‘One shop doesn’t make a town!’ – Foy

With Covid restrictions easing, Cootehill retailer John Foy is encouraging everyone to make an extra effort to spend locally in the hope it will help save businesses in some of the sectors worst affected by the recent Covid lockdown.

Mr Foy of Foy’s Supervalu on Market Street says it is a case of very much getting “back to business” for a town that has so much to offer customers, with the wide range of retailers and services located in Cootehill.

He, for one, is delighted to see his neighbours getting ready to reopen. “One shop doesn’t make a town,” Mr Foy muses. “We all work together, and we will work together. A lot of businesses have been through a tough time, and it will take them time to build up again.”

Shopping local and supporting local has never been more important, particularly in the context of sustaining and creating jobs locally.

The team at Foy’s SuperValu has added more than half a dozen new faces to its ranks.

A lot changed as retailers found themselves on the frontline with healthcare workers when the pandemic hit hardest.

“We had staff working right through the night and early mornings to make sure our store was ready. We had to change, because we had to deliver. There was a lot of panic there at the outset and it was down to us to offer stability and reliability in our service to people, and we worked hard to do that. Our staff here played a critical role, dealing with increased online deliveries.”

Click and Collect was a new service introduced by Foy’s SuperValu, and he openly admits there were “teething problems”, but the store has now embraced it.

Mr Foy believes Cootehill to be a “thriving” town.

“Cootehill is vibrant, it has a lot going for it. I believe it can become even more vibrant, as more and more people return to the high street. There is still some fear out there, and that’s to be expected. But we as businesses have a role to play in helping rebuild the confidence that’s been lost, show people there is a way to get back to living our lives as we once did. Yes there have been changes, and there may be more to come, but it can be managed. We can do this.”