Veteran retailer issues stark warning over Limerick city trading

A VETERAN retailer has said that in 40 years of trading, he has never seen things so “low and weak” in the city centre - and Limerick is “in the danger zone”.
Michael Gleeson, who runs Gleeson Shoes in William Street, also said it’s the first time he has felt “despondent” about trade in the urban area in his decades operating here.
He issued the stark warning as the countdown to Christmas - and the busiest time of year for business - kicks off.
“Footfall is at a new low - and having looked at it for 40 years, I am in a good position to say what I am saying,” said Mr Gleeson.

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“It’s the first time in my life I’ve felt despondent about the future of retail in the city centre. I’m scared at this stage for it. I am doing this for my family. They work very hard and they are very enthusiastic about the business,” he said.
The businessman believes that the only way to stop the city centre losing out on footfall to the Crescent Shopping Centre is by offering free on-street parking each day in December - and also considering park-and-ride measures on the edge of the city.
“I am annoyed that nobody is making an effort to come up with any ideas to bring more people into the city. It feels like the idea is to put people off coming to town. It impacts our turnover,” he said.
Mr Gleeson, who opened his family shop in 1985, criticised council members and Limerick City’s four TDs.
He believes they have “lost interest” in the city centre.
“We haven’t heard or seen them, they’ve not had any involvement in the city centre since they’ve been elected. I’d not single one out, but they’ve not been seen to be showing any interest in the downfall of our city,” said the businessman, who hails from Dromkeen.
There are many reasons he believes things are “so quiet,” as he describes it, in the city centre.
“People are not made feel welcome to the city centre. They are scared of traffic wardens, they are scared of clampers. They are scared of a lot of the undesirables on our street. Older people are afraid to walk up and down our streets at the moment,” he said.
Mr Gleeson has traded through a number of recessions - including most recently the credit crunch at the start of the 2010s.
But he added: “This is easily the most difficult retailing time. We’ve seen the amount of closures. Things are getting very scary, the amount of shops closing down all around us. And we’ve had no quality new shops in our street in the past 10 years.”
Councillors met on Friday to approve the local authority budget for 2026 (see story above). Key among this is the striking of the commercial rate, a charge levied on business owners, based on the size of the property they operate from.
“The last thing we need at the moment is an increase in expenses. A rate increase could be the final straw for a lot of retailers,” he said.
Council did not return a request for comment.