Family-owned shops ‘best supporters of local economy’

Local independent family-owned shops are the best supporters of this country, investing €3.62bn annually in the economy and supporting 90,000 jobs.

This is one of the main findings in a report prepared by economist Jim Power for RGDATA, which represents 4,000 family-run retail outlets throughout the country.

It points out that the shops contribute more than €100m annually in commercial rates and invest €41m in local sponsorship every year.