A 35 per cent increase in large-scale shopping development space has been recorded in Dublin over the past five years, with 13 new shopping centres and retail parks being opened. These include the regional-scale shopping centres Liffey Valley and the recently opened Pavilions in Swords, as well as smaller-scale shopping centres including The Plaza, also in Swords, and the Stillorgan Plaza. Other shopping centres opening in the 1997 - 2001 period include the mid-sized Bloomfields Centre in D·n Laoghaire and the Ashleaf Centre in Crumlin.
Research by the Centre for Retail Studies at UCD shows that the average size of these six developments is over 15,000 sq m, a figure that contrasts with the average size of less than 10,000 sq m for centres opened prior to 1997. Shopping centres are clearly getting larger.
During the same period, the number of retail parks in Dublin has more than doubled to 12. These latest parks have generally been larger than their predecessors, so that the four largest parks in the capital have all been opened within the last two years - Blanchardstown Retail Park 2, Airside Retail Park near Swords, Liffey Valley Retail Park and West End Retail Park, Blanchardstown. The other three new retail parks opened since 1997 have been smaller in scale and comprise Fonthill Retail Park, Blanchardstown Retail Park 1 and Northside Retail Park. The average size of retail parks in the last four years is over 11,700 sq m, compared to little more than 8,700 sq m in the period 1990 - 96.
The location and occupancy of these new retail developments is worth noting. While the regional-scale shopping centres have developed in peripheral locations, notably Liffey Valley and Swords, a number of the other shopping centres have developed in established communities.
By contrast the retail parks have all developed in peripheral locations, most notably around or near The Blanchardstown Centre and Liffey Valley. This spatial association of retail parks with a regional-scale shopping centre is a phenomenon that occurs elsewhere, notably in Britain, like at the Metro Centre, near Newcastle, and Merry Hill in the West Midlands.
It provides a mix of space opportunities for retailers. As a result, different types of shopping can be accomplished at the same location.
The importance attached to anchor stores to make both shopping centres and retail parks successful is reflected in the fact that there are only two developments out of the 63 detailed in The Dublin Shopping Centre and Ret- ail Park Digest which do not have an anchor store.
The exceptions are the Powerscourt Townhouse Centreand The Plaza in Swords which is a new-style shopping precinct with apartments and offices integrated into the development.
Supermarkets are naturally the major anchor in the vast majority of shopping centres, including in-town centres where, for example, the Tesco store in the Jervis Centre serves not only office workers, but also the rapidly increasing apartment-dwelling population of the north inner city.
The regional-scale centres are noteworthy for having more than one anchor selling foodstuffs. This is true both of those in Tallaght (Dunnes and Tesco) and Blanchardstown (Dunnes and Super Valu@Roches Stores), as well as The Pavilion in Swords (Dunnes and Superquinn), although it is noteworthy that Liffey Valley is currently the exception with no supermarket anchor.
In the retail parks anchor units primarily comprise durable home-based products, including DIY, electrical goods, furniture and toys. This has enabled retailers who are relatively new to Ireland to gain space, for example Currys, PCWorld, Foko, Magnet Kitchens and TKMaxx, and to allow existing retailers, both Irish - Smyths Toys and DID - and overseas, to expand their presence in the capital.
The same trends have occurred elsewhere throughout the country with 17 new developments adding over 118,000 sq m of lettable retail space to the shopping capacity during the 1997 - 2001 period. This represents a 31 per cent increase of space in purpose-built retail centres of 2,750 sq m and above over the past five years. New developments have occurred in the form of regional-scale centres (Golden Island, Athlone and Blackpool, Cork), in-fill town centre schemes such as Edward Square, Galway, and, in places like Thurles and Carrigaline - the first shopping centres to be developed in these towns.
Effectively the retail landscape of Ireland is continuing to change, and, with the largest concentration of population, particularly so in Dublin. Nine of the 10 largest purpose-built retail developmentsin Dublin have occurred since 1990.
A vast amount of purpose-built space has been developed in the suburbs and urban periphery, with particularly recent growth in the expanding population communities of Blanchardstown, Lucan, Swords and Tallaght. It is noteworthy that the city centre also possesses three of the seven largest centres. In Dundrum Town Centre and Liffey Valley Retail Park East in excess of 50,000 sq m of lettable space is being developed, while at least a similar amount will be available once the Ayrefield Shopping Centre, Belgard Retail Park, Millennium Mall, Moore Street Mall and Smithfield developments open. It is noteworthy that the last three of these will help revitalise parts of the city's core.
Tony Parker is director of the Centre for Retail Studies at UCD. Further information on The Dublin Shopping Centre and Retail Park Digest and The Irish Shopping Centre and Retail Park Digest can be obtained from the Centre, 01-7168426, Fax 01-269 5597, crs@ucd.ie
