Bridgewater centre Arklow is open

I've just been over there,it's buzzing with people.
Every unit is full ie has a shop-all the main ones are open including Jack N Jones,Elverys and Easons.
The O'Briens isnt open yet and another restaurant fronting onto the river-the only units I saw not yet opened.
Eddie Rockets looked like it was opening later on this evening as it was getting touched up.

The river island and tk max shops are quite big as is the virgin mega store.
The Dunnes is massive.I see the one that was on the main st for years is remaining open.

The cinema upstairs-9 screens,now that gets a thumbs up from me and is also open.

Pastel_Princess

I walked over at lunch time today and it was packed! I'm delighted that there's finally a decent music shop in the town, the last one Music World was crap and the one before that Hicksons wasn't much better either!

The Dunnes over there is absolutely huge, can't wait to do some shopping this weekend. Oh and I think the one in the main street is going to be for women's clothing only...kinda like they do up in Dublin.

babaduck

Went over last night for a snoop & was very impressed. it's a terrible shame that O'Briens & Eddie Rockets weren't open as they're at the front of the centre facing onto the river & would have looked great. The Italian restaurant won't be open until next year AFAIK.

TK Maxx was great... some serious bargains to be had. Will head back to Dunnes for a food shop tonight (they sent me €10 off a €40 food spend for the next 4 weeks vouchers so feck Tesco & their rubbish fruit & veg...)

They can't get the staff apparently...

€12 an hour or €100 a day isn't enough these days apparently and people would rather stay on the dole I hear.

Pastel_Princess

I've heard that people have walked out of Dunnes already....from what I've heard they're awful to work for.

I went to the cinema earlier and it's really nice, I'm delighted we finally have something like that in the town. Be warned though, if you're going to the cinema, arrive in plently of time, we were standing just over 20 minutes in the queue to get our tickets!

yogidc26

I came in from Wicklow today you want to see the traffic hope it not going to be like that all the time

yogidc26

yogidc26 wrote:

I came in from Wicklow today you want to see the traffic hope it not going to be like that all the time

Take the south exit off the Arklow bypass (sign posted Arklow South) and head into the town that way-you'll come onto the south roundabout and then head into Arklow from that going through the knockmore roundabout

Turn right at the red garage (the 2nd one as you are heading in past the knock more roundabout-the 1st garage is on your right and is applegreen) and follow the road right down the hill over the railway bridge,keep following untill you get to lower main st and then turn right out by the bridge hotel.
It's only at that main junction you will meet the traffic and from there it's about 300 metres to the new little bridge water roundabout.

county

i was down there on monday and must say it was a bit of a let down

I know.
Theres no ikea

shinny

I went down for the opening and we were 45 minutes late, ahem, so were they !!

We literally just arrived and about 5 minutes later, they opened the door. I never saw Joanna Lumley. Some of the stores seemed to still be preparing for us to enter, even though they were 50 minutes late.

I am impressed, it's not a massive place, but it's big enough. The cinema's are great. We went to have a look at them all and they are pretty impressive. They seemed to be showing that new Jodie Foster movie free of charge, but we couldn't go in as my nephew was afraid of the dark (he's only 3 !!)

The face painting etc wasn't happening when we were there, even though it was advertised. It was nowhere to be seen, much to the disappointment of my nephew and when I asked the girl at the desk near the back of the centre. She said "I don't know, I'm not Customer Service" I was like, charming, so why are you there handing out leaflets about the place if you don't know anything about it!!:mad:

East Coast Radio were there too outside of the Dunne entrance and there was some crazy guy getting people up to do mad things to win vouchers. We took a swift left !

New Look got our vote. They have a massive store and they had the best balloons !!

The foodcourt is upstairs too, the other end of the centre. It's not massive, but it's big enough.

I’ll probably go down again to check it out on a weekday, when it’s quietened down.

Though its obviously been open for more than a week,the virgin megastore is being officially opened on saturday by David Platt the coronation st character.

ian_m

Dunnes supermarket is great. Cinema is cool with seats that push back and right now the parking is free!

