Clare Fm - Podcasts

Retailers of Ennis have imposed a blockade at the delivery entrance of a local supermarket amid claims of "bully-boy" tactics. It follows the erection of an electronic barrier by Dunnes Stores, which is denying delivery trucks access to Cook's Lane and O'Connell Street businesses. The barrier, which is operated by Dunnes Stores, has been in place since Thursday morning, and retailers aren't taking the development lying down. Since the arrival of the supermarket titan in Ennis decades ago, the loading bay located between it and the adjacent multi-storey car park, which extends as far as Cook's Lane, has been used by nearby traders for deliveries, as well as staff parking. This access has become all the more vital for the likes of Custys, Heaslips, Brogans and Cook's Lane Café in the last year with the pedestrianisation of O'Connell Street. Traders and concerned residents have responded to the barrier's installation this morning by blockading the area, thereby preventing Dunnes Stores delivery drivers from