He says its imperative that shops remain competitive in order to facilitate this.
Local business are the people who will provide jobs and sponsorship in the community and should be supported in return.
That's the message from the president of Laois Chamber Martin Crowley - who also says outlets must remain competitive to stop consumers from travelling outside the county.
It comes as new research shows that a quarter of Irish households plan to travel outside the country to complete their Christmas shoppping.
Mr. Crowley says shopping local is an important message that needs to be hammered home:
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