Other sectors of economy must follow retail's lead

8.39.55am GMT Tue 1st Nov 2005

North Down Alliance Councillor Ian James Parsley has welcomed the British Council of Shopping Centres' (BCSC) Conference in Belfast, the biggest in the history of Northern Ireland, and called on other sectors of the NI economy to follow retail's lead.

Speaking at St George's Market Cllr Parsley, who has already established a strong reputation on economic development matters at Council level, stated:

"Sometimes we begin to kid ourselves that we are not making any progress in this country - and then a huge event such as this comes to Belfast and we realize just how far we have come. Let us not forget that BCSC has chosen Belfast not just as an excellent conference venue, but also because it provides countless examples of Best Practice in the retail sector that others wish to learn from. This is tribute to the hard work of retail business owners in the Greater Belfast area, who have contributed hugely to our economic progress in the past decade.

"The concern, in fact, is that other sectors of the economy are not following retail's lead. The economy cannot function on state funding and shopping alone. Indeed, earlier this year we saw a monthly decline in the number of jobs in our retail sector for the first time this century. Our shopping centres are setting the highest possible standards within their trade, but they provide the top tier of our economy, not the foundation. We cannot become a properly functioning economy just by building more and more retail units for people to spend money in, if there is nowhere for them to earn that money in the first place.

"Over the past few years, the retail sector has shown that sound management combined with dedicated staff can make Northern Ireland an economic example for others to follow. But if we are slow to react in other sectors and to create real jobs and real wealth elsewhere, this will merely become a flash in the pan."

ENDS