Mobile phone retailers continue to pay substantial key money for well-located retail outlets. One of the highest premiums so far is the £250,000 paid by Car Phone Warehouse for the Early Learning Centre shop at Patrick Street, Cork. The current rent of £73,000 for the 1,200 sq ft unit is due to be reviewed shortly.

In Limerick, the owners of the Athenia fashion store at Cruises Street, have secured key money of £150,000 from Cellular World. The rent on the 1,000 sq ft shop has just been reviewed and is fixed at £50,000 for the next five years. Fergus Cross of College Properties advised both Early Learning and Athenia, while Ben Pearson of Douglas Newman Good Commercial acted for Cellular World, a subsidiary company of Esat Telecom.

In Dublin, Person to Person phones is understood to have paid a premium of over £100,000 for a ground floor kiosk of 273 sq ft in the St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. The rent works out at £195 per sq ft, according to letting agent Stephen Murray of Jones Lang LaSalle. Owen Feeney of Palmer McCormack acted for the tenant.