Smyths, Argos & Halfords for Dundalk retail park...

Duff

Anyone know when/if Halfords is opening??

europerson

SaxoDuff wrote:

Anyone know when/if Halfords is opening??

Well, they were fitting it out today when I went by.

Kalashnikov_Kid

SaxoDuff wrote:

Anyone know when/if Halfords is opening??

Any further news on this? Same sign's been up for months!

kk

Bard

You could always ring their Drogheda branch and ask...

Wertz

You know on reflection it's been nearly 3 months since I posted this thread and had I known that 3 months on I'd only have been 33% correct I probably wouldn't have bothered. Argos is a great addition, to the whole town, not just the retail park and I really can't understand why Halfords and Smyths haven't gotten their fingers out and gotten set up yet. Maybe there are delays on contracts, maybe it's the wrong time of the year, maybe business in Drogheda isn't as good as they hoped.
These other two retailers would really flesh out the rest of the park and make it worth a regular visit for most shoppers.
Sorry for any misrepresentation in originally posting this thread; I was not speaking from concrete knowledge merely educated guess work, the presence of signs, the vacancy of floor space etc.

Bard

Any number of things could be delaying the arrival of these other two stores. Halfords and Smyths both opened new outlets in Drogheda fairly recently - maybe they want to give those stores a chance before opening Dundalk branches that would possibly take business away from their Drogheda ones. Possibly, they didn't see as good a return on investment in their Drogheda branches and are more cagey about opening in Dundalk - I doubt that however as Dundalk is very much a growing town, the Argos store is thriving, and the "opening soon" signs are still up.

Maybe there is, as you suggest, a delay with signing of contracts being signed with Finnabair Estates - who knows?

hellboy99

Toymaster objected to Smyths and Halfords is still currently under consideration by the Board.

Wertz

hellboy99 wrote:

Toymaster objected to Smyths and Halfords is still currently under consideration by the Board.

Wait...toymaster in upr clanbrassil st has objected to smyths on the inner relief road? WTF? It's 2 miles or more away.
Since when can you object to planning based on competition?
Toymaster lol...I don't think there is even one other toyshop in the whole town and hasn't been in about 10 yrs or more....and they object when one other competitor wants into the area. What a sham.

hellboy99

Wertz wrote:

Wait...toymaster in upr clanbrassil st has objected to smyths on the inner relief road? WTF? It's 2 miles or more away.
Since when can you object to planning based on competition?

I know, you tell me

gernon

Toymaster have plans to move to a site on Coes Road near Franks Carpets and the shop on Clanbrassil St. is already sold to the Pop Martins who now own a substantial part of that street including Deareys and Cumiskeys old stores.

Wertz

lol how long before deareys and the rest become open plan living spaces and studio appartments for the young and upwardly mobile?

Regardless of a move by toymaster, it still beggars belief that competition can be stated as a reason to object to planning.
That's like me working on a site and some other decorator coming in at a lower price than mine and me being able to keep him off the site because I object to his lower price etc.

No doubt the owners will make a pretty penny out the sale of the clanbrassil st store to boot (not that there's anything wrong with that).
They've had the monopoly in the town for years and the seeming backing of the chamber of commerce in trying to keep out the franchises from the town as a whole...something the chmaber of commerce had previously excelled at for decades.

demon3

My wife had an interview 3 weeks ago for a manager position in Smyths. But heard nothing since...

If they're only recruiting now, it will be several months before they open.

hellboy99

gernon wrote:

Toymaster have plans to move to a site on Coes Road near Franks Carpets and the shop on Clanbrassil St. is already sold to the Pop Martins who now own a substantial part of that street including Deareys and Cumiskeys old stores.

I thought Toymaster were moving to the site at the side of the Longwalk Shopping centre across from Carrol Village (R.Q. O'Neill were in the building last) and as for the Pop Martins owning all three buildings they only own half of each as he has a partner in with him for all three purchase's.

hellboy99

demon3 wrote:

My wife had an interview 3 weeks ago for a manager position in Smyths. But heard nothing since...

If they're only recruiting now, it will be several months before they open.

There opening in June.

Highlander

hellboy99 wrote:

There opening in June.

The Dundalk staff have been training in Smyths Drogheda since last week