Heitons closed, Aldi opening???

Charlie-Bravo

The auld lad went to Heitons Bray to pick up a few bits and found it was closed - they shut up shop last Friday. He had to head to up Chadwicks and while speaking to someone there (not necessarily a staff member) they mentioned that Aldi bought the place.

Any truth in the rumour about an Aldi opening up at the Heitons site?

Annasopra

Story from Indo

The publicly quoted Grafton Group has agreed a deal for the sale of a town centre site in Bray, Co Wicklow, to discount retailer Aldi for more than €5m.

This works out at over €3.4 million per acre for the 1.5 acre site and provides a welcome boost to the development land market in the north Wicklow/ South Dublin area.

Occupied by Grafton's builder suppliers subsidiary Heiton Buckley, the site is located on Castle Street, just across the road from Superquinn's shopping centre on the northern approach to Bray's Main St.

As well as the prime town centre location, another key factor behind the relatively strong price in the current market is the relatively few Aldi stores in the south Dublin area.

Although Aldi has about 70 stores around the country, its only existing south Dublin store is in Nutgrove, Rathfarnham, and it has also agreed a deal with the receiver of the Fleming group to take a unit in the Boulevard development in Sandyford Industrial Estate.

With the downturn in the property market the cash-rich German discounters have been in a stronger position to negotiate better deals with landowners and developers.

Meanwhile developers are now targeting this retail sector in their efforts to generate funds from land banks which had previously been earmarked for upmarket residential and retail projects.

For instance the Pizarro consortium recently received the green light to install a discount store in the former Industrial Yarns site on the Dublin Road just a few hundred yards to the north of the Castle Street site. This now seems likely to be taken by Aldi's main rival Lidl.

Both Aldi and Lidl had been targeted to acquire the site from the consortium, which comprised the Kelly, McCormack and Flynn development families, the Newlyn Group, Durkan New Homes and Pierse.

Durkan is also believed to be considering locating a discount store in its shopping centre next to the AIB branch in Stillorgan.

The consortium bought the 62-acre former Bray Golf Club and the adjoining Industrial Yarns site from Dwyer Nolan for almost €90m in 2003.

Charlie-Bravo

Thanks for that Johnny - I wouldn't normally trip to Bray to get anything specific as there is already a Lidl, Tesco and Superquinn in Greystones. However, Aldi have some nice frozen Tuna Steaks...worth popping in while passing!

Alun

As much as I welcome an Aldi in Bray at last, it's a bugger that Heiton Buckley is closing, they're a really helpful and friendly bunch in there. More so than Chadwicks in my experience.

foxy06

How are they going to fit an ALDI and room for parking there? Surely the sites not that big?

Alun

foxy06 wrote: »

How are they going to fit an ALDI and room for parking there? Surely the sites not that big?

It's bigger than you think .. all kinds of areas out back where they stored timber, piping etc. It's an odd shape though and there appears to be someone's back garden protruding into it as well.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2&cp=sw11n5ggqmk5&lvl=19.216339305381936&dir=2.85748367366694&sty=b

FluffyCat

I heard that lidi is going into the old furniture store on the Dublin road

Also heard that Tanseys, Allens and Winstons are to close. Hope thats not true!

LEIN

FluffyCat wrote: »

I heard that lidi is going into the old furniture store on the Dublin road

I also heard that but it was over 6 years ago and it still hasn't happened.

3nero

It's a huge site plus superquinn is moving up to the sourthern cross so aldi will have the place to themselfs.

foxy06

I heard about homeland furniture being taken over by aldi, Superquinn moving to southern cross and Winstons closing for years now and none of it has happened. Have to admit don't really shop in Allens Winstons or Tanseys (10 euro for socks being the main reason) but would be sad to see them go. Especially when the shops will probably lie idle if they do.

Heitons is bigger than I thought!

Son of Jack

Winstons is always good for a bargain.

We've been dressing on a budget for years from Winstons.

.243

Alun wrote: »

As much as I welcome an Aldi in Bray at last, it's a bugger that Heiton Buckley is closing, they're a really helpful and friendly bunch in there. More so than Chadwicks in my experience.

hate to burst your bubble but heiton buckley are owned by the chadwicks group

Lil' Smiler

is chadwicks still on the boghall? completely forgot about it!

2.8trooper

.243 wrote: »

hate to burst your bubble but heiton buckley are owned by the chadwicks group

i found both the be an inept shower to be quite honest treated people like dirt when things were good probably two of the most unhelpful establishments i have ever had the good fortune to be in,hietons only just barely better than chadwicks of bray.
couldnt stand either place.

