19 counties, including Carlow, had an increase in vacant business premises in the final three months of last year.
GeoDirectory says the national average was 13.5 per cent, a marginal increase on 2019.
Carlow
Carlow’s was slightly higher than this, at 13.9%, and accounted for 1.3% of the State’s total commercial stock of 211,677.
Of the areas sampled across the county Bagenalstown at 20.3% had the highest commercial vacancy rate with Tullow showing the lowest at 14.7%.
12.1% of the commercial units in Carlow were classified as providing accommodation and food services.
Kilkenny
Kilkenny was one of a smaller number of counties to register a decrease, falling to 12%, and accounting for 2.3% of the State’s total commercial stock.
Callan recorded the highest commercial vacancy rate in the areas sampled across the county, at 18.4%, while Kilkenny City had the lowest at 12.5%.
Chief executive of GeoDirectory, Dara Keogh, says as a whole Leinster fared best in the latest report noting “What we do see is the strengthening of the divide between east and west; 19 counties have seen an increase in their vacancy, two have stayed the same and five have seen a decrease, now the five that saw a decrease and the two that stayed the same are all in Leinster, the seven counties with the highest vacancy rate are all on the western seaboard, and all of the counties in Connacht, for example, are in the top six”.
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