Stores Closing in Sligo **mod warning post #720**

Xiney

Even when I was living a 30 minute walk outside of town, public transportation in Sligo was so poor I think I used it 5 or 6 times total over the year.

darealtulip

bobcar61 wrote: »

I don't use public transport in Sligo as I would have to walk for about two hours or so to the bus stop so it's quicker to drive.

Walking is good for the enviroment too!!:D

jimmmy

DenMan wrote: »

Anyways......I hope KFC doesn't go. Heard rumours about a few in Dub to go.

Heard a rumour they wanted to go from Carraroe ( not surprisingly, considering the business and population etc ) but were locked in to a lease.

Culchie

As Benny said the whole location debate about McDonaghs location is rubbish.
Collooney site has visibilty for 90% weekly traffic flow and adequate parking .... and it was doing more trade on a Monday in Collooney than it was on a Saturday in Sligo ... for the first few months and the recession hit.
Just about every single car entering Sligo passes McDonaghs on the way out of town, or on the way in....it's a dream location.

The 'kettle' argument is a false analogy as well. Whether he was in Sligo or Collooney, selling the odd kettle is not going to make any difference to the bank balance. McDonaghs average € sales would be in the hundreds ... and for that type of spend (as proved with the Enniskillen factor) people are prepared to get in the cars and travel 10 minutes down the road..... especially as they are probably out in that direction every week as well.....so it's not a typical desination journey from A to B.

They call these things Recessions for a good reason ... consumer spending drops off dramatically. People are not building houses because banks have stopped lending. Those who have approved loans are not taking them because they fear for their jobs and ability to repay the mortgage. Landlords have empty houses. Construction workers are on the dole, trying to put food on the table, not buy a 50" plasma.

Selling luxury/white goods in such times is extremely tough, that twinned with the withdrawal of credit facilities is the reason McDonaghs closed, not some 'out of town' shopping myth.
Sure isn't Johnsons Court in the centre of town...and look at all the business closures there!

Basq

Don't know if Cantec are closed or doing refurbishments, but noticed their windows were whited out when going through Wine Street Car Park this morning.

Presume they're closed!

magnumlady

Cantec seem to have moved across the car park.....to where the fruit and veg shop used to be on the corner.
Not called Cantec anymore, but the same staff and services.

jimmmy

Culchie wrote: »

Collooney site has visibilty for 90% weekly traffic flow and adequate parking !

Peoples eyes are on the road, not on some building in the distance which takes over half a mile in an indirect route to get to, and which has no pedestrian or traffic passing its front door. The fiat garage there suffered the same fate ...it closed too

Culchie wrote: »

The 'kettle' argument is a false analogy as well. Whether he was in Sligo or Collooney, selling the odd kettle is not going to make any difference to the bank balance. !

Every house needs items like kettles, toasters, electric blankets, hoovers ....sell them and they all add up....and you build goodwill for selling bigger items

Culchie wrote: »

Selling luxury/white goods in such times is extremely tough, !

Electrical goods seem to have a life eg washing machines / tv all break down eventually....and unlike years ago when it was cheaper to get the repaired now its usually more cost effective to sell new ones. Electrical goods are still being sold , albeit not in the same quantity. I am sure the business survived tough times in the past 50 years too...

Culchie wrote: »

that twinned with the withdrawal of credit facilities is the reason McDonaghs closed, !

No supplier or bank would withdraw total credit facilities after 50 years successful trading...its in a suppliers interest to shift goods too.

Culchie wrote: »

Sure isn't Johnsons Court in the centre of town...and look at all the business closures there!

A few new shops / national chains came to Sligo a few years ago, and entered a relatively small local market, which was already well enough supplied....no surprise not all of them survive. How often do people buy bags for example - how could a shop survive which only sold that, and which failed to diversify ? Like the foreign owned multinationals at Carraroe, Sligo survived without that until a few years ago, and will again.

Xiney

jimmmy wrote: »

Peoples eyes are on the road, not on some building in the distance which takes over half a mile in an indirect route to get to, and which has no pedestrian or traffic passing its front door. The fiat garage there suffered the same fate ...it closed too

So you're saying that there's no point in bill boards then? Because peoples' eyes are on the road?

Don't be silly jimmmy, people passed McDonagh's all the time. They likely remembered them when they were in the market for a new TV - that, coupled with the fact that the Collooney store being extremely accessible was very useful to them.

jimmmy wrote: »

Every house needs items like kettles, toasters, electric blankets, hoovers ....sell them and they all add up....and you build goodwill for selling bigger items

Can't really argue with that, but if you lived in the county and worked in Finisklin (a common situation), and you wanted to buy a kettle after work, would you go from Finisklin to the centre of town, get stuck in traffic for god knows how long, struggle to find a cramped parking space, then PAY for that parking space.... or would you pop into McDonagh's on the way home?

jimmmy wrote: »

Electrical goods seem to have a life eg washing machines / tv all break down eventually....and unlike years ago when it was cheaper to get the repaired now its usually more cost effective to sell new ones. Electrical goods are still being sold , albeit not in the same quantity. I am sure the business survived tough times in the past 50 years too...

People may be buying new rather than repairing old (although I see no evidence of that) but if everyone buys new cheap stuff with little profit, the company will go under anyway. Business has also changed in the past 50 years. The last time things were tough in Ireland, the North wasn't the cheaper option. Things are MUCH tougher for Irish business this time around.

jimmmy wrote: »

No supplier or bank would withdraw total credit facilities after 50 years successful trading...its in a suppliers interest to shift goods too.

Culcie wasn't talking about credit to McDonagh's. He was talking about customer's credit. Also, there are lots of new suppliers on the market that wouldn't have the credit history all the way back to 50 years.

jimmmy wrote: »

A few new shops / national chains came to Sligo a few years ago, and entered a relatively small local market, which was already well enough supplied....no surprise not all of them survive. How often do people buy bags for example - how could a shop survive which only sold that, and which failed to diversify ? Like the foreign owned multinationals at Carraroe, Sligo survived without that until a few years ago, and will again.

Sligo may have survived without them, but everyone seemed happy when they moved in. We thought it would bring better choices and better prices.

Turns out we needed the recession for the prices, but hey.

fmcc

Suppliers will withdraw credit at the drop of a hat regardless of how long you have been succesfully trading with them. When your suplpier was a smaller company they may have backed the man but now an cfo or similar says over x amount of days or whatever stop supply until its cleared down. The only reason the cfo does this is because the bank is probably stangling them credit wise too. 50 years or two years makes no odds to a multinational. Some of the bigger names in the retail park may be in foc rent for the first 2-3 years so when that runs out we will see what happens.

jimmmy

Xiney wrote: »

So you're saying that there's no point in bill boards then? Because peoples' eyes are on the road?.

Big difference, bill boards are for advertising only. And Bill boards are generally not on some building in the distance which takes over half a mile in an indirect route to get to.

Xiney wrote: »

Can't really argue with that, but if you lived in the county and worked in Finisklin (a common situation), and you wanted to buy a kettle after work, would you go from Finisklin to the centre of town, get stuck in traffic for god knows how long, struggle to find a cramped parking space, then PAY for that parking space.... or would you pop into McDonagh's on the way home?.

It may have suited some people...every location will suit some people some of the time. Collooney obviously does not suit most people most of the time. The proof is in the empty units. Build a load of industrial units 7 or 8 miles the other side of Sligo , fill them with shops and the same thing would happen.

Xiney wrote: »

People may be buying new rather than repairing old (although I see no evidence of that) but if everyone buys new cheap stuff with little profit, the company will go under anyway. Business has also changed in the past 50 years. The last time things were tough in Ireland, the North wasn't the cheaper option. Things are MUCH tougher for Irish business this time around..

Years ago people did repair even cheap things like a kettle ; they got a new element. And most people did not have a fortune to spend on electrical goods 50 years ago either, I am sure.

