ALDI for Callan - again!!

nhg

Good morning Guys, The long wait is nearing the finish line... I hope that I am right & that ALDI will be a help to other Callan businesses, I know I for one will be trying to get all my grocery shopping done in Callan as opposed to going to KK or the likes at the weekend to get a few bits, I assume lots more will be like me.

SV seem to be on a big spruce up, just makes me wonder what it would be like if ALDI were'nt coming to town - we're still the same customers as have always been there! They have there chance now to grab extra customers, hopefully they will pull their socks up & be able to keep them.

Will probably just drive by ALDI around opening time as my little man is fascinated by it as I drop him to school & head to work, will probably ramble up after work this evening with little man & OH.

Foxy & I have regular conversations when we meet - usually in sv, our next one should be interesting........

Thanks for the updates guys, it's been great......

It will be interesting what direction posts to this thread will take after 9am today.......

Cabaal

100th store opening

http://businessetc.thejournal.ie/aldi-jobs-ireland-874566-Apr2013/

Phil MaCrackin

Well foxy, I'm not sure what you can say we achieved, other than chat about things, but it is fun, that's for sure! Sadly I won't be there at 9 either, the pitfalls of work Maybe at lunchtime I hope..... Least the day has cleaned up for it!!!
Hopefully someone get some vids for YouTube of the event!!

nhg

As we drove by at 9.01 on the way to school, doors open and some shoppers going in & some coming out so it must have opened earlier than 9.00, cars even parked out side the car park on the chapple lane road.

Phil MaCrackin

OMG!! It's like Xmas eve in here! If SV had this crowd once a month they'd be flying!!!

S28382

Hey Foxy will can you please start a campaign to get Tesco to KK. im not committed enough to do it.

foxcoverteddy

Phil I went round looking for a man with a red tie, got some funny looks, the place was grand met half the family in there, it certain ly is the future of shopping, it should bring an impetus to retailers about the viability of Callan as a shopping centre.
I walked round carrying my bag of roosters no sign of Phil, the other half was primed to look for the red tie.
At least I saw Henry and our local councillor. Then I left to go to John for my meat.
No doubt there will be a few more posts, thanks again Foxy

foxcoverteddy

S28382 fair comment, yes Kilkenny should have Tesco, it represents another dimension in the shopping spectrum, which is being denied to us, unless of course one is prepared to travel outside the county or have home delivery, which Tesco is brilliant at.
To start with who is behind the ban on Tesco in our county, you might say ah, the council, but the electors are crying out for Tesco to come to Kilkenny, so who is pushing the council to reject applications for a store.
We know there is a very strong business contingent who are hell bent on preserving what is, so strong they won't allow the high Street to be traffic free, which could give Kilkenny a continental flavour.
There must be someone who is prepared to blow the whistle on this gang who are keeping us in the past.
There are empty units in Loughboy which could well be a supermarket oh dear no you cannot sell groceries, anything else yes.
Progress in the city is being crippled against the wishes of the people.
The people should be heard, demand your councillor does something about it.
Lets have the debate in the open, Tesco for Kilkenny.
So why do we have two Dunnes Stores, two Lidl and two Aldi and one Supervalu?

Phil MaCrackin

I'm just out of there too Foxy, it's a bit crazy, people buying things they don't really need, I saw one fella,who shall remain nameless, going off with 5 oil filled heater, and a head of broccoli !! Haha!

SV on the other hand is certainly quieter today, but still a stir about the place!!
Time will tell!!

S28382

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

S28382 fair comment, yes Kilkenny should have Tesco, it represents another dimension in the shopping spectrum, which is being denied to us, unless of course one is prepared to travel outside the county or have home delivery, which Tesco is brilliant at.
To start with who is behind the ban on Tesco in our county, you might say ah, the council, but the electors are crying out for Tesco to come to Kilkenny, so who is pushing the council to reject applications for a store.
We know there is a very strong business contingent who are hell bent on preserving what is, so strong they won't allow the high Street to be traffic free, which could give Kilkenny a continental flavour.
There must be someone who is prepared to blow the whistle on this gang who are keeping us in the past.
There are empty units in Loughboy which could well be a supermarket oh dear no you cannot sell groceries, anything else yes.
Progress in the city is being crippled against the wishes of the people.
The people should be heard, demand your councillor does something about it.
Lets have the debate in the open, Tesco for Kilkenny.
So why do we have two Dunnes Stores, two Lidl and two Aldi and one Supervalu?

