WHO in their right mind would travel the length and breadth of the country to pick up a few groceries?
That’s the question on the lips of most of Newry and Mourne, as we look on incredulously at the hordes of southern-based shop-pers making the now daily pilgrimage.
You can’t blame our local retailers for welcoming the trade with open arms; they would be in the wrong business if they didn’t.
But you can’t blame local people for feeling a little perturbed at the same time.
After all, our shelves are now empty and our streets are brought to a standstill with escalating levels of traffic.
Most local people would try and do their shopping a little later in the evening, and while you might get about the supermarkets with more ease that’s simply because most of the bargains are long gone.
But the argument is that it has created a bubble to protect the local economy from the ravages of the recession.
Try telling that to the people who worked in Woolworths and Zavvi.
Beyond the shopping centres, what exactly has Newry got going for it in terms of retail?
The real heroes of the local business aren’t the multi-nationals who are coining it in.
Let’s face it; if one of the super-market giants was operating at a loss they wouldn’t be long pulling the plug and moving elsewhere.
No, the real heroes are the businessmen and women who invested in Newry throughout the dark days of the Troubles and will still be here long after the southern delirium has dissipated.