Dublin’s largest menswear fashion Diffney is now open on Level 1 in The Square Tallaght.
The volume of retail sales increased 4.3% in September when compared to August on a seasonally adjusted basis and increased by 4.2% on an annual basis. When Motor Trades are excluded, the volume of retail sales increased by 2.3% in September 2019 and rose by 4.7% when compared with September 2018.
The sectors with the largest month on month volume increases were Hardware, Paints & Glass (8.8%) and Motor Trades (8.4%). The sectors with the largest monthly volume decreases were Department Stores (-2.2%) and Clothing, Footwear & Textiles (-2.2%).
There was an increase of 3.8% in the value of retail sales in September 2019 when compared with August 2019 and there was an annual increase of 2.8% when compared with September 2018. If Motor Trades are excluded, there was an increase of 2.0% in the value of retail sales in the month and an increase of 2.1% in the annual figure.
The filing of its accounts confirmed last week that Smyths Toys is already making a financial return on its deal last year to acquire the central European operations of Toys R Us.
The family-owned group is now – individually and collectively – profitable in Ireland, the UK, Germany, Austria and Switzerland. That surely makes Smyths the most successful ever Irish retailer abroad.
The two biggest indigenous Irish grocers, Dunnes Stores and Musgrave, are larger, more storied, family-owned operations than Smyths. Yet the toy retailer has succeeded abroad where they have failed.
Dunnes and Musgrave both have operations in Spain, but in recent years both effectively abandoned their forays into Britain.
Smyths, meanwhile, has completely conquered the British market, opening more than 100 large retail outlets there in a little over a decade, vanquishing its specialist rivals. Its UK sales are now about €675 million.
Its prospects for maintaining growth in Britain are likely to slow as Brexit keeps sterling weakened, and Smyths runs out of unserviced locations to open new stores. As it already dominates the specialist Irish toys market, Smyths’ most obvious avenue for further growth became Europe.
The global insolvency last year of Toys R Us provided Smyths with a golden opportunity to buy out of bankruptcy the German-Swiss-Austrian stores of its US rival. The accounts filed last Friday show it paid less than €62 million to gain control of more than 90 outlets, which made Smyths profits of almost €14 million in 2018.
As it fine tunes them to better fit its sophisticated big box retailing model, their financial contribution may improve further.
The wider Smyths group is now on course for annual sales of close to €1.4 billion. Despite the success of its foreign forays, the group still made an annual profit of just €36 million.
With margins of less than 3%, Smyths may be tempted to expand its footprint even further if it wants to keep growing profits in years to come.
Brexit and the recent wet weather failed to dampen consumer confidence here over the last few weeks as grocery sales grew by 3.3% in the 12 weeks to October 6.
New figures from Kantar show that Dunnes has now been the country’s biggest retailer for a full year as it increased its market share of the supermarket sector to 22.5%, up from 22.1% the same time last year.
Kantar said Dunnes’ continued success, evidenced by 5.5% sales growth in the past 12 weeks, has largely been driven by its Shop & Save voucher campaign.
Meanwhile, SuperValu passed Tesco to take the number two spot for the first time since December 2018.
Kantar said that SuperValu has enjoyed larger basket sizes and growth in some of its core categories in the latest 12 week period.
Charlotte Scott, consumer insight director at Kantar, noted that both Dunnes and SuperValu have benefited from an out of season boom in sales of cleaning products.
“Shoppers have been indulging in a spot of seasonal autumn cleaning, perhaps thanks to the popularity of internet sensation Mrs Hinch and being kept indoors by the recent wet weather,” Ms Scott said.
She said people have spent an additional €7.2m on household cleaning in the past 12 weeks, which is up 5.9% on last year and driven by Ireland’s two largest retailers.
Meanwhile, despite falling behind SuperValu in the retailer rankings, Tesco enjoyed a return to growth this period, with shoppers making an extra trip compared to last year.
Kantar noted that confectionery has been a key category for Tesco, and is growing at an impressive 31.1% rate.