So is it some businesses objecting to Tesco or is it the council? im hearing its the council, Im a blow in so im not familiar with the politics of KK. I love living in KK. I love the way its kept clean, the good vibe always around the place, the lovely walkways, the castle......So im presuming for the most part the council do a good job in keeping KK ticking away and your right about Dunnes/Aldi/Lidl/Supervalu so why not have a Tesco.

foxcoverteddy

Apparently they were very good value, they were selling like hot cakes, according to those who know at a very discounted price. We haven't had word from Dan yet, Autosport reckons later.
Yes it was good fun, see you and did you wear the red tie??

Phil MaCrackin

Ha! No foxy, afraid that was a clever ploy to throw ppl off the scent Thought I was conspicuous enough posting on boards from one of the aisles in there!
Foxy, you said we got a mention in the Indy??? Can you put up a link? I didn't see that!!

foxcoverteddy

Yes I am very proud of our city, which doesn't say I am against change provided it fits in with what is.
I am troubled by developments like Macdonough which in my mind do not fit in with the general scheme of things, we needed something like the station but not necessarily what we got, go past and the old insurance office is an eyesore, opposite isn't a lot better.
Kilkenny whether one likes it or not is an olde world type place, and do we keep up with the latest trends inbuilding to satisfy developers?
We would not want a skyscraper would we, so there should be a degree of preserving the natural heritage of the place.
The lanes could be something special the one by Market Cross is dire, crap to be honest the council could well have made the area's really touristy.
There is much to be written, which includes why no Tesco.

Captain Havoc

I don't think anybody actually cares that we've no Tesco in Kilkenny, we have enough supermarkets, 2 x Dunnes, 2 x LIDL, 2 x Aldi, Supervalu and Eurospar. Not having a Tesco isn't keeping us in the past and I wouldn't see the building of a Tesco as a sign of progress.

S28382

Captain Havoc wrote: »

I don't think anybody actually cares that we've no Tesco in Kilkenny, we have enough supermarkets, 2 x Dunnes, 2 x LIDL, 2 x Aldi, Supervalu and Eurospar. Not having a Tesco isn't keeping us in the past and I wouldn't see the building of a Tesco as a sign of progress.

WHAT!!!!!!!! You must of never been to Tesco they are magical.

Captain Havoc

S28382 wrote: »

WHAT!!!!!!!! You must of never been to Tesco they are magical.

LOL. I forgot Superquinn on my list also.

S28382

To be fair Superquinn are too expensive for my poor self so i dodge them at least Tesco is reasonable.

foxcoverteddy

that is an opinion which is very valid, however, what do you see as progress in Kilkenny, we have no large stores near the tourist haunt, i.e. the Castle, unless they are directed towards the railway station, then we have next and TK Max, we do not sport Debenhams, M&S, Brown thomas or any other welknown store and not forgetting Tesco.
Because we have two dunnes stores is that supposed to be sufficient for the natives, you don't need anymore, it smacks of days gone by doesn't it.
Do you not believe we need choice, the more choice the better, we could add H&M to our list, but if you think along the lines we have sufficient why not press for the closure of one of the dunnes and aldi and Lidl.
Sorry but whilst appreciating your comments I am opposed to supression of freedom of where we can and cannot shop.
So what is the plan for the mart site? Make it into a park, a coach park perhaps, I wonder.

