Dunnes Stores opened its 126th store yesterday on Limerick's Henry Street. Work at the newly-fitted store has been going on day and night for the past eight weeks to ensure it would be ready for the all-important pre-Christmas shopping spree. It will have five weeks of shopping business in the run-up to Christmas Day and is employing 350 people.
The retail company, which employs 18,000 people, now has 86 stores in the Republic, 25 in Northern Ireland, eleven in Britain and four in Spain.
The newly-opened 45,000 sq ft leased store is built on two levels and has entrances on Harvey's Quay and Henry Street. It is located on the site of the historic Spaights hardware shopping centre which was demolished a number of years ago. The new building has an adjoining 650-space multi-storey car-park with two entrances. Dunnes is the first tenant to occupy the building.
The development extends city centre shopping from the O'Connell Street area and is likely to give a boost to commercial properties on Henry Street.
The building has a river frontage for an additional 5,000 sq ft of retail and commercial units, offices and 54 apartments.
The one and two-bedroom apartments and three-bedroom duplex units will be put on the market in February by Pat Chesser Auctioneers.
The commercial units are expected to be available within four weeks. Rent are likely to be between £25 to £30 (€31.74-€38.09) a sq ft for the ground floor retail units. Offices will be about £12 (€15.24) per sq ft, Mr Colin Varley of Pat Chesser Auctioneers, said.
Mr Andrew Street, Dunnes chief operating officer, said the new store incorporates a food hall and a ladieswear department on the 25,000 sq ft ground floor.
Dunnes has moved towards co-ordinating its textile ranges."The textile floor is based on the new design concept first introduced in our Glasgow store last year," Mr Street said.
The food hall has a strong emphasis on convenience food providing a sandwich bar and "hot food to go", and an Indian, Chinese and Italian range.
Ms Lynda O'Keeffe, communications manager, said the concept had been introduced in George's Street, Dublin, and extended to North Earl Street.
"Because it is a city centre store, we are going to have a lot of basket shoppers looking for convenience 'heat and eat' foods," she said.
She added that the food hall is about three times bigger than the oldest Dunnes Stores outlet in Limerick, located at nearby Sarsfield Street. That store, however, will remain open bringing to four the number of Dunnes outlets in Limerick.
On Henry Street, the menswear and childrenswear, along with a homewares section, are on the first floor which is connected by trolley-friendly "travelators".
This is the fifth store the company has opened this year. Three were opened in the greater Dublin area, at North Earl Street, Swords and Liffey Valley. Last week a textile store opened in Malaga, Spain.
