Marks & Spencer opening in Mullingar?

wetminger

I was just wondering if anyone knows anything about the new shopping centre which has been earmarked for the town centre in Mullingar.

Is it actually going ahead (i.e has planning been secured??) or is it just another one of these urban legends which seem to circulate in Mullingar on a regular basis... The Westmeath Examiner has gotten very excited about it however it seems to me to still be just a pipedream.

Also has anyone got any idea of the likely tenant line-up for the centre (if any) which is planned? It probably is a little ambitious but i have heard rumour of M&S as likely anchors. However i fear that Athlone may have secured M&S's store for the region and that, as usual, Mullingar will be remain the poor cousin of retail in the Midlands.

Mullingar is desperately in need of some new retail provision, especially a fashion orriented centre, so i would be interested in knowing if anyone is aware of anything in the pipeline.

Finally (i swear), if anyone knows the manager of the Harbour Place centre can they tell him/her to target national/international retailers for their extension, as opposed to tatty local stores, if they want to 'win back' the thousands of Mullingarites who regularly vacate their town in order to shop.

The thoughts of all the time, effort, money and environment saved from not having to drive to Liffey Valley to buy some clothes is getting me excited!

Saruman

Well said.. not sure.. have not heard anything but i would love to see M&S.. i mean food is excellent

Anyway quick google gives me http://www.harbourplace.net
Try the contact us section... not sure if anyone actually reads the emails.. anyway voice your concerns there.. in fact i will do the same thing

declans

Not Sure if M&S is going to Mullingar buts it nailed on that they are Anchor Tenants in the Athlonetowncentre Development , All the big UK stores are bing targetted including Next Etc, Also I heard tha Zara are a possibilty.

BTW Construction is well underway and the sight of 8 brand new (Contractor paid E3 Million plus for them) tower cranes in the center of Athlone is very Impressive the tallest one being 110m tall and the highest one ever used in Ireland ,

There will also be a Hotel 14 stories high and 160 odd apatments.

All going to plan it should be open for xmas 2007

Occidental

M&S and Debenhams are likely for Athlone. Superquinn had been mentioned, but this seems to have gone quiet.

Saruman

I got a response from harbour place and they are expanding and are looking for large UK retailers to come in so thats good news. Much as i think Irish retailers need a chance... popular UK ones are needed

Stephanos

I think M&S were meant to be the anchor tenant in Golden Island in Athlone but they pulled out.

Gone West

wetminger wrote:

Mullingarites

nice term
Ill be sure to integrate it into my everyday speech.

Gone West

Saruman wrote:

I got a response from harbour place and they are expanding and are looking for large UK retailers to come in so thats good news. Much as i think Irish retailers need a chance... popular UK ones are needed

ahh but they all say this

wetminger

Yeah guys thanks for your messages. I love the county of westmeath but cant help wishing Mullingar was slightly more cosmo. It needs some money spent on it making it a bit more 2006 and less 1806 from a booze perspective. And a few more bars (not pubs) would improve its general appeal, currently the town is knacker cental and a few nice bars would encourage the crowd. Let me know what you think would make Mullingar a more Cosmopolitan place and how we should go about making t resemble that dream.

W

wetminger

An Bord Pleanala has justed refused Mullingars new 'central' development. I guess the town now faces 5 more years in Athlones shadow from a retail perspective. As Athlone propers Mullingar is becoming one big housing estate. Congrats Athlone, you have elected the right people for years which has resulted in your town becoming home to the regional RTC, RTE, IDA, Dept of Education and numerous business parks, by-passes and retail developments ahead of any other town in the midlands. Athlone truely is the capital of the Midlands and as a Mullingar resident i raise my hat to you, with green eyes of envy of course.

Scawgeen

Longford, Mullingar, Athlone, Tullamore and Portlaoise are as good a shopping centre as any to be found in Dublin. My own personal favourite is Athlone a beautiful town.

BeansMeansHynes

When was the last time you were in Mullingar shopping Scawgeen?? IMO it is one of the worst towns for shopping in. Tescos is a kip, always filthy, never ever stocked properly and on numerous occasions the fruit and veg are rotten. Dunnes Stores “convenience store”, does not open on a Sunday and is only open from 8am to 7pm. If you go in around 6.45pm they give you dirty looks.

A fortune was spent on the new shopping centre which has a massive underground carpark where pennys is situated. So far all that is there is Lifestyle sports (which we had already) and penneys. The rest is sitting idle for the last year. What a waste of space. All my friends and family, including myself go to Athlone, Tullamore and Dublin to do our shopping. I have lived in Mullingar most of my life and it is full of shops that open up for a couple of weeks and then shut down again.

Mullingar is made up of way to many hairdressers, florists, phone shops and butchers. There are no decent book shops, there is a particular one in town and you are looking for a certain book and if its not on the shops computer, the book doesn’t exist. No decent music shop either. For a town with such a big population (18,529) it is crazy. The town only got a new cinema a few years ago, before that it was a crappy 2 screen that was about 100 years old.

We don’t want anything fancy, just a few decent shops, nothing major.

Occidental

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

The town only got a new cinema a few years ago, before that it was a crappy 2 screen that was about 100 years old.

The pink velour love seats, sound out of sync and picture slightly out of focus. What was there not to love.

Agree with the bookshop though.

BeansMeansHynes

Do you remember when the two women that ran the cinema used to come in half way through the film and shine a torch at you to make sure nothing was going on. I had my feet on the already manky seats one night (only went there a handfull of times) and she came over and screamed at me and shone the torch at me. Mortified

jezza

Find a lot nicer stuff that the whole country isn't wearing in towns like athlone and tullamore!

Jerichoholic

BeansMeansHynes wrote:

Do you remember when the two women that ran the cinema used to come in half way through the film and shine a torch at you to make sure nothing was going on. I had my feet on the already manky seats one night (only went there a handfull of times) and she came over and screamed at me and shone the torch at me. Mortified

Yeah, I remember going to see Basic Instinct but we said at the door we were going to see, "The hand that rocks the cradle", we were acting a bit dodgy I suppose and sneaked in to the Instict. The woman came in and threw us out, but to be fair to her she gave us our money back. How ironic is it that we couldn't see an over 18's movie with that money, but could buy some pints in Gallaghers instead?

Saruman

I like Athlone... its a nice town.. though i wish Mullingar would get more investment.. i mean its bigger, has more people etc.... maybe its because Athlone is the centre of Ireland so you would otherwise have to go to Galway or Dublin for decent shopping.... Where as Mullingar is 35 mins from Liffey Valley

moonboots

http://www.shopping-centre.co.uk/news/fullstory.php/aid/1473/Great_expectations.html

A lot of things to look forward to in Athlone !!!

andyeire

The Westmeath Examiner say that M&S are to take a unit in the pennys shopping center .It is to be opened by October 07 .But it will only be a short lease as they are waiting for the new center in the middle of mullingar to be built.

wetminger

Really? Finally Mullingar gets something decent. I really should start reading that paper. Let me know if you spot fit-out starting - wonder will it be a food store only or clothes as well?
I cant wait till Oct before i can start buying those Percy Pigs.