Retail in Waterford City

Aldi will probably bring more footfall than Zara. Then more footfall may help fill other units?

I was a bit surprised to see Aldi are closing The Glen for it, but I'm not too familiar with that store.

After hearing it is Aldi I’m also starting to loose hope. The city centre is dying a long slow death and if people want to ignore that that’s their choice but just walk around it and look. Lots of people here seem to be content with accepting excuses as this is a deprived area etc when the reality is people from here are shopping in Dublin/Cork etc because they have the stores. It’s a constant retail spending leakage.

Everyone wants Marks & Spencers but then if it ever did open they would bitch about it being expensive.

Waterford people at the end of the day don’t support their own , never shut up about price of parking despite good value 5 mins walk . They drive to Clonmel hardly the Mecca of shopping the M+ S shopping centre dying on its feet there . If the few decent shops that are left go you’d be really worried about attracting any shops of substance . Begin to wonder have we ever fully recovered from the crystal factory closing and the spending power that brought , think the people with money in the city are spending it online or going elsewhere .

Some reasonable comments about Aldi being a disappointing addition to City Sq but retail is completely changing. City centres in 10 years will be completely different. Much more people living there and less traditional shops with more services for residents. Disappointing that is Aldi closing in the Glen but in City Sq will add more footfall to the centre. Plenty of space is still left for the likes of Zara etc. They will only come if if it is commercially viable. More people in the city centre will make that more likely. I was down a while ago for Winterval and it amazes me that people still persist with the 'town is dying boy' mentality. Sure there are still issues but the city-centre to me and many outsiders I talked to has come on a huge amount. Plenty more to do but as an infrequent visitor it's moving in the right direction

Not really. Apple green have signed an agreement to link in with m&S and sell a range of their food operations

Can never understand people’s obsession with M&S and how waterford needs to have one….😡 f

Press release says 60 across the country

Well if the likes of Clonmel,Killarney,Athlone,Letterkenny can have M&S there’s no reason why they shouldn’t be located here. People just want choice and the options available to them. Nobody is forcing people through the doors of M&S.

Usually a city offers good retail choice. Waterford lacks this unfortunately. Before people start I’m from Waterford and would like nothing more than the city center to be thriving.

Same here. Everyone wants an improved retail offer in city and M&S would be a great store, but M&S food? Much better, locally produced stuff in Ardkeen Stores. I really dont believe that anyone travels to Clonmel to buy M&S food if they do, they have more money than sense.

I think everyone gets it to be honest. A lot of people have convinced themselves that pedestrianisation , parking etc etc is so difficult that its not worth the effort. Easier to travel to ....(fill in whatever town you wish). They believe their own view of things leading to a chicken and egg situation. I wont bother going into town ...etc. We have very real deficits and problems caused by limited major retailers and internet shopping above all which is affecting every town and city in the world. The damage caused by some terrible commentary on social media has been very harmful to Waterford city and its reputation. Maybe thats why people get defensive. I just try to support my native city.

The food is nice but since Brexit kicked in properly in 2021, the grocery selection in the Newbridge one has gone to sh*t. Loads of gaps on shelves, short dates etc. Can't imagine Clonmel is any better.

Any with the economical square metres to justify opening

But like the list is endless of the Big names that we don’t have in the city. Serial objectors also did a lot of damage with regards to retail developments such as the Newgate centre. Here are some of the names we don’t have

Marks & Spencer. Zara. New Look. H&M. Mango. Pull&Bear.Bershka. & Other Stories. Massimo Dutti. This is only off the top of my head. So for me Aldi opening is a disappointment when you see the list of stores that we don’t have here.

Dubarry books has opened up in City Square. This will be a big enough boost for the SC even though its a small shop. Ok Aldi is a bit underwhelming but it will bring the footfall which might bring something else in its wake. Unfortunately it will be a loss for the Glen.The obsession with M&S is a meme at this point. It would not be the boon to the city everyone thinks it is. I would be surprised if a single person traveled to Clonmel for that. It would be like Kilkenny people traveling to Ferrybank for the Tesco express.

I haven't been to Clonmel in a few years.The last time it was in 2020 when Covid came along and the place looked like it was in a severe depression compared to Waterford.At lot of their pubs were closed down and had been for a while. By contrast Dungarvan when I was there last year was in great shape. Especially the restaurant scene.

To be fair the north quays were originally supposed to be a retail game changer for Waterford the south east and even further beyond and I formally believe if they built it as it originally drawn up they would have come . That opportunity is gone now. Running on fumes now .

Jaysus Michael St, how long has that been ongoing now, the first development announced in 2007 and we have had 2 or 3 more plans since.

The last vision for the area was pretty dire, little retail and mainly student accommodation

There is security on the Cork Road Aldi as well. The one in the Glen is surrounded by flats and a transient population, they tend to have more trouble in the shop in that environment. I dont know for sure but i dont think any shops out on the Dunmore Road have full time security.

I would also echo my bafflement over the M&S love...its just a shop and the one in Clonmel does have some nice food but its nothing id be rushing into town for every day or making a specific trip to visit. I think people are just blinded by a name without asking about the quality. Like the X Factor..very popular but complete rubbish!

Who are 'they'?