Retail in Waterford City

While it is unfortunate that Argos is leaving it’s a national issue also. Saying that the retail offering in the city is very poor. We don’t even have the two big international names Zara & H&M! and other stores such as M&S,New Look,Bershka,Pull&Bear the list can go and on! Imagine the turnaround in the city center if just one of these opened! Plenty of space in City Square there is no reason why it should be vacant this long! I believe Fraser’s are going into the old Debenhams unit which at this stage anything is better than nothing. We wait in hope!

I was waiting to see how long it'd take before someone mentioned M&S. Another British retailer that was struggling before Brexit made trading in the EU that bit more difficult.

More independent stores would be preferable - great to see a few more of those pop up in Waterford in recent years actually.

Clonmel is actually the closest town to parts of Waterford, which might explain the 'W' reg plates you've seen.

One of the reasons that those chains are struggling in the UK is that a lot of their stuff is cheap, generic fast fashion which can be bought online. Sure we need some of it, but Waterford's retail was starting to get dominated by it which is not a good thing. We definitely don't need to import the same issues they have over there in what's becoming a crisis.

It's great to see a shop like Bebhinn coming along. We need more like them because these are the places that bring people in - they have nice stuff which is hard to get online, and there is a bit of an experience involved.

And again, there needs to be a lot more residential property brought back into the city centre to address the total imbalance between commercial and residential development which has been pursued in recent years.

I agree! I would still like to see them have a presence in the city though.

Liverpool has had huge regeneration with the Liverpool One project. Imagine if we got a tiny drop of that investment what we could have! For years we had McCann causing havoc here and the council of trade unions trying to halt the Newgate centre project. Now we are paying the price!

This is from the Guardian some days ago. It may be of interest.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jan/16/marks-spencer-to-open-stores-3400-jobs

People just want to pretend they're posh by shopping there.

I'll accept nothing less than Fortnum & Mason 😉

Didn’t know M&S require a certain population center. Clonmel,Letterkenny,Killarney,Athlone all smaller than Waterford and have M&S!

The Viking Triangle is a space in which there is never likely to be major retail. Cathedral Square is the graveyard of the cathedral with medieval gravestones not very far under the present surface. People dont understand or know that the area was the "close" of the cathedral up to the late 18th century, with gated access, so developing it for museums, most of which were funded by private donation was perhaps the only option. If anyting the council has not really advertised or pushed the Viking triangle in any coherent way or consistent way. The CEO is married to the North Quays.

I think the Kilkenny, Wexford notion is much overdone, although I like both towns. Kilkenny has its own problems. The Clonmel M&S is poor. Waterford is losing retail spend mostly to Kildare and Dundrum, with Mahon Point in third place. Dunnes simply does not have the space in City Square to make a full offer although it is consistetly busy shot. I was three hours in town today and most shops appeared exceptionally busy. Retail in Waterford is lagging and has lagged for the past decade, but the actions of Mr McCann and a deeply misguided WCTU weigh heavily on where we are at present.

I would not give up hope. This year will be interesting, esecially in the Debenhams space.

Fraser’s I believe are taken the Debenhams unit! But we will wait and see. Ideally it should be split and divided as it’s a huge unit. I would put M&S on the ground floor with Zara upstairs and H&M in the new unit facing Arundel Square. Then we actually would have a decent offering.

Didn’t that get planning to be knocked an built back up as a brand new store with a cafe?,could of sworn i seen that in the paper ,but yeah Tesco are only holding onto it as its a perfect location for a Lidl or Aldi and its by far one of the worst Tesco’s in the country.

Relevant to this thread.

Waterford News & Star — Editorial: Argos latest to capitulate in battle for city centre retail - Waterford News & Star (waterford-news.ie)

Those stores opened in a different era and I suspect that some or all are at risk of closing.

In the M&S are closing some smaller format store and all growth is on large format stores. I think the smallest new store is 60,000 sq ft and the largest is 94,000 sq ft.

