#RoscommonTogether
George Bannon (Roscommon) Sports Shop is a long-standing institution in the county town and proprietor George Bannon was a happy man on Tuesday as his business joined retail outlets nationwide in a return to action.
George told the Roscommon People that browsing online is all well and good – but meeting sports enthusiasts face to face is where the real action is.
“Our website has been upgraded and is now connected to our stock which has been one of the improvements brought about due to the recent lockdowns,” he said.
“We notice that while a lot people like to look at the stock on www.roscommonsports.ie, they also like to come into the shop and buy the products.
“It’s great to be open once again because it means that people can now check out the website and once they know we have their item in stock they can come in and buy it. It’s so good to see people stepping through the door and thankfully our customers have remained loyal to us down through the years and it’s great to see them again,” he added.
While George and the rest of the hard-working staff know many of their customers by
name, the free parking in Roscommon town and the shop’s excellent reputation means that more and more people are arriving from further afield.
“It’s surprising the amount of people we get just passing through and because of the free parking they can just pull up and run in. The conversation usually starts with them asking ‘Do I have to pay for the parking?’
“The free parking and the one-hour parking spaces are huge additions to this town because the customers who pull up can then spend longer and call into other shops while they’re here. A lot of people tell me the reason they come to Roscommon town to shop is that they don’t have the hassle of finding parking or paying for parking here. It makes for a more comfortable shopping experience,” he said.
While George Bannon Sports stocks all manner of sports and fitness equipment, club and training gear, there have also been some new additions to the stock this year which would make handy stocking fillers this Christmas!
“Nearly all the brands have facemasks out, including Nike and Adidas. Even the GAA and O’Neill’s have brought out a selection of snoods and masks in the county colours,” George added.
There is no doubt that the return of sport in Ireland has aided the Roscommon town-based business, and George is grateful to see customers returning too.
“Having sport back has been great, even if it’s just to be able to talk about the matches like what went on with the hurling last weekend! It has been great to see the games being played, even if supporters couldn’t be at them. It’s also been great to keep our business moving because customers still want all the Roscommon and club gear!
“I would just like to wish all our customers a very Happy Christmas and above all, happy family time. I’d also like to thank them for staying with us throughout the years. We really appreciate it,” he concluded.
