Girvan calls for Newtownabbey residents to support local businesses

Commenting on the announcement by the Northern Ireland Executive, the DUP representative said: “Shops across South Antrim, and the rest of Northern Ireland, have been devastated by the necessary closure of many shops. With rent to pay and other major overheads our local shop owners have been put under enormous strain by the lack of income.

“I a really happy for these local business owners and the staff at the shops they run that they are now able to re-open. It will be a major relief to finally get money passing through the tills again.

“The reality of our world is that we live with big business, supermarkets and online megastores. However local stores, many independent and family run, give us variety and speciality which larger retailers can often fail to offer.

“Often I hear about the downfall of our highstreet, shops shutting down and access to products consigned to postal service or driving to a larger shop miles away. We can complain about this, but without supporting our local businesses we are simply part of the problem that we dislike.

“I want to encourage everyone in South Antrim to support their local shops. Without these shops our highstreet dies and with that an important and long-lasting part of the Ulster community and heritage.”

Meanwhile, Mr Girvan, in conjunction with Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council has helped launch the reopening of town centres across South Antrim by delivering PPE and cleaning equipment to help local businesses reopen safely.

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