Charlotte Scott said that Tesco’s promotion on tubs of sweets, pricing them at €3.99, has proved particularly popular and it has even had to put quotas in place to limit shoppers to a maximum of four per person.
And Aldi reached a new record market share at 12.6% in the latest 12 week period under review. It saw an additional 21,000 shoppers through its doors, with a particular push to target young families.
Meanwhile, Lidl’s performance at a total level has also improved, with sales up 4.9% and its market share increasing to 11.9%.
Kantar noted that while Lidl’s existing shoppers are visiting more often, and spending more when they do, penetration has dropped slightly by 0.4%.
McGarrell Reilly’s plans for a new €75m Lusk Village Quarter in Lusk, Co Dublin, have been amended to include eight units with a combined 1,000 sq m for use as retail, restaurant and café outlets. Its plans also include a 2,500 sq.m supermarket that will be let to the discount operator Lidl, which will be the quarter’s retail anchor.
Lidl expects to be operating on site by December 2020, subject to the granting of amendments to the permission.
The amendments will also allow for two or three other retail units comprising 300 sq.m as well as parking spaces for 128 cars.
Sean Reilly is executive chairman of the development company and James Quinlan of Bannon is handling the commercial lettings.
Demand for these shopping facilities is reflected in a retail impact assessment conducted on behalf of McGarrell Reilly which shows over 85% of Lusk residents leave the area to do shopping.
Amenities will also include a crèche, a public square with a newly commissioned art piece, a village green and a playground. Spanning 15 acres, the project will accommodate over 150 new family homes. Its first phase will provide 56 homes at Station Road, which are now on sale, including 18 social and affordable homes. McGarrell Reilly has spent over €100m to date in Lusk and delivered over 700 homes to the area since the late 1990s.
Planning permission has been granted for a large new retail and residential development in south Dublin, despite strong opposition from the owners of the Dundrum Town Centre.
An Bord Pleanála has rejected an appeal by several parties including the Dundrum Retail Limited Partnership against the decision of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council to approve a €75 million project that will form part of the existing retail park and office development at The Park in Carrickmines.
The developer IPUT has plans for a neighbourhood shopping centre including two supermarkets, retail warehouses, restaurant, café, seven-screen cinema, crèche, offices, car showroom, medical centre and indoor skydiving facility as well as 130 apartments on a 10.5 hectare site close to the M50.
The overall development will extend to almost 84,000 sq m in four blocks extending in height from two to six storeys.
Commenting on the ruling, IPUT said it was “a major step forward in realising our ambition to reinforce Carrickmines Park as the leading out-of-town retail destination in Dublin”.
The development was also opposed by the owners of the cinema multiplex in the Dundrum Town Centre as well as Olivia Buckley, a Fianna Fáil candidate for the Dundrum area in the recent local elections.
DRLP, which is a joint venture between UK property group Hammerson and German insurer Allianz, said it was not opposed to the new development in Carrickmines in principle.
However, it claimed the proposed level of retail floor space was excessive for a neighbourhood centre particularly given there was no significant immediate residential catchment population to justify its scale.
DRLP said the proposed cinema and leisure uses would undermine the viability of existing town and district centres in south Dublin and represented a material contravention of the council’s development plan as well as running contrary to a range of regional and national planning policies.
Ms Buckley opposed the development claiming there was no requirement for another large retail centre or massive cinema complex in south Dublin and expressed concern it would impact on other nearby centres including Dundrum, Stillorgan and Dún Laoghaire.
Oversubscribed
She claimed retail warehousing was already oversubscribed in the capital, while the extension of The Park would also create serious traffic congestion on the M50.
Ms Buckley said it was disingenuous to call what was proposed a neighbourhood centre and branded such a description as “seriously misleading and inaccurate”.
Movies@Dundrum claimed the proposed multi-screen cinema would impact on its business when it relied on the planning system to protect its investment.
However, IPUT said there was a clear and long-standing need for a neighbourhood centre in Carrickmines as it was located in a significant growth area.
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council also said the development was an appropriate location for the centre as it would cater for new and emerging communities.
In its ruling, An Bord Pleanála said the centre would make a positive contribