What's missing from Limerick City Centre

whitesheep

I work for a property management company and I rent out space.

It's pretty ok to get residential accommodation rented out. Office space I find is fine might take time to find someone but once you get a client they generally last.

Retail is a whole other ball game. We can get Tennant's pretty easily but getting them to last is a different story.

From what I've rented out over the years services seem to last like shoe repairs, barbers & charity shops. Retail shops don't seem to last cafes are touch and go. I will have 4 small retail units available in the coming months.

Just wondering can anyone think of anything that's very obviously missing from the city centre that's not in Limerick. And I'll try and find that type of tenant.

Thanks is advance

closifer

We are missing a toy shop. There really isn't any in town. There are some lovely small toy shops in other cities that sell wooden type toys. They have them in Galway and Kilkenny and they seem to do well. Nothing like that here

Jimbob1977

A cinema.

Mc Love

closifer wrote: »

We are missing a toy shop. There really isn't any in town. There are some lovely small toy shops in other cities that sell wooden type toys. They have them in Galway and Kilkenny and they seem to do well. Nothing like that here

There's a toy shop on Catherine st, its tiny though

Eire-Dearg

A Five Guys :pac:

dashoonage

Monorail!

un5byh7sqpd2x0

M&S

martyc5674

Residents... that’s what we are missing, sort that and the rest will follow.

johnmolloy554

martyc5674 wrote: »

Residents... that’s what we are missing, sort that and the rest will follow.

Residents with disposable income.

Insect Overlord

Is there anywhere in town to play pool or snooker? I can't think of anything since The Vic closed.

callaway92

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Is there anywhere in town to play pool or snooker? I can't think of anything since The Vic closed.

There's one beside Ladbrokes/Sodalicious on Cecil St for Snooker and Pool.

St. Kevins I think it is. Good pool tables there in particular.

EDIT: Things look a little different now (this was 2017), but it's still there.

black & white

closifer wrote: »

We are missing a toy shop. There really isn't any in town. There are some lovely small toy shops in other cities that sell wooden type toys. They have them in Galway and Kilkenny and they seem to do well. Nothing like that here

There's one in Ennis as well.

Gary Owen

callaway92 wrote: »

There's one beside Ladbrokes/Sodalicious on Cecil St for Snooker and Pool.

St. Kevins I think it is. Good pool tables there in particular.

EDIT: Things look a little different now (this was 2017), but it's still there.

That’s st. Michaels

callaway92

Gary Owen wrote: »

That’s st. Michaels

Doesn’t really matter what the name is tbh

brianregan09

Less scumbags and tappers on the streets and more Guards

JupiterKid

M&S is a glaring omission from the Limerick retail mix, as are small, independent boutiques.

Limerick is sadly the very worst case of the “doughnut effect” of most retail activity in suburban shopping malls and a moribund City Centre. It was a complete and utter disgrace how this was allowed to happen. Galway, Cork and even Waterford have thriving Central Business Districts in comparison to Limerick.

I also heard on good authority that M&S HQ didn’t believe that Limerick was wealthy enough to support an sizable M&S store.

un5byh7sqpd2x0

JupiterKid wrote: »

I also heard on good authority that M&S HQ didn’t believe that Limerick was wealthy enough to support an sizable M&S store.

And Clonmel is?? Come on now...

JupiterKid

Alexia Abundant Mail wrote: »

And Clonmel is?? Come on now...

Yes, I know. It’s just what I heard.

Cookiemunster

JupiterKid wrote: »

Yes, I know. It’s just what I heard.

I couldn't care less if M&S ever came to Limerick. I honestly don't get the clamour for a UK chain store. But Limerick people on average have the highest disposable incomes in the country after Dublin, so that's BS.

martyc5674

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I couldn't care less if M&S ever came to Limerick. I honestly don't get the clamour for a UK chain store. But Limerick people on average have the highest disposable incomes in the country after Dublin, so that's BS.

Absolutely... M&S used to have a certain attraction but that gap has long been closed by pretty much all the opposition.
What we need in limerick are people living in the city Centre and more local businesses. Can’t believe people are pushing for the likes of 5 guys etc. These are just corporate food chains that will steal any bit of soul left in the city that the council haven’t already managed to sell for office space.

Mrcaramelchoc

callaway92 wrote: »

Doesn’t really matter what the name is tbh

It does if your asking directions to it.

Granadino

I saw someone comment online, which I thought was funny, that any place that has "shopping" in its top five activities is ****.

Cherrycoke

Another pet store. I used to love Petcrafts and Aquatics across from Tom Collins.

