which highlighted the country’s economic recovery and future prospects. IRELAND is officially enjoying a firm economic recovery, but the Government needs to cut personal taxes to kick-start real growth. Such was the message at the Retail Ireland MasterCard Annual Conference, held in the Gibson Hotel, Dublin, on May 6. The theme of this year’s Conference was Recovery and Renewal and it proved an apt subject. The event was expertly chaired by Norah Casey, CEO of Harmonia, Ireland’s largest magazine publishing company, and featured a stellar line-up of speakers, who provided a wealth of interesting insights into both the wider Irish economy, the retail sector and glimpses of what the future might hold for both. Prioritising Retail at State Level Opening the Conference, An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD highlighted the importance of the provision of infrastructure, from broadband to water, to the Irish economy. He stressed the importance of the retail sector to the Government, stating that it was a priority and “essential for the social fabric” of the country. On this note, he narrated the Government’s successes in reducing VAT rates, improving access to credit for business, establishing a commercial

An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, addresses the Retail Ireland MasterCard Annual Conference.

leases database, introducing cheaper examinership for companies in the Circuit Court, and tacking the hidden economy. The next step, he admitted is to lessen the tax burden on working people and to loosen the bureaucracy around doing business in Ireland. He highlighted the establishment of a Retail Consultation Forum and expressed a hope that it would be a vehicle for driving real change in

the industry and its relationship with Government in terms of finding “workable solutions” to challenges ahead. The Taoiseach went on to highlight the growth of online shopping versus traditional shops, noting how there is billions of euro worth of goods coming into the country via the web that could be bought in our shops. He stressed the importance for all of us of buying Irish


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.