8th November 2013, Friday
By TheCork.ie
news@TheCork.ie
Following the publication of the annual Deloitte Consumer Survey on
Christmas spending, Labour TD for Cork South West, Michael McCarthy,
has urged consumers to buy Irish this Christmas.
The annual report published this week indicated that Irish people will
spend approximately €1.5bn this Christmas. The average spend in more
than 1.6 million households in Ireland this Christmas will be €894,
with an average of €484.81 on gifts, €258.84 on food and €150.76 on
socialising. The majority of budgets will go on gifts (30%), followed
by food (28%) and socialising (24%).
“This is a considerable sum of money and people are rightly making
more considered and discerning purchases. By buying Irish goods and
services we are helping to keep jobs in Ireland whilst supporting
Irish companies and keeping our economy competitive. We can all
contribute to local enterprises by making deliberate choices and
selecting to buy Irish goods and services, provided they compete on
price and quality.“Irish producers have developed a reputation for quality and they
encapsulate all that is good about Ireland in terms of quality,
craftsmanship and high standards.“The might of international brands has always put pressure on
home-grown labels but behind every Irish product is a real home-grown
story about people working from farm to factory to supermarket floor,
to bring consumers quality Irish products.“Recent research has indicated that if every household increased their
spend on Irish brands by €4 per week, this would create an additional
6,000 jobs.“It’s simple – buying more Irish made products helps Irish businesses
survive and protects Irish jobs making a real and tangible difference
to the local economy and, crucially, livelihoods.”