Coonagh SC

Kess73

Seems there is talk of it being in trouble, the main building has long since missed it's March opening date, and a manager from one of the other local tesco stores was telling me that Tesco are eriousely reconsidering their status as the anchor tenant in a centre that has no other stores.


Two other stores that were going to open second stores in Limerick have pulled out of Coonagh also. This I know for fact as I had an interview for one of them, only to be told that the second store for Limerick is now being but on hold until they can source another unit that they want elsewhere.

Tefral

Sign of things to come for the next few years really... Shopping expenditure is on the slow down given out current economic climate

Sunn

not to mention tescos is pretty expensive.

Tinytony

Given the current slow down, can anybody realistically see the developers pushing ahead with the Opera Centre within the next year? If they don't the city is going to left with a whole block of derelict buildings in the middle of the city. The council are already losing a fortune in rates from them being unoccupied.

Amazotheamazing

Tinytony wrote: »

Given the current slow down, can anybody realistically see the developers pushing ahead with the Opera Centre within the next year? If they don't the city is going to left with a whole block of derelict buildings in the middle of the city. The council are already losing a fortune in rates from them being unoccupied.

No worse than having a newly built empty shopping centre a la Williamscourt and O'Connell Mall in the 1980's.

Tinytony

Sorry bud, not that old!

Amazotheamazing

No worries, anyhow, the recession won't last forever, and the city cenrtre is staying put, so the Opera centre is a better investment than Coonagh.

Tinytony

No questioning which is the better investment. There has to be an end to all these "retail parks" eventually.

1huge1

Makes you wonder about the huge parkway valley shopping centre though, Besides the traffic problems that place is going to create I have high hopes for it

D-A-V-E

ya please god make the parkway valley the last suburban retail park/ shopping centre! its redeculous the amount of these outside the city!

Tinytony

ya i think for those places to work they need to have lots of shops covering nearly everything (like Blanch in Dublin). These retails parks with only 3 or 4 units are a waste of time. I think the city would be well enough served with the Parkway area, the Crescent and a big city centre shopping area (i.e. The Opera Centre)

Kess73

The Opera house idea has not been given the official go ahead yet. It has been lots of hot air mostly by local councillers who like getting their faces in the paper.

There was a short notice on it in last night's Limerick Chronicle with the meeting to decide if the newest version of the building plans get the green light being held on Thursday, and if it is greenlit, the finishing date is now loosely being banded as late 2011, which I will not hold my breath on, and previous finishing dates banded about by the city council included Autumn 2006 and Summer 2008.

um7y1h83ge06nx

Went there for the first time on Sunday and wasn't really impressed.

It's hard to get into from the Shannon side entrance, we got confused and had to go onto the Coonagh roundabout and swing back in again from that side.

The place seemed extremely empty as well with only one tenant, not good.

Poxyshamrock

Kess73 wrote: »

Two other stores that were going to open second stores in Limerick have pulled out of Coonagh also.

So can say who they are?
I know that Boots and Halifax were supposed to be opening as well as Thorntons.

TK Maxx was another rumour.

I think it's ridiculous to be honest.
They said before Christmas when Tesco opened they had a load of tenants lined up.
Now it's a shell

Another Jetland???

bazz26

The suberbs are awash with these retail parks/shopping centres. It was only a matter of time before we reached saturation point. The current lack of consumer confidence and threat of economic recession is only going to hammer the death nail into these places.

The Coonagh Cross SC looks to have been a disaster, multiple big empty retail units with only one struggling tenant there. The Parkway Valley could end up the same and they are still building these places around the Tipperary road with nobody to occupy them.

Developers should not be allowed to build these concrete/steel/glass ghost towns unless they can guarantee they have tenants to fill them.

Kess73

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

So can say who they are?
I know that Boots and Halifax were supposed to be opening as well as Thorntons.

TK Maxx was another rumour.

I think it's ridiculous to be honest.
They said before Christmas when Tesco opened they had a load of tenants lined up.
Now it's a shell

Another Jetland???

Thorntons and Boots.




