'Noticeable decline' in retail and wholesale premises in Republic during Covid-19 crisis

GeoDirectory reported that 28,831 commercial properties were vacant, accounting for 13.6% of all the 211,740 commercial units in the Republic at the end of the second quarter

By province, there were only small differences between the vacancy rates in Leinster and Munster, while, at 17.2%, Connacht had the highest commercial vacancies.

There were 1,930 fewer premises open for retail and wholesale at the end of June from a year earlier, according to GeoDirectory which regularly surveys vacant commercial premises. 

Large parts of the retail and wholesale sector were among the worst hit by the lockdowns and also account for a large group of workers who require the pandemic unemployment payment, official figures have shown.