By his own admission, Finbarr Filan runs a “deli with a coke machine and a cigarette machine strapped onto it”.  A qualified mechanical engineer, Filan took a career pivot, opening a convenience store in his native town of Sligo. He has immersed himself in the business community, serving as vice-chair of the small business lobby group Isme, and taking a seat on the Government’s Retail Forum.  In the latter role, he has a panoramic view of the retail landscape in Ireland. And increasingly, it is a depressing picture.  Filan looks at third- and fourth-generation retail businesses in provincial towns like…

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