Review of the Economic Impact of the Retail Cap

One of the conditions of the EU-IMF Programme for Financial Support for Ireland was that by Q3 2011, 'the government will conduct a study on the economic impact of eliminating the cap on the size of retail premises with a view to enhancing competition and lowering prices for consumers and discuss implementation of its policy implications with the Commission services'.

Forfás was requested to undertake the study and worked closely with a steering group comprising officials from the Departments of Enterprise and Environment. The report was submitted to the two departments in April to inform the wider review of the retail planning guidelines being carried out by the Department of the Environment.