We need better shops!

dulpit

Was just thinking there about pull & bear closing (see this). Cork seriously needs better shops for guys... Seriously like, if you look around, every shop is for the women-folk... There is definitely an opening for a shop that sells stuff regularly not found (but which everyone wears) like Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Quiksilver, O'neill, Billabong etc. I know that some can be got in places like tubes or inside but still, there is a massive opening if someone took a look outside of Dublin for once...

Am i the only one who finds it annoying that the amount of shops is limited to like 5 or 6 in town, where clothes is generally pricey... Pisses me off that my sister can come home everyday with some new clothes that she got in some sale or another for €0.20 whereas if i went in and tried to get something on the cheap it would generally be quality clothing that wouldn't be out of place in the mid 1980's...

kmick

Agreed Cork is vey badly served for mens clothes. Although Savilles is very good and the guys in there are very helpful. It is expensive tho.

Molly

You can't buy A&F clothes in non A&F shops. If my memory serves me right, Arnotts got in trouble over this before and had to stop selling them. With regards to Billabong, QuickSilver etc you could be intelligent about it and try something on in town to check the fit and then buy it for considerably less off of the internet.

Having lived in Dublin I didn't find it any better then Cork, but then again Pull & Bear closing down has no effect on me nor would I be purchasing anything in Saville (other than a suit) or from a GAP shop. The only shop in Dublin thats not in Cork that I would like to see is Urban Outfitters but they seem to be very hit and miss with their clothing.

Solair

Again, it comes down to a shortage of retail space in the city centre. Cork has very little space that is suitable for these retailers. There are no large store spaces available and won't be until this big o'callaghan development near the bodega etc etc gets finished.

There were large department store buildings on patrick's street which were split up into smaller units during the depressing years of the 50s to 80s. Sadly it's meant that we lost the space for 3 decent sized department stores !

I am not sure what the situation is with them now, but it would possibly be quite difficult to re-amalgamate them into their former glory.

There should be a major shake up of retail in the city centre though in the next while.

There's also a planned refurbishment of Merchant's Quay on the cards which will see a new level being added as well as a major face lift along the quayside.

I really think that it would be nice if MQ was opened out on the quay. As it stands that entire quayside is wasted and made seriously "dodgy" by the fact that there are no longer any shop fronts on it.

MQ should really open out some cafés and other entrances onto the quay making it look more attractive.

Paul Street Shopping Centre's also a likely major refurb too and I reckon you could see a redevelopment of North Mainstreet SC in the future too.

StandnDeliver

id love if H&M came down here, apparantly the old examiner office is being made into a shopping arcade.
loads of shops closing down,tubes and tenko,gasoline,a few more in merchants quay. there are plenty of empty retail spots around the city, are landlords that greedy?

Heisenberg.

This post has been deleted.

Solair

There's a lot of retail space, but much of it is completely unsuitable to modern requirements i.e. it either has no floor space or it's a long narrow store with limited frontage with difficult delivery access and no stockroom space. Many of those buildings are also in dire states (particularly the upper floors) and would need substantial and expensive upgrading which tennants are unlikely to be interested in.

I don't know what the story is with Gasoline, but I don't think it's anything to do with lack of business. Perhaps it's just not able to compete as effectively as it used to in the days when it was one of the prime places to buy jeans etc. There's a lot more competition. MQ is a bit 'tired' looking though. It's in dire need of a major revamp. The three anchors (Debenhams, M&S and Dunnes) will do fine, but the malls themselves are very uninspiring and the traffic flow, particularly upstairs doesn't really work.

The landlords are ridiculously greedy see: loss of M&S Wilton!!!

What's happening out in the wilton centre these days? Last time I heard since roches vanished many of the smaller stores are struggling due to loss of foot traffic!

dulpit

I heard that gasoline was supposed to close months ago in Merchant's Quay but the management of Merchant's Quay are giving them free rent cos so many shops were closing without being replaced... Seemingly once a replacement is found Gasoline will be shut...

Admittedly thats just what i heard, could be wrong like...

Selphie

Aren't we getting Abercrombie and Fitch?
Thought I heard so.

Balmed Out

Molly wrote:

You can't buy A&F clothes in non A&F shops. If my memory serves me right, Arnotts got in trouble over this before and had to stop selling them. With regards to Billabong, QuickSilver etc you could be intelligent about it and try something on in town to check the fit and then buy it for considerably less off of the internet.

Having lived in Dublin I didn't find it any better then Cork, but then again Pull & Bear closing down has no effect on me nor would I be purchasing anything in Saville (other than a suit) or from a GAP shop. The only shop in Dublin thats not in Cork that I would like to see is Urban Outfitters but they seem to be very hit and miss with their clothing.

dead right molly. People going on about dundrum and want new bigger shopping centres annoy me. The more suburban shopping centres the less choice there will be in town. At the moment we have more shopping in our city centre then most cities three times our size. It really aint theat bad

Rozie

There are a lot of interesting alternative shops around Cork, I found a few today. There's a lot of hippie ware and stuff. I have no idea why people keep using cost and availability as an excuse for dressing boring when it's really that most people down here are just plain boring

Though for guys I would agree I haven't seen many good guys shops around at all. Try some of the girly looking alterantive shops though they'll often have nice guys too.

Gauge

What would be a decent girly alternative shop? Moonshine and the Funky Skunk are overpriced and they don't have great selection at all

simu

Store in the "Huguenot Quarter" is good for women's clothes imo. It's not totally hippyish or alternative but they do have some unusual designers from Scandinavia and places there for medium prices. I think I nearly buy too many of my clothes there actually. :eek:

Kold

I'd love an H&M...