Portlaoise Main Street shopping decline to feature on RTE's Prime Time

The decline of retail on the Main Street in Portlaoise will feature in an RTE Prime Time programme due to air tonight.

The programme makers spoke to Susan Gowing at Phelan’s Bakery in Portlaoise. It is one of several long-standing businesses on and around the town’s Main Street, but Ms Gowing is worried about its future.

"It's really changing for the worst. There's nothing going to be left on it. Everyone is closing down. They just can't keep going," Ms Gowing told RTÉ's Prime Time.

They note that Main streets across Ireland are under pressure - and Portlaoise is no exception.

"You have the few chemists, the nail bars, the phone shops, but that's all there is left now," Ms Gowing said.

"You can only go from day to day because you don't know what's going to happen," Ms Gowing explained.

Richard Phelan works more than 80 hours a week, baking before delivering produce to shops across Laois, Kildare and Offaly.

"As I deliver around the shops, the main streets of every town, they're all dying. There's a lot of vacant premises," he told Prime Time.

Mr Phelan said that when some shopkeepers reach retirement age, their businesses close because their children are not interested in taking over.

He also believes parking charges and fines are driving customers away from town centres and towards retail parks and other outlets offering free parking.

Another long-standing family business across the street has recently closed its doors. It was opened in 1929 by renowned Irish cycling hero Alo Donegan. His son Eamonn began working there in 1966 and remained for 60 years. Eamonn’s son Kevin later joined him and worked there for more than two decades.

Originally a bicycle shop, the business adapted over the years, selling everything from televisions and records to fishing tackle and in more recent years telescopes and electronic gadgets.

Mr Donegan retired in February. His son Kevin continued trading but decided to close the business after footfall halved over the past year.

"Kevin has said it's disheartening for him to stand at the counter all day with four or five people coming in the door," Mr Donegan said.

"If you walk down Portlaoise Main Street today, you can't buy a pint of milk or a newspaper. Most of the shop fronts now are pubs, nail bars, barber shops, and a couple of restaurants. There's not a mix of shops like there was.

"That all just disappeared. Behind us here, the new shopping centres were developed and closed two supermarkets here on the Main Street and the traffic just drifted," he told RTE.

'Main Street: Closed for Business’, on Prime Time on Thursday, August 13, at 9.35pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.