Alun

.243 wrote: »

hate to burst your bubble but heiton buckley are owned by the chadwicks group

Irrelevant.

I found the crowd in Heiton Buckley in Bray to be exceedingly helpful, whereas I always found the staff in Chadwicks in Bray to be a bit on the surly side especially when dealing with what they considered to be 'stupid' questions from mere mortals who weren't 'in the trade' such as myself.

Who they are owned by is irrelevant, it's all down to the individual staff members and the management in each individual branch. I'm sure there are HB and Chadwicks branches where it's the other way around as well.

skibum

Alun wrote: »

I found the crowd in Heiton Buckley in Bray to be exceedingly helpful, whereas I always found the staff in Chadwicks in Bray to be a bit on the surly side especially when dealing with what they considered to be 'stupid' questions from mere mortals who weren't 'in the trade' such as myself.

That pretty much sums up my experience with both places

loobylou

I always found the staff in the plumbing section of Chadwicks very friendly and helpful.

duckysauce

loobylou wrote: »

I always found the staff in the plumbing section of Chadwicks very friendly and helpful.

with a name like lou no wonder

Antrim_Man

At last Aldi get planning permission or have they?? Twice they got knocked back by the council to build on the waste ground beside Powercity on the Boghall road. The reason, an increase in local traffic LMAO.

This is the same Boghall road that no longer has Dell, AO Smiths, Woodies and the soon to close Schering Ploug.

Smart lads on Bray council :rolleyes:

Macy0161

FluffyCat wrote: »

I heard that lidi is going into the old furniture store on the Dublin road

That's the Industrial Yarns site mentioned in the article that's posted.

On a more general point, it'll be good to have an Aldi within striking distance. Doesn't carry the brands of lidl, but their own stuff is better quality imo.

Thargor

Antrim_Man wrote: »

At last Aldi get planning permission or have they?? Twice they got knocked back by the council to build on the waste ground beside Powercity on the Boghall road. The reason, an increase in local traffic LMAO.

This is the same Boghall road that no longer has Dell, AO Smiths, Woodies and the soon to close Schering Ploug.

Smart lads on Bray council :rolleyes:

Holy crap thats across the road from my house, that would have been a fecking nightmare, would have had to move.

When are Lidl and Aldi supposed to open anyway? Is there an actual date yet?

Thargor

Sorry to ask again, but does anyone know exactly when these are supposed to open?

FluffyCat

Thargor wrote: »

Sorry to ask again, but does anyone know exactly when these are supposed to open?

Not for ages, stop stressing!!

By the time they get planning, get it refused, get it again, build the place, stock and staff it, it will be ages yet.

If Lidi is going into industrial yarns and has been been for years, that gives you some idea.

All Lidi and Aldi are the same building wise and im sure the ones in Bray will be the same.

When you see building work going on then you will have an idea

Thargor

Id love an Aldi or Lidl around the place, just not in my backyard

Antrim_Man

Not much happening in the old Heitons yard at the moment but something going on at the site for the new Lidl.

2x4

I heard that Aldi have a new planning application on their site on the Boghall Road.

Alun

2x4 wrote: »

I heard that Aldi have a new planning application on their site on the Boghall Road.

What site is that?

FluffyCat

Alun wrote: »

What site is that?

The site in front on Power city. Its already been approved.

http://www.wicklow.ie/ePlan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=1136&LASiteID=2

Alun

FluffyCat wrote: »

The site in front on Power city. Its already been approved.

http://www.wicklow.ie/ePlan41/FileRefDetails.aspx?file_number=1136&LASiteID=2

Great, that's a bit more convenient for me too. Hope it goes ahead soon.

EDIT: Is this in addition to, or instead of, the other site at Heiton Buckleys? I can't imagine Bray being able to support 2 Aldi's somehow.

FluffyCat

Alun wrote: »

Great, that's a bit more convenient for me too. Hope it goes ahead soon.

EDIT: Is this in addition to, or instead of, the other site at Heiton Buckleys? I can't imagine Bray being able to support 2 Aldi's somehow.

I really dont know but I doubt Bray needs two Aldi's and one Lidi!! Id say one of the sites will remain vacant

foxy06

I thought ALDI/Lidl going into heitons was refused planning permission for the carpark on the grounds that it would create a traffic blackspot (cos its flowing freely at the moment:rolleyes:) and superquinn objected too. Heard this a few weeks ago though.