Cabaal

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

that is an opinion which is very valid, however, what do you see as progress in Kilkenny, we have no large stores near the tourist haunt, i.e. the Castle, unless they are directed towards the railway station, then we have next and TK Max,

Only an idiot would stick stores like TK Maxx up near the castle,
Tourists from Europe and America don't come to Ireland to shop in M&S, TK Maxx etc. Generally people that come to shop in Kilkenny come from within Ireland and as such the location near the train station is actually very useful as:
1. They can simply get off the train and shop (know plenty of people that have done this)
2. It has plenty of parking and is easy to get to when coming off the M9

we do not sport Debenhams, M&S, Brown thomas or any other welknown store and not forgetting Tesco.

and yet I know of plenty of people in Waterford who see Kilkenny as a better place to shop for clothes and stuff, so people need to stop thinking that XYZ store name is the be all and end all of everything.

foxcoverteddy

Well you have a very valid point, but I must ask you what stores does Waterford City have that would encourage one to shop at?
As I said we are proud of our city it looks the part of a centre of heritage, so why do many kilkeeny people shop in carlow, go up to kildare village and newbridge.
Simple one word "Choice", so many people forget human nature is built on choice, unfortunately you are much more elequent with words than I am and are almost bound to win, however perhaps tenacity might help.
Regards as always foxy
PS me thinks this should be on a new thread, what say you?

Captain Havoc

foxcoverteddy wrote: »

that is an opinion which is very valid, however, what do you see as progress in Kilkenny, we have no large stores near the tourist haunt, i.e. the Castle, unless they are directed towards the railway station, then we have next and TK Max, we do not sport Debenhams, M&S, Brown thomas or any other welknown store and not forgetting Tesco.
Because we have two dunnes stores is that supposed to be sufficient for the natives, you don't need anymore, it smacks of days gone by doesn't it.
Do you not believe we need choice, the more choice the better, we could add H&M to our list, but if you think along the lines we have sufficient why not press for the closure of one of the dunnes and aldi and Lidl.
Sorry but whilst appreciating your comments I am opposed to supression of freedom of where we can and cannot shop.
So what is the plan for the mart site? Make it into a park, a coach park perhaps, I wonder.

You'd be mad to stick stores near the castle.
Debenhams have 5 stores in the ROI which are located in the biggest cities (except Tralee), we're number 12 on the list of largest cities.
OK M&S are nationwide and I used to buy my clothes there when I lived in Dublin but again we've enough supermarkets here.
Brown Thomas are in our four largest cities, we're the 12th
We have H&M in Kilkenny.
Should we not be pushing for public amenities before we start inviting businesses into the city? Remember Tesco are only around to take your money, the same as every other supermarket. I work in Carlow and I don't go out of my way to use Tesco.

Dan Jaman

As I've mentioned before, Tesco isn't the bees' knees - the very tempting prices of Tesco UK are not repeated here. Time and again I've seen mention of special offers in all Tesco UK stores and the Irish ones don't have them. Why is this? Oh, it might be because Tesco Ireland know the punters here are prepared to pay a bit more.

Anyway; back to the main thrust of this thread.
I nipped into the Callan new Aldi and was treated to a busy sight - the carpark was utterly full and from what I gather it was jammed even more earlier on. Inside, the store was the busiest I've ever seen an Aldi or Lidl, with several people just wandering around gawping (jeez, you'd think some had never seen a supermarket before) and cluttering up the place. It was slightly disconcerting seeing loads of people I know in an Aldi - context is everything, normally.
I zipped around quickly, picked up my usual SV load but paid a good tenner less for it, so I'm quite happy about that. The checkout blokes were very helpful (even if my packing system was bolloxed) and I appreciated that.
I hope it all goes well for them.

foxcoverteddy

Right I agree about the castle and shops etc, so what about the derelict cash and carry site, ideal for an M&S or Debenhams it would not intrude upon any of the sights of the city. So, okay if you do not go out of your way to shop in Tesco, a bit personal where do you go?
We really do not have an all purpose store like Tesco, be honest one Tesco is probably the better evil than another mall, unless it was the proper thing like Lakeside or Blue Waters and the like, people would flock to Kilkenny for a really decent mall. got to rush will be back, what about another thread?

Captain Havoc

What is in Tesco that isn't in Dunnes? I am about to go into the fair green now but I won't be going into Tesco.

Dozen Wicked Words

Captain Havoc wrote: »

What is in Tesco that isn't in Dunnes? I am about to go into the fair green now but I won't be going into Tesco.

Nothing.

Really don't understand the mania for Tesco from certain quarters. Have said before but bears repeating, when my family lived in the UK, my wife worked in Tesco for a few years, got her 10% staff discount, and bar picking up milk or whatever after work, we never shopped there. Even with the discount we were much better off using Aldi mainly and Asda or Morrisons or even Sainsburys to pick up a few branded goods. Tesco are as expensive in the UK as virtually every other supermarket these days apart from Waitrose.

Price difference between Tesco and Dunnes here is minimal, if any, and hopefully the Irish consumer will eventually cop on that Tesco really aren't anything special, like the UK and rest of the world are waking up to.

Cabaal

I've said it before and I'll say it again,

Some people in Kilkenny have a mania for wanting Tesco,

Waterford has a ****e load ofg Tesco's and they don't even like them and they want M&S

Clonmel have a M&S and really its nothing to write home about, even the one's in Dublin aren't great. Sure they have nice stuff but so do any stores. You sure as hell wouldn't do your weekly shop in a M&S though or you'd be broke.

foxcoverteddy

It really has very little to do with Tesco being better or worse than any other supermarket, before answering that, it is the fact that we have a council which is denying every person in the county the freedom of choice where they shop, a freedom that every other council has granted to its citizen's.
someone said is Tesco any different to dunne's, that is inmaterial, it is the freedom to choose.
Then we get , if Tesco come it will decimate the High St and the small shops, has 2 Dunnes Stores, 2 Aldi and 2Lidl and 1 Supervalu decimated the High St, no, yes some shops have gone but that is normal turnover, no one mentions John Street, what is the cause of that being somewhat downbeat, it isn't Tesco.
Market Cross has many empty shops, not Tesco's fault, not Superquinn's fault although without Superquinn the place would no doubt fold.
So perhaps someone could explain this anti Tesco thread.
In truth there is very little to choose between Tesco and Dunnes, given the choice I wouldf prefer Tesco, it is no cheaper, but cheapness is not the question, it is the freedom of choice.
If you look at the thread Aldi for Callan, yes Aldi is cheaper, but that will not stop many people going to Supervalu, I personally like the store, it is in my opinion a great pity it is not run to the best advantage considering the position it is in.
But the main factor is again the freedom of choice, luckily we have no small shops to worry about, other than John the Butcher, Billy the Baker and Joe the florist, they are the only ones that could be effected by aldi, Paddy Kerwick should have no such worry.
Another frequent mentioned is the small shops, some suggest it is worth paying extra to keep them, who is more important, the shop keeper or my family with whom any savings can be spent?
It is a shame when people take such threads as a personal affront, it is not, it is my favourite line it is Personal Choice.
Would i do a weeks shopping in M&S if we had one, no not on your life, equally I would not necessarily try and do a weeks shop in one of these up-market stores, without mentioning any names as that would not be fair.
Such stores are great for a special occasion, it is some what akin to Organic produce, is it worth the money, much depends on the amount of money one has to spend, to be honest I would not dream of going to the thursday market, freedom of choice.
I will continue to press for Tesco in Kilkenny, this 2013, not 1913.
Foxy

Dozen Wicked Words

You have the freedom of choice to travel across an imaginary line (a county border) and go to a Tesco. Nothing stopping you.

foxcoverteddy

You are quite right in all respects, in fact at the moment many do just that, I will ask you, why are you suggesting we spend our money in another town and why are we not providing jobs for our own in their county.
To be honest i often wonder about this county thing, perhaps we should scrap county borders and call it the south-east region.
The hurlers etc can still play using team names. Interesting.

Autosport

Well Foxy and Co, How did the opening go??? Did you get to cut the ribbon?? I havent been yet but just for you i will make it my priority this weekend after the F1 of course I cant wait to see the photos of Foxy and Henry