Traders on Hill Street have welcomed the re-opening of the road to all pedestrians and traffic and have launched a massive sale to celebrate. Declan McChesney a long standing trader on Hill Street with Cahill Brothers and a member of Newry City Centre Management said the opening of the street marked a new beginning for the city.” I am delighted to see that Hill Street is finally fully opened again,” he said. “The completion of the New Realm scheme will make the main streets of Newry the most attractive in Ireland and opens a whole new future for city centre traders. There will be two new event areas one in the Cathedral Quarter and one in the Old Creamery Quarter and a whole festive season of events will commence shortly. There will be concerts, film festivals, specialist markets and song and dance. To celebrate this all the shops will be offering specialist consumer discounts and a new ‘points’ system will be in place throughout the city centre area. This regenerated area will rejuvenate the traditional heart of Newry City and keep the city’s name as the leading retail area on the island of Ireland.” Gerard Rice of Around a Pound recalled how his original Hill Street store served as the launch pad for his now multi-store brand. He added that he looked forward to once again seeing a vibrant city centre as did Jaqui Brown Menary’s manager. “I am very heartened not only by the re-opening of Hill Street but with the confidence the Menary’s Group is showing in the area by maintaining a very larger store on Marcus Square,” she said. Kieran Lowery General Manager of Hill Street’s Supervalu thanked customers for their patience while work was ongoing. “It has been a testing time for retailers on Hill Street and a hard few months for our customers who have had to put up with a lot of disruption,” he said. “Thankfully the work is now completed and the new look obstacle free Hill Street is very much open for business. I’d like to take this opportunity on behalf of all the traders on Hill Street for their loyalty and perseverance over the past five months.”
Newry Democrat
3rd July 2012
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