ANALYSIS
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Ireland’s growth eases After a strong year in 2016, Ireland’s retail property sector is hoping to remain steady in the face of economic uncertainty. CBRE Ireland’s latest year-end review dubbed 2016 a year of surprises, highlighting the outcome of the Brexit vote in June, the unprecedented election of billionaire property tycoon Donald Trump in November, and an unprecedentedly active year in the Irish commercial property market. And it looks as if 2017 is shaping up to be a just as busy, albeit different, year for the sector. “These seismic events will in due course influence the direction of economies the world over including Ireland’s and, by default, will have implications for the Irish property sector,” says Enda Luddy, managing director at CBRE Ireland at the launch of the firm’s annual Outlook report at the RDS. “While the Brexit result will, for the most part, be negative for the Irish economy and lead to GDP forecasts being downgraded somewhat, one of the sectors of the Irish economy that will potentially benefit is
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SC March.indd 19
MARCH 2017 SHOPPING CENTRE
01/03/2017 09:04:17