Marks & Spencers to open in Ranelagh

bokonon

Heard this rumour today. It kind of checks out here:

http://www.google.com/search?q=marks%20spencer%20ranelagh (first item cache only)

Marks & Spencer Group plc is to open a store in Dublin 6 after it agreed to operate a Simply Food store from the old Jason's of Ranelagh snooker hall on Ranelagh Road. The store will put Marks & Spencer in direct competition with Superquinn, which opened a store in the former Four Provinces pub nearby. The store opening is subject to board approval by Marks & Spencer and subject to planning permission being granted for a shop on the site. Planning permission has yet to be sought. The firm is to open a department store of nearly 8,400 square metres, far larger than the Simply Food store it originally intended to open. The letting is a coup for Jerry O'Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney, who bought the site for the shopping centre last year. When complete it will have 40,000 square metres of shopping space over two main levels with smaller floors elsewhere. The openings are part of M&S plans to increase its presence in Ireland by 30 to 40% over the next five years.

Confusing article, but it must where the jewellers/Jason's/little newsagents used to be. 40,000 square metres sounds very big though.

Rb

Is this not going in where Il mondo (nightclub) and that pub used to be? That'd easily have the space for it.

bokonon

rb_ie wrote: »

Is this not going in where Il mondo (nightclub) and that pub used to be? That'd easily have the space for it.

If you mean the Four Provinces, that's where SuperQuinn is now.

Rb

bokonon wrote: »

If you mean the Four Provinces, that's where SuperQuinn is now.

Ahh that's right yeah, I remember seeing the signs for SuperQuinn, but thought M&S might have got it instead.

Kind of sad to see these massive stores piling into Ranelagh

markk06

It isn't going to be a big store. The "Simply Food" stores are only little ones similar to the one in Dun Laoghaire and Clarion Quay. They have them in the train stations and airports in UK.

NialoF1

Don't mean to change the subject but anyone here actually work in the Superquinn in Ranelagh? I know I do

Piste

Would Superquinn be hiring for the Summer by any chance?


We're getting a Starbucks too, down at the triangle where the chinese takeaway/internet café used to be.


I heard this about M&S too, wonder how they'll get around the post-office in the middle?

NialoF1

Piste wrote: »

Would Superquinn be hiring for the Summer by any chance?

I'll be leaving Superquinn in May so you may have a shot

cuckoo

I'd be a bit surprised if M&S did move into Ranelagh, Superquinn seems to be always busy there and has really mopped up the Luas travelling trade. All the newsagents pick up the rest of the slack.

With manky Tescos and the alrright Dunnes in Rathmines and Mortons as well, is there really any demand for a M&S?

ongarboy

The article in the opening post was inaccurate. The 8400sq meter M&S was referring to a 2 level dept store to be built in Limerick. It's just a small size Simply Food store that is opening in Ranelagh -see full article taken from Sunday Business Post below..

M&S to open Ranelagh store
Sunday, February 24, 2008 - By Neil Callanan
Marks & Spencer is to open a store in Dublin 6 after it agreed to operate a Simply Food store from the old Jason’s of Ranelagh snooker hall on Ranelagh Road.

The store will put Marks & Spencer in direct competition with Superquinn, which opened a store in the former Four Provinces pub nearby.

The store opening is subject to board approval by Marks & Spencer and subject to planning permission being granted for a shop on the site. Planning permission has yet to be sought.

Jason’s of Ranelagh was owned by the late Jack Cosgrave, the developer behind Jackson Homes and father of the siblings behind the Cosgrave Property Group. The snooker club, which is best known for being where former world champion Ken Doherty learned to play, closed in 2006.

Marks & Spencer is also understood to have decided to open a larger shop than originally proposed in The Opera Centre in Limerick.

The firm is to open a department store of nearly 8,400 square metres, far larger than the Simply Food store it originally intended to open. The letting is a coup for Jerry O’Reilly, Terry Sweeney and David Courtney, who bought the site for the shopping centre last year. When complete it will have 40,000 square metres of shopping space over two main levels with smaller floors elsewhere.



The openings are part of M&S plans to increase its presence in Ireland by 30 to 40 per cent over the next five years.

luckat

Is this still happening? And where will customers park?