I know there's one in Foxes Bow, and a few in shopping centres on the outskirts, but it would be great to have one in town with a bit more variety.

Pets are big business.

Cherrycoke

A children's clothing store. Especially for gifting, and more occasional wear, like a boutique. Even better if they sold wooden toys etc. like someone else mentioned previously. I find that I have to buy this type of clothing/toys/gifts, online.

There's so many Instagram/online stores doing a huge trade on this. Lots of people want more unique items for special occasions, that you can't find in Next, Penneys, etc.

kilburn

callaway92 wrote:

Doesn’t really matter what the name is tbh

Course it does

John_Mc

Cookiemunster wrote: »

I couldn't care less if M&S ever came to Limerick. I honestly don't get the clamour for a UK chain store. But Limerick people on average have the highest disposable incomes in the country after Dublin, so that's BS.

What does it being a UK chain store have to do with it? Nearly all of our high street stores are UK chain stores. Pennys being the main exception.

Can you share the reference source for highest disposable incomes in the country please. It's not believable give the state of retail in Limerick city and county.

Cookiemunster

John_Mc wrote: »

What does it being a UK chain store have to do with it? Nearly all of our high street stores are UK chain stores. Pennys being the main exception.

Exactly. So what's the clamour for another one?

John_Mc wrote: »

Can you share the reference source for highest disposable incomes in the country please. It's not believable give the state of retail in Limerick city and county.

Highest disposable incomes outside of Dublin. As per the CSO.

https://www.wdc.ie/changes-and-trends-in-disposable-incomes-in-western-region-counties/

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/revealed-county-by-county-breakdown-of-areas-with-most-disposable-income-37979337.html

https://lovin.ie/lifestyle/the-average-disposable-income-for-every-county-in-ireland-has-been-revealed

John_Mc

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Exactly. So what's the clamour for another one?

Choice maybe? Nice food and reasonably priced good quality clothes and homeware.

Why wouldn't you want it as an option?

Cookiemunster wrote: »

Highest disposable incomes outside of Dublin. As per the CSO.

https://www.wdc.ie/changes-and-trends-in-disposable-incomes-in-western-region-counties/

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/revealed-county-by-county-breakdown-of-areas-with-most-disposable-income-37979337.html

https://lovin.ie/lifestyle/the-average-disposable-income-for-every-county-in-ireland-has-been-revealed

Absolutely remarkable when you walk the streets of Limerick city. They can't all be spending their money in the crescent. Just goes back to my point about Limerick people being tight.

Cookiemunster

John_Mc wrote: »

Choice maybe? Nice food and reasonably priced good quality clothes and homeware.

Why wouldn't you want it as an option?

They're nothing special and their business model is losing money hand over feet in the UK.

John_Mc wrote: »

Absolutely remarkable when you walk the streets of Limerick city. They can't all be spending their money in the crescent. Just goes back to my point about Limerick people being tight.

There you go again insulting a whole county with your BS. The Crescent is the biggest and busiest shopping center in Munster. There are multiple other busy shopping centers and retails parks dotted around the outskirts of the city. That's why the city center is dead. Not because Limerick people are tight. Get more people actually living and working in there and more stores will open there.

osarusan

I went for a walk in the city centre the other night, and was on the Strand Hotel side of the river, walking along the 'three bridges walk'.

What struck me was just how many 1 or 2-storey houses there are so close to the city centre. Along O'Callaghan strand you have those 2-storey buildings, and behind them is just a housing estate. Along Clancy's strand it's even worse I think - near the Curragower there is an estate of bungalows ( I think).

A series of 5-6 storey office buildings or apartment buildings in those areas would make so much sense, but I suppose the fact that the 1-storey or 2-storey houses are still there so close to the city centre shows that the demand for those buildings just isn't there - if there was the demand for them, and enough money to be made from them, they'd already be built.

John_Mc

Cookiemunster wrote: »

They're nothing special and their business model is losing money hand over feet in the UK.



There you go again insulting a whole county with your BS. The Crescent is the biggest and busiest shopping center in Munster. There are multiple other busy shopping centers and retails parks dotted around the outskirts of the city. That's why the city center is dead. Not because Limerick people are tight. Get more people actually living and working in there and more stores will open there.

The OP of this post was from someone letting premises to businesses which consistently and repeatedly closing down. People aren't spending money no matter what is offered - despite the disposable income.

Call it whatever you want and convince yourself that the crescent is some jewel of a shopping centre but the underlying problem is still there.

I'm not going through this again with you.