Xiney wrote: »

Culcie wasn't talking about credit to McDonagh's. He was talking about customer's credit.

Sounds like a not very good reason for a 50 year old company to close if you ask me. If people need a new fridge , washing machine, hoover or kettle ( say the old one breaks down / needs replacing ) , they will 9 times out of 10 find a way of buying it anyway, credit crunch or no credit crunch.

magnumlady

Years ago it used to be cheaper to get an electrical item repaired rather then buy a new one, it's not the case these days.

Also years ago Tesco/Dunnes etc didn't used to sell electrical items.

Culchie

jimmmy wrote: »

Peoples eyes are on the road, not on some building in the distance which takes over half a mile in an indirect route to get to, and which has no pedestrian or traffic passing its front door. The fiat garage there suffered the same fate ...it closed too

At this point in your post, I realised one of the two things

(a) You haven't a clue about what you are talking about or

(b) You do not like to admit you are wrong.

I tend to think it's (b).


To suggest that people haven't noticed McDonagh's because they 'won't take their eyes off the road' is absolutely ridiculous. It makes the whole industry of advertising redundant, it makes the 'location, location' location' philosphy extinct.
Signwriting vans is a waste of money, signs above doors...pah .... what the hell, why do we need signposts at all.....sure I know what direction Dublin is in, it's eastwards. I can't take my eyes off the road to look at the signposts to tell me where it is.:rolleyes:
Why do billdboard companies charges thousands for a two week spot on roadside locations?

If there is a fault with the empty units in Collooney, it's probably the fact they are too big. Smallest Units start at approx 3200sq m.

The Old Dublin Road Business Park is nearly full after only about 18months, the units there are far more practical for SME's in the region, and that obviously reflects itself in the rent that needs to be paid.

I'm based in Collooney myself, and if you offered me any premises in town to swap, I wouldn't do it.
The only place I'd swap it for, is another premises in Collooney!

jimmmy

Culchie wrote: »

To suggest that people haven't noticed McDonagh's because they 'won't take their eyes off the road' is absolutely ridiculous. It makes the whole industry of advertising redundant, it makes the 'location, location' location' philosphy extinct.

People would notice billboards more than one particular building in a group of buildings, the distance which takes over half a mile in an indirect route to get to. Billboards in Ireland are generally at roadside locations, often near traffic lights or on the concave side of bends in the road, to be more noticeable. That is how to site billboards. As regards that estate in Collooney where McDonaghs was, did a tile place not close down beside them....or is it still going ? And the fiat garage....one of the few garages to close in Sligo ? Location, location, location....unless you have shares in Shell or have plans to toll the road betweenn Sligo and Collooney !

darealtulip

jimmmy wrote: »

People would notice billboards more than one particular building in a group of buildings,

Even if it's the only very large buildingwith bright orange signs? O no I didn't see it was bright orange because i was looking at the road.

TBH it is very hard not to see it!

Culchie

darealtulip wrote: »

Even if it's the only very large buildingwith bright orange signs? O no I didn't see it was bright orange because i was looking at the road.

TBH it is very hard not to see it!

It's an argument he's not prepared to back down from.

Jabby

Culchie wrote: »

At this point in your post, I realised one of the two things

(a) You haven't a clue about what you are talking about or

(b) You do not like to admit you are wrong.

I tend to think it's (b).

(a) and (b)

jimmmy

Are the other buildings around it not as big ? What colour signs had the other businesses which failed around there got ? Who cares what colour their signs were. A lot of people had not noticed the garage was closed, long after it had closed. Had the businesses been located at the roadside they would have been more noticeable. Having a noticeable presence ( eg for a billboatrd or advertising ) is one thing, being in a good location for customers is another.

bobcar61

Jimmy, how did you know the Fiat garage, Mc Donaghs and the tile place were in there if you are focusing on the road and didn't notice them by driving by them.
Did you know Curleys Furniture are in there.(Infact are they still open)

And it's hardly half a mile, and it's not too indirect.

bobcar61

Found out today that Toy City only officially closed on Monday last, they had been closed for the past month trying to raise finances but obviously they couldn't so closed. I believe all the branches are closed but don't quote me on that.