All future stores will either be food only or a full line store encompassing food, clothing and homewares. Their recent market statement made no mention of Ireland except confirming that the refit of Liffey valley was complete

Why is everyone so mad to keep all shops in the city centre or against any major retail parks announcing new developments or new arrivals outside the city centre.

I have no interest what so ever to go into the city on my days off, its busy its crowded there is very little on offer for me in the city to buy and the thoughts of having to go into town for some purchases that I have to make just bring dread, The traffic and parking is a nightmare.

I cant wait to see Butlerstown retail park open up a few more stores and another fast food place, nobody in their right mind would travel from another county in to Waterford city to do shopping yet McDonagh Junction in Kilkenny is the right job.

I think its very selfish of people to think we should have it our way and in the city only, city square is a dump, and the rates the the people have to pay to Waterford City Council for the privillage is mental, people need to get a grip here.

I'm very confused by this,

You say there is nothing in town for you, but yet you do not want anything new attracted into town?

Your post gives the impression town is a dump or dead yet you say it is over crowded which would appear to be busy.

You say mcDonagh junction is the job but that is like building a shopping center in railway square, it's still in town.

You complain about traffic but yet are happy to drive 40-50 minutes to McDonagh junction, in no part of town would you be stuck in traffic for 40-50 mins.

One conflicting post, I reckon you are just looking for a reaction

McDonagh Junction may be a better looking building, but as for its retail it doesn't really offer that much more than we have down here-the H&M and TK Maxx are disappointing and the food court seems on a par with what City Square have to offer---shop for shop it doesn't justify a trip up for items that couldn't be bought in Waterford, unless you wanted a day out.Thats just my two cents-i think the Decathlon and B&Q will be a great addition once again to the Butlerstown Retail Park,I also thought that Argos would have worked much better out there,but alas they had other plans-I wish that a cinema would also be there in the future. The big missing link out at Butlerstown is the lack of a Hotel with a leisure facility so close to the Greenway-I bring my lads down to Apex in New Ross and its a great facility,i wisyh there was something similar on the horizon here in the future!with the SETU sports arena without a swimming pool it is the one thing that's sorely needed out there-I realise the Waterford Crystal Swimming Pool is close-but that could do with a bit of modernisation--but again,thats just my two cents..

I think comparing Waterford City to Cities around the world is like comparing apples and oranges.

Firstly, so what if the city empties? whats the worst that can happen?

life changes, everything changes and nothing lasts forever, i think Waterford City Centre is too small to expect people to pile into town of a saturday morning, Traffic is awful coming along the Cork Road, whether you take public transport or not and there are very large estates popping up on the outskirts of the city without propper bus services so its handier and easier to jump in the car and head to a retail park.

Mcdonnagh Junction and retail parks are easier to get in and out of imo

I certainly have no vested interest axe to grind nor, I suspect do the other posters who disagree with you. We could just as easily accuse you of being one of the usual Kilkenny brigade trollers, with exceptions, who take a delight in downing Waterford. I understand that Waterford city has over twice the retail floor space of any other urban area in the south east. Its the spread that's the problem. We all know that the retail in the city centre has had acknowledged difficulties for a long time. If you are one of those unhappy with it then join the gang. The planning history tells its own story. I still prefer to walk in around town as the whole centre is very safe for people and especially kids. The idea of driving 30 miles and back to go to a shopping centre for what I glean from your comments to be a regular thing, is risible. A very odd visit maybe? Debenhams was a loss in Waterford but was, as most chain stores (Argos!) are, part of a national closure. There are rumours of better things to come in City Square. I hope they come to pass.

It is also hard to understand the attitude in your second post "Firstly, so what if the city empties? whats the worst that can happen?" either unless again it is an attempt to seek reaction.

And by the way, cities big and small have compared themselves since time began.

Out of interest if city square obtained H&M and TK max, then Waterford City centre would have the very same shops as McDonagh Junction?

Would this mean Waterford is then more or an equal attraction as McDonagh Junction?

Or would you care to say what it is still lacking?

By the way, I have zero vested interest in city square or the city centre but I have seen the damage in other cities around the globe that outer shopping centres have caused