Tuam businesses need help transforming empty units
A fifth of commercial units are vacant
JUST over a fifth of the commercial properties in Tuam are vacant as the town continues to have the highest vacancy rate in the county.
According to the latest GeoDirectory Commercial Buildings Report for April to June 2026, Tuam had the highest (22 per cent) commercial vacancy rate in Galway, while Loughrea had the lowest at 18 per cent.
While Tuam's vacancy rate is high, it has reduced by almost 2.7 per cent compared to June 2023.
Declan Todd, owner of Sherry Fitzerald Todd in Tuam, believes that financial struggles faced by businesses is one of the main reasons for so many empty commercial premises in the town.
“Businesses are struggling and it’s a very challenging time for new start-ups. It can be very hard to get finances or commercial loans and paying them back within a certain amount of time can be quite stressful,” he explained.
Mr Todd also stressed that a number of commercial buildings are old and may not be compliant with health and safety regulations.
“The cost of change of use can be very high as well, whether you want to change a shop into a restaurant or a residential property,” he added.
“From the cost of material to cost of labour, everything has gone up. Financial assistance is needed for people to help transform these properties and reduce the vacancy rates,” he suggested.
However, there are positive signs with the opening of a number of new businesses in the town in former empty units. These include as Nitka on High Street, West & Co in Tuam Shopping Centre and a new cake shop on Bishop Street.
The vacancy rate in Galway was 18.6 per cent, nearly four per cent higher than the national average of 14.5 per cent and just a marginal drop on the Galway figure for last year.
A total of 30,611 commercial properties were classified as vacant across the country in June 2026.
The highest vacancy rates were concentrated in the West and North-West of the country, with Connacht having the top seven highest vacancy rates nationwide.