Dumb

bobcar61 wrote: »

Found out today that Toy City only officially closed on Monday last, they had been closed for the past month trying to raise finances but obviously they couldn't so closed. I believe all the branches are closed but don't quote me on that.

They're not

bobcar61

Well sorry I did say don't quote me on that so I obviously wasn't sure.

Which ones are still open? Have any of them had one of those 50% off all stock sales?

Dumb

bobcar61 wrote: »

Well sorry I did say don't quote me on that so I obviously wasn't sure.

Which ones are still open? Have any of them had one of those 50% off all stock sales?

Are Toy City and Toy Master the same thing. I'd say they must be

bobcar61

Nope completely different actually. Woods used to be toymaster in Sligo until it closed.

Dumb

There's a toy city in Athlone. It was open...


...but that was about five years ago. Could still be there though. I remember I was in Woodies which is in the same retail park. Had to go to the toilet. The Men and Ladies were being used so I had to use the disabled. There was no toilet roll and a lady was waiting in a wheelchair with the store manager when I came out!

Xiney

Dumb, how is that relevant?

lt_cmdr_worf

The Toy City in Athlone was boarded up, closed, when I passed it last at the start of June. It's also closed in Roscommon and Longford.

bobcar61

So the whole company must have gone belly up then!

TequilaMockingBird

bobcar61 wrote: »

Oh and I wouldn't be surprised if the clothes shop in Tesco arcade closed soon, I haven't heard anything but it looks like a dive that nobody goes into.

:rolleyes: I'm sure the owner who is probably working a 70 hour week and struggling to get to the end of the month, like most businesses (including the one that pays your wages), will appreciate your comprehensive review.

bobcar61 wrote: »

Nope completely different actually. Woods used to be toymaster in Sligo until it closed.

Nope, completely the same actually. Toymaster are a buying group.

bobcar61

I haven't heard that my employer is struggling to get to the end of the month. Have you? Yes, times are tough but the place is still doing quite well and making all their targets, and of course a lot of work has gone into that. In fact we got a visit from the 3rd most important person in the company and he was very impressed with our store.
For some of our targets we are often in the top 10 of the company out of 366 stores and out Garden Centre was in the top 3 for the earning in the company the week before last.

Maybe if that clothes shop in Tesco arcade just changed their stock it might attract more people to go in. From what I see in the window, it doesn't make me want to go in.

So are toymaster and toycity the same company then? Didn't know that, thanks:)

jimmmy

bobcar61 wrote: »

Oh and I wouldn't be surprised if the clothes shop in Tesco arcade closed soon, I haven't heard anything but it looks like a dive that nobody goes into.

bobcar61 wrote: »

Maybe if that clothes shop in Tesco arcade just changed their stock it might attract more people to go in. From what I see in the window, it doesn't make me want to go in.

As far as I know the place was gutted and completely new stock put in not too long ago...its a relatively new start up.

TequilaMockingBird wrote: »

:rolleyes: I'm sure the owner who is probably working a 70 hour week and struggling to get to the end of the month, like most businesses (including the one that pays your wages), will appreciate your comprehensive review.

True enough. The place in the arcade is up against stiff competition ( eg from Penneys, Dunnes and numerous other clothes shops ) and fair dues to that relatively small shop owner if he / she can set up there and compete against the multinationals. With a local owner, at least any profits made locally stay here, instead of going overseas. The places in the arcade are all occupied, the place is busy, the car park is busy, people are about....I would not worry too much about many places closing there.....more likely to close ( or pull back to their overseas bases , where they came from relatively recently ) I would imagine are the remainder of the multinationals in the warehouse retail park in Carraroe.... it seems much quieter and thats where many closures have been already.