The footfall on Ireland's main shopping streets over the last two weekends of March was down 17% on March 07. Grafton St -16%; Henry St -12%; Shop St Galway and High St Kilkenny -22%; and, Cruises St Limerick -28%. Dublin commuter land towns fare even worse. Athlone with it's new shopping centre is up but surrounding towns like Mullingar are down. However one bright spot was Patricks St Cork +50%.

__________________
Seabhcan on EU Enlargement and the Lisbon Treaty: "There is no shortage of cheap labour - Turkey isn't needed."

Are the SBP aware that you sneak preview their stories each week?

Who compiles these figures?

I heard the crowd that compile it on the radio during the week. It didn't sound exactly scientific - some lad stands at the top of Grafton Street with a clicker - and there is presumably also a host of non commercial reasons why less people might have walked past where the guy was standing - other routes etc. Interesting statistics nonetheless.

Experian.

__________________
Seabhcan on EU Enlargement and the Lisbon Treaty: "There is no shortage of cheap labour - Turkey isn't needed."

Course you add in St Patricks weekend and Easter with many people taking holidays and people feel surprised there is a difference.

That and the weather are advanced as possible reasons. Of course we never had weather and a Paddy's Day in Ireland before???
So that just leaves Easter, did 17% of the population (net of incoming tourists) just bug out of the country for two weeks?

__________________
Seabhcan on EU Enlargement and the Lisbon Treaty: "There is no shortage of cheap labour - Turkey isn't needed."

i would imagine people are somewhat more cautious about burning their cash....

__________________
The political establishment lacks both vision and courage.

As an aside on the Grafton St numbers I think this will be worrying for a number of businesses on the street that are facing rent reviews this year. One place I know of the rent is being doubled to over €630,000 per annum. (approx 100m2 of retail space) The current occupant is unwilling to pay this and is closing up shop.

IS that how they measure these things? Really? I thought they had sensors on either end of the street which clicked every time some-one stepped on them. If it's just a lad with a clicker then I think we can safely dis-regard these sort of indicators. How can one person calculate the exact number of people going up one street in one month? They'd have to have an army of people clicking on the streets for an accurate reading. I have never seen anything like that on my travels through the beautiful thoroughfares of Grafton and Henry St so this information must be inaccurate.

__________________
Private profit for public gain!

If this is true should rents not being coming down by a similar percentage?? How did the increase in rents previously, correspond with the increase in footfall? What year did they start taking footfall figures first and how does this correspond with rents over time?