Online trading additional funding welcomed
Ennis Chamber welcomed the news announced earlier this week that the Trading Online Voucher Scheme has received an additional€14.2 million in funding.
Allen Flynn, President Ennis Chamber said, “Our members have been quick to avail of this scheme over recent weeks, and those who have say it has been of tremendous benefit, allowing them re-shape their business model to become more in tune with the needs of our changing business environment.”
The demand for the Scheme, which is administered and managed locally by LEO Clare, has been significant over the past number of months. The ability to trade online has been a lifeline for so many businesses during the lockdown and will continue to be a valuable support, even now as we have moved to Phase Two of reopening the economy.
Chambers Ireland has been lobbying around the need for additional funding with Minister Humphreys, and are delighted that the bolstered funding will give so many more businesses the opportunity to avail of this lifeline.
CEO of Chambers Ireland, Ian Talbot said, “COVID-19 has been extremely challenging for our local economies, and we are by no means out of the woods just yet. However, the capacity of businesses to innovate, particularly SMEs, during lockdown has proven to be a saving grace for so many retail and hospitality businesses.
Our message to Government is that businesses have suffered immense economic damage over the past two to three months and will require as much financial support from the State in Phase Two and future phases, as they did during the lockdown.
If this support does not materialise, we risk permanently losing jobs over the coming months, further compounding the damage to the Irish economy. We call on this Government, and the next, to ensure that businesses are appropriately supported to trade through this pandemic. All supports, financial and otherwise, must be made available in a timely and accessible manner, so that the recovery reaches all sectors, in all parts of the country.”