TK Maxx were never lined up for Coonagh, they viewed a unit in the same park as Woodies and I think that they will be opening circa September/October there, along with an electrical company which is rumoured to be Maplin.

luder

Coming from someone that works in tesco coonagh, business seems to be well up on previous months.

Tesco shannon is closed recently, wether for renovations or permanently i dont know but many of the shannon locals are now travelling to use tesco coonagh..!!

LadyTBolt

I used to shop in Coonagh but have recently discovered online shopping where they deliver to your door at the time and day you want and I love it. There will be no going back for me! Even though I don't physically go to the store Coonagh delivers to me. Tis Great! 2 hours and all of my patience saved each week

1huge1

Tinytony wrote: »

ya i think for those places to work they need to have lots of shops covering nearly everything (like Blanch in Dublin). These retails parks with only 3 or 4 units are a waste of time. I think the city would be well enough served with the Parkway area, the Crescent and a big city centre shopping area (i.e. The Opera Centre)

Well ya but that would leave the northside of the city without any real choice, and to be honest I think all the retail parks built on the northside have been rubbish so far.

Limerick Dude

1huge1 wrote: »

Well ya but that would leave the northside of the city without any real choice, and to be honest I think all the retail parks built on the northside have been rubbish so far.

Lol there has only been one really! and its only been open a year or so!

highlydebased

I've found Tesco far more convienient than Dunnes- Often good bargains to be had also

Would be rather interesting if a Maplin opened down there- Dunno if the city could support two shops though

ninty9er

My guess is that they had a load of tenants lined up when they thought there would be a cinema to draw people over there. Dropping the cinema was a massive cock up.

Parkway Valley is the way to go really as established with the Crescent. Extend rather than disperse all over the place.

topper75

What was badly needed on the Coonagh side was a pool or cinema, not a retail facility. Shame the cinema idea collapsed.

Stab*City

i think that we can kiss goodbye to alot of these projects that have been mentioned in the local papers.. as was mentioned before its all hot air from the council to try and keep limerick on the up and up.. if anybody thinks limerick will be any different to the other places where projects like these have been scraped they have another thing coming.. if it aint thomond park then nobody cares.. look at our marina ffs i remember references to maimi in the local papers now look at it hardly used.. the opera house i wouldnt hold my breath.. all pipe dreams if u ask me.. ffs it took the council 6 years to get a little skatepark half built for the youth/future of limerick.. all these people care about is getting there picture in the paper when these ridiculous projects finally open doors 5 yrs late.. if ever.. all this one way system traffic in town and the thoughts of a pedestrianised city centre!! wake up look around nobody even goes into town anymore save for maybe a saturday.. even then there is probably twice that amount in the crescent or on way there or looking for parking there.. 20 yrs down the line i can see alot more unused buildings lining the streets of limerick.. fur coat and no knickers if u ask me.

CerebralCortex

Stab*City wrote: »

i think that we can kiss goodbye to alot of these projects that have been mentioned in the local papers.....etc

How very optimistic you are!

Stab*City

CerebralCortex wrote: »

How very optimistic you are!

realistic more like.

Amazotheamazing

I dunno, I work in town and Thomas street and Bedford Row are definately busier since the pedestrianisation. The city centre still has a long way to go, but it is improving.

Stab*City

oh cool thats 2 streets out of 50.. way to go limerick CC

Amazotheamazing

Stab*City wrote: »

oh cool thats 2 streets out of 50.. way to go limerick CC

Well Catherine Street is started by now and William street is due to start this Autumn. Like I said, a long way to go but it is improving. Anyhow, being excessively negative about it isn't going to help.

Stab*City

nagative will u people wake the f**k up.. me being excessively negative isnt going to hinder it either.. wow i cant wait to see the new cathrine st.. or wait why bother by then i can go to one of the multitude of shopping centres/retail parks and get what i want all under one roof with decent parking oh and might i add free parking plus alot cheaper i mean its actually funny i can buy a sony tv in harvey normans or currys for way less than the sony shop in town.. ground rents are killing the city.. greedy landlords.. town is dead. wake up.. only reason i would ever go to town now is easons.. and trust me i used to love town but if your not looking for a rugby jersey or some make up and a new frock your better off forgetting town..

Amazotheamazing

Meh, I live in town, suits me.