Retail Chief Executive visits Ballymoney

Commenting on the visit Mervyn Storey said: “I have been working with Glyn and his Association for sometime having discussions wth him as to how we address some of the challenges facing our Town Centres particularly Ballymoney.

“The invitation to Glyn to visit Ballymoney follows on from the recent visit to Northern Ireland by Marcus Jones MP, Chairman of the House of Commons All-Party Group on Town Centres. Marcus played a key role in bringing forward the Mary Portas Review on the future of the High Street.

“At that meeting I said that it was vital that we have the involvement of Mr Glynn Roberts from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association following on from the announcement of a Town Centre plan for Ballymoney to ensure that those such as Mr Jones and the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association are involved in that process. This visit was part of the ongoing work.

“I took the opportunity to introduce Glyn to a number of long standing independent traders in Ballymoney including Mr Hugh Tweed and Mr John Walker. We also had a meeting with the current President of Ballymoney Chamber of Commerce Winnie Mellett.

“The Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association recently launched a report Town Centre First and I have invited Glyn and his team to come to make a presentation to Ballymoney Councils Development Committee Chaired by Cllr Finlay.”