SickCert

Was there on Sunday, chaos to enter with one entrance to the multi storey. Now it didnt impress me, just smaller versions of what ive seen in Dublin. At least 25 people queuing for dinner in Eddie Rockets. We left after an hour! The queue for the car park was back to the Opel garage, near the N11! Dinner in the Glenview.

ian_m

is the parking still free?

Supercell

I was there last Sunday and the parking was still free.
Nice little shopping centre have to say.
Traffic access is horrific, no way would I go back in an afternoon. And the food court was pretty dire.
I'd have liked a Burgerking or McDonalds there instead of Abrekebra which were struggling to cope and the food there really is best eaten with many pints taken first truth be told (I do actually enjoy the taste of a nice Whopper or Quarter pounder before the food police start saying they are all the same..I beg to differ!!). Eddie rockets is very dear and not really the kind of place you can pop in for a burger and chips for a few minutes and out again.
Great to have the Argos Extra and TKMaxx though so close to the N11, i'll be back for sure (but not to eat;) )

SickCert

ian_m wrote: »

is the parking still free?

Parking was free, just the barrier has to raise and lower between each car so you get that stop go effect. God help the place leading upto Christmas for the car drivers.

ian_m

SickCert wrote: »

Parking was free, just the barrier has to raise and lower between each car so you get that stop go effect. God help the place leading upto Christmas for the car drivers.

This might be an issue alright. I've only ever been here during the day. Once people get to know it things might move more smoothly.

Edit: By the way the top levels were empty when I was there. People were driving around in circles, waiting for others to pull out of spaces in order to take them and delaying others behind them. Just drive straight up to the top and you will be done with parking. Glad to hear its still free.

Longfield

Longfield wrote: »

McDonalds

The drivethru mcDonalds is up on the Wexford road beside pettits supervalu just beyond Tesco.

Incidently the tesco petrol pumps are up now.
I don't know if they are selling petrol yet but it has to be soon. I notice applegreen have dropped their prices to 107.9

As for the traffic into bridgewater,I told ye to take the back way to it-the south entrance to the town and turn right at the Red "Arklow service staion" and keep going untill you get to the turn off at the bottom of the main st.You are 2 mins from the bridge water round about there.

That said,thats only ok if everybody doesn't do that and it definitely needs another bridge across the river.That won't be happening anytime soon.

By the way access is grand during the daytime-no queue's-thats when I go there.

Pastel_Princess

I agree with Longfield about the food situation in Bridgewater. I tried a bagel from the food court upstairs and for nearly a fiver I got a bagel that wouldn't fill anyone....think i'll be sticking to Nubo for my lunch for a while!

On the Bridgewater website it still says that Subway is opening up, anyone know if that still is the case?

I heard during the week that the Eddie Rocket's had the biggest opening of any chain in Ireland, quite impressive! It's always packed when I walk by!

ongarboy

Sorry for resurrecting aged thread but Irish Times reporting that the centre has been bought by Goldmans Sachs as an investment.

Apparently Starbucks and CEX are fitting out new stores there also.

Branoic

CEX is already open. I'd heard Starbucks too, but don't know where they're going. I would assume the River Cafe place next to Le Cafe that's gone through a number of owners, but there doesn't appear to be any work being done there yet.

Edit: also, its kind of weird reviewing a thread dated from before the economic crash! Sad how the town has changed since 2007.

cookie.monster

Branoic wrote: »

CEX is already open. I'd heard Starbucks too, but don't know where they're going. I would assume the River Cafe place next to Le Cafe that's gone through a number of owners, but there doesn't appear to be any work being done there yet.

Edit: also, its kind of weird reviewing a thread dated from before the economic crash! Sad how the town has changed since 2007.

one sad sight to see is de paors fruit and veg shop closed and up for sale, one nice family

Branoic

cookie.monster wrote: »

one sad sight to see is de paors fruit and veg shop closed and up for sale, one nice family

Indeed. Lovely folks. Peter was a legend.

cookie.monster

Branoic wrote: »

Indeed. Lovely folks. Peter was a legend.

that he was, i used sell to them, had great time for them all, often had an argument with peter think he loved winding me up poor fella