old dunnes on parliament street

linny

just in town today, and noticed reserved sign up, anyone any ideas what might be going to open up in there, it's fairly big shop,

on another note anyone know what is happening with the old byrnes world of wonder shop, sign up opening under new managment.

catbear

Maybe Dunnes will reopen there, three Dunnes Stores! waHaHahaHa.........

road_high

Interesting...with this, new shop opening in old Byrnes shop and Easons opening there's a few new choices coming about. And less vacant units as well. Fair play to all concerned.
The unit beside Dunnes (old Hennessy Sports) is also vacant. An M&S would slot in nicely but we can only dream

thetonynator

mfitzy wrote: »

Interesting...with this, new shop opening in old Byrnes shop and Easons opening there's a few new choices coming about. And less vacant units as well. Fair play to all concerned.
The unit beside Dunnes (old Hennessy Sports) is also vacant. An M&S would slot in nicely but we can only dream

It would be great for the centre of the town to have something like that open . . . stop business leaving the town.

Lord Derpington

mfitzy wrote: »

An M&S would slot in nicely but we can only dream

Except you would have to push a trolly across the road and down steps/slope, or up james street to the car park.
So a supermarket wouldn't work there at all.

linny

An M&S would slot in nicely but we can only dream

i could'nt see dunnes letting there building to a rival supermarket,
it cant be another book store kilkenny has so many allready

mousehouse

The Byrnes shop on High street, the building is owned by the people who out the outdoors and gun shop in the butterslip, they are supposed to be opening up a sports shop there very soon.

I know Iceland the supermarket have just confirmed a unit in Kilkenny although I am not sure of the location yet, I am trying to find out from a friend who works with them. And easons is opening up under franchise in MacDonagh Junction later this month it is owned by the same guy who has the Clonmel franchise.

Threadhead

It's great to see unused units being used for something. A smaller Marks and Spencer or an Iceland store would be most welcome in that area. Not that we need another Dunnes, but the store that was there at least provided the Parliament Street area with some sort of general shop, of which there presently isn't one.

Hopefully those two units will be filled up soon. It's one of the most prominent (and attractive) intersections in the city and at present it doesn't look great having two empty buildings on it.

bloopy

Must be a franchise of some sort. Rent is €200000 per year. Can't imagine an individual having that much to risk at the moment.
http://www.daft.ie/searchcommercial.daft?id=52253

Lord Derpington

mousehouse wrote: »

I know Iceland the supermarket have just confirmed a unit in Kilkenny although I am not sure of the location yet

Really? That would be good news.
The only confirmed reports form Iceland are the stores opening in Carlow, Clonmel, Coolock and Ashbourne.



I dont understand everyone saying the location would make a good supermarket, if you think about it logistically at all.
It is both a terrible location for a supermarket from both a supplying and selling point of view for customers to leave with large amounts of goods.
Where is someone who does a weekly shop supposed to go with a trolley load of shopping?
The reason it was only ever a "convenience" store for Dunnes is because that's what best suits the location.
Something like a Eurospar, Tesco Express or similar is the only super market size that the location could support.

The best thing that would suit that area is a decent shoe shop, something for both genders, currently for men there is only really Barrets and Grahams.
This is something that Kilkenny is seriously lacking in, a large Schuh or Clarks would be a great addition.

aman

greenfly wrote: »

Really? That would be good news.
The only confirmed reports form Iceland are the stores opening in Carlow, Clonmel, Coolock and Ashbourne.


These are the only Iceland stores opening in 2011. There has been nothing confirmed for Kilkenny.

Lord Derpington

aman wrote: »

These are the only Iceland stores opening in 2011. There has been nothing confirmed for Kilkenny.

Is that not what i said?

However @ 105 stores lined up for the country, maybe mousehouse knows someone who is outlining the locations for the future.

road_high

mousehouse wrote: »

I know Iceland the supermarket have just confirmed a unit in Kilkenny although I am not sure of the location yet, I am trying to find out from a friend who works with them. And easons is opening up under franchise in MacDonagh Junction later this month it is owned by the same guy who has the Clonmel franchise.

Any more info from your friend on this? The old Dunnes shop in Parliament st is the ideal size for an Iceland though I can't see Dunnes allowing that either, thaink they own that building. They would be a welcome addition to KK.

aman

greenfly wrote: »

Is that not what i said?

However @ 105 stores lined up for the country, maybe mousehouse knows someone who is outlining the locations for the future.

As someone who also has a source in Iceland I can state positively that nothing has been confirmed for Kilkenny at all

road_high

mousehouse wrote: »

The Byrnes shop on High street, the building is owned by the people who out the outdoors and gun shop in the butterslip, they are supposed to be opening up a sports shop there very soon.

That's interesting. It's a quite a big shop so I wonder how they will fill it with that kind of range of specialist products.
They (Carrigans, I think) used to have the Sports Shop years ago, it was burned about 20 years ago, re-opened and then Byrenes took it over in the late 90s I think. I wonder will they go back into toys? I always loved their tpy shop as a chap but things have probably moved on a bit since then
Pity Ken Blacks never came to town (yet, anyhow).

road_high

greenfly wrote: »

Except you would have to push a trolly across the road and down steps/slope, or up james street to the car park.
So a supermarket wouldn't work there at all.

Market cross car park is right next door almost and easy to access via Parliament st entrance. Though I'm sure Superquinn would not exactly want to share their car park with another supermarket.
Will be interesting to see what opens there anyhow. Hope it's food related

linny

it would be an ideal place for an iceland store, if dunnes let them into it, who buys a weekly shop from iceland most people would buy one or two bags of frozen food at most anyways, could be fast food restaurant mac donalds we suppose to be looking for place more centre of town,

PaulKK

mfitzy wrote: »

Market cross car park is right next door almost and easy to access via Parliament st entrance. Though I'm sure Superquinn would not exactly want to share their car park with another supermarket.
Will be interesting to see what opens there anyhow. Hope it's food related

In fairness that would never work. You would have to push a trolley down the street on the footpath and then up the hill at the entrance to the car park!

Not to mention the fact that there is no room for that kind of foot traffic to enter the car park at that entrance. Crazy suggestion to be fair.

To be perfectly honest the only place I can see being successful down in that unit is a fast food place like burger king etc.

road_high

PaulKK wrote: »

In fairness that would never work. You would have to push a trolley down the street on the footpath and then up the hill at the entrance to the car park!

Not to mention the fact that there is no room for that kind of foot traffic to enter the car park at that entrance. Crazy suggestion to be fair.

To be perfectly honest the only place I can see being successful down in that unit is a fast food place like burger king etc.

Ah Paul, think of the exercise ya'd be getting though :P
Yea, I agree a BK in town would be very nice and would do well down there.

PaulKK

mfitzy wrote: »

Ah Paul, think of the exercise ya'd be getting though :P
Yea, I agree a BK in town would be very nice and would do well down there.

Lol, sure I could push it up James Street instead for the extra challange

Yea, can't understand why we don't have a BK, even feckin Carlow is getting one!

road_high

linny wrote: »

could be fast food restaurant mac donalds we suppose to be looking for place more centre of town,

Were/are Mcdonalds looking for some place in town? I think they're Village Inn location is kinda ridiculous though saying that they seem to be doing very well there all the time. They would do well in the city centre for sure, very popular with tourists everywhere.

PaulKK

mfitzy wrote: »

Were/are Mcdonalds looking for some place in town? I think they're Village Inn location is kinda ridiculous though saying that they seem to be doing very well there all the time. They would do well in the city centre for sure, very popular with tourists everywhere.

Its handy if you're driving though, can just lob the car out the back and pop in.

I'd say they could probably have two in town anyway, there's always a good few in the current one!

road_high

PaulKK wrote: »

Lol, sure I could push it up James Street instead for the extra challange

Yea, can't understand why we don't have a BK, even feckin Carlow is getting one!

Seriouisly? I can't understand all these top retailiersn(Debenhams and M&s apparently) setting up in Carlow latetly. The place is dead on it's feet the last few times I was there with nothing going on except undesirables rooming around.

PaulKK

mfitzy wrote: »

Seriouisly?

Yea, just opposite the college, a drive through and all.

mfitzy wrote: »

I can't understand all these top retailiersn(Debenhams and M&s apparently) setting up in Carlow latetly. The place is dead on it's feet the last few times I was there with nothing going on except undesirables rooming around.

Its ridiculous, cannot understand it, particularly when we get a lot of tourist trade too.

Agree on your last point, the place does not have a welcoming feel and does look quite run down. There are some nicer areas there but first impressions going in to the town aren't great. Also often a large proportion of the aforementioned undesirables to be seen.

Scallion 'ater

PaulKK wrote: »

Its ridiculous, cannot understand it, particularly when we get a lot of tourist trade too.

To be honest I don't think tourists are much use to potential retailers like M&S, Debenhams, Iceland, Currys, Homebase etc. who have moved to Carlow recently or plan to do so. For BK I think tourists would be a factor but with the College population in Carlow I think the likes of BK, Pizza hut etc were always more likely to choose Carlow over KK if it was a choice between one over the other (which of course may not necessarily be the case).

I have always thought that an issue that may be a bigger factor is population. Both Carlow and KK have similar size populations (KK may have 1,000 more) but within 25 km radius of Carlow are the towns of Athy (pop 9,000), Bagenalstown (pop. 3,000), Tullow (pop 3,000) and Baltinglass (2,000). Within 25 kms of Kilkenny are towns of Thomastown, Freshford, Callan and Comer but I don't think any of these have a pop of even 2,000. Also the proximity of the SE's retail capital (Waterford) to large areas of south co. KK must drag a lot of shoppers south rather than into Kilkenny.

I use the 25 km radius figure because I recall reading in some trade magazine that pop size within 25 kms is a key factor that potential retailers consider i.e it was considered that a sufficient critical mass of people will travel this distance to shop but outside of that is too far for many.

road_high

The main factors are lack of suitable sites and strict planning in Kilkenny city. The rules on retail warehousing and retailing of food specifically are quite strict; for instance there were several attempts by supermarkets to set in a few of the retail parks around town and they never got permission as they were outside the definition of what could be sold in "bulk warehousing". Iceland would not get permission very easiliy to set up in a retail park here as they would most other towns. This was designed to protect Kilkenny city centre and it could be argued it has been reasonably successful as the town centre is reasonably vibrant still compared to say Tullow st which used to be a great street years ago and sadly now is not the case basically.
Far as I know the likes of Carlow or Waterford are a good bit easier to set up in, especially as regards food retailing.
Also, there were plans for another huge retail site on the old mart site in Barrack st. and these have obviously fallen through with the recession. Something far more modest than what was planned though work on that site.

road_high

So anybody actually know what's going into this shop?

1984baby

I heard a few months ago that Lifestyle Sports were opening up a new store in the old Dunnes Stores site.

Scallion 'ater

mfitzy wrote: »

This was designed to protect Kilkenny city centre and it could be argued it has been reasonably successful as the town centre is reasonably vibrant still compared to say Tullow st which used to be a great street years ago and sadly now is not the case basically.
Far as I know the likes of Carlow or Waterford are a good bit easier to set up in, especially as regards food retailing.

Agreed, tullow St is an awful kip now with nothing but pound shops and empty shop units although the pubs on it are lively.

Not so sure about necessarily being easier to set up in if the problems Dunnes have had in getting a second unit in Carlow is anything to go by.

redtelephone

Scallion 'ater wrote: »

I have always thought that an issue that may be a bigger factor is population.

I have to agree with you Scallion 'ater, look at the population density as well. Carlow county has 61 people per sq km, where county Kilkenny has 46, and most of Carlow's population are in the top half of the county, where Kilkenny's is evenly spread, apart from the city. Between 2002 and 2006 Carlow town pop grew by 12% and Kilkenny city by 7%, (but I don't know if this trend has continued). So these could be the kind of figures that the chain stores are looking at when they are making decisions.

road_high

1984baby wrote: »

I heard a few months ago that Lifestyle Sports were opening up a new store in the old Dunnes Stores site.

Oh yes, somebody did mention that. Makes sense seen as their High St store is tiny for a Lifestyle Sports and Hennessys are gone as well so less competition beside them.
As an aside I would really love to see the centre of Kilkenny get a facelift. Like new standardised signage with street names and directions to say the Castle, Parade, Market Cross, Railway station etc stuff like that, and general improvements would go a long way.