User:rorynoonanDate:27/12/2012Time:12:03:45Edition:27/12/2012ThuEchoThurs271212Page:1Color:

S e r v i n g C o r k f o r 1 2 0 y e a r s

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EDITION NO. 34,795THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2012 RRP: e1.50

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27.12.12

Roy totake overat Forest?ROY Keane, above, is anearly favourite to replacethe sacked Seán O’Driscollas manager of NottinghamForest.Keane was at the CityGround yesterday as hisold club beat NeilWarnock’s in-form Leeds4-2.But Forest stunned theirfans hours after the win —which moved them towithin a point of the play-offzone — by sacking bossSeán O’Driscoll, who wasappointed in July.A statement from Forestowners Abdulaziz AlHasawi and Fawaz AlHasawi said: “We arelooking for an ambitiousmanager with PremierLeague experience.“The timing of our decisionmay look a little odd afterthe win over Leeds butsometimes you need tomake changes with thelong-term future in mind.“Sometimes those changesneed to be made from aposition of strength ratherthan weakness and that iswhat we are trying to do.”● See Echo Sport.

Queues as shopperssearch for bargains

By ALAN HEALY

THERE were queues for thesecond day running outside someCork shops today as thepost-Christmas sales attractedhuge numbers of shoppers insearch of bargains.

Many shops started their sales yesterdaywith some premises opening at 6am tocater for the demand.The sales continue today with many

stores offering discounts of up to 70%.Manager of Brown Thomas, Caroline

Counihan, said they opened at 9am on StStephen’s Day and there were queues at allof their entrances.“This was the fourth year we started our

sale on St Stephen’s Day and this year wascertainly the busiest of them all,” theformer president of the Cork Business As-sociation said. “Handbags, accessories andmenswear have been particularly popularwith shoppers.”It was a similar situation at Mahon Point

Shopping Centre which also opened yester-day. Next opened for business at 6am andthe shop manager there said there was aqueue of customers waiting for bargains.“It was very busy. There was a great at-

mosphere. Children’s wear was most popu-lar. The sale continues and we expect it tobe very busy again,” they said.For many retailers the Christmas and

winter sales accounts for a major portionof their annual sales and can be a criticalperiod for retailers.● See pages two and three for more.

Darragh, Caoimhe and dad Edmond Galvin, from Conna, with staff member John White, at the start of thepost-Christmas sale at the New Furniture Centre, Watercourse Road, this morning. See pages two and three.

Picture: Larry Cummins

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