Dublin's retailers unwrap festive menu of delights to draw shoppers to city centre

A ROOF-TOP ice rink and a shopping bag creche are among the attractions being offered by Dublin city traders to lure shoppers into the capital over the festive season.

Retailers earn about 30 per cent of their annual turnover during the Christmas/New Year season, according to the Dublin City Business Improvement District.

Its chief executive Richard Guiney said it had been a tough year for city retailers but businesses had put a very strong package of attractions together to draw the festive shoppers in.

Its “hop, shop & drop” service is a free bag-minding facility in the St Stephen’s Green shopping centre and the GPO arcade on Henry Street. He said it would allow customers to leave their shopping in a secure place while continuing to shop, visit a restaurant or a tourist attraction.

Mr Guiney said city-centre footfall was 25 per cent down from the high of 2006 but that was now stabilising. “Henry Street has had a very, very good week for example, and last weekend was very busy.” Mr Guiney linked the improved footfall with the recent opening of the Forever 21 and New Look stores at the Jervis shopping centre. The centre has reported its highest footfall in three years following the opening of the outlets.

Arnotts on Henry Street said it expected to attract more than 70,000 people to its roof-top ice rink which opened more than a week ago.

Marketing director Jayne O’Keeffe said the department store had “a really strong week” last week as the ice rink drew in a whole new range of customers. “That’s a very good indication for the weeks ahead.”

Arnotts also ran a home value promotion last week and the sales figures were very strong, she said. Customers were still out there shopping but they were looking for value for money. She said last year was “an awful year” for retailers but cost-cutting decisions taken then were paying off now and 2010 was proving to be a better year.

Brown Thomas on Grafton Street has shown optimism by opening the Marvel Room – a special gift section offering items from design houses such as YSL, Prada, Cartier and Tiffany & Co. The store and many others on Grafton Street were busy yesterday as athlete Derval O’Rourke turned on the Christmas lights on the street.

Former world champion boxer Bernard Dunne switched on the lights on Henry Street while Dublin’s lord mayor Gerry Breen lit the Christmas tree lights on O’Connell Street.

Several indoor car parks are offering reduced prices while on-street parking with the cash-free “parking tag” system will be half price over the festive season.

The Dublin City Senior Citizens Day will be held next Monday, November 29th, with special offers such as half-price high tea at the Gresham hotel and free entry into cultural attractions. A family fun day will also be held on Wednesday, December 8th.

See www.unwrapdublin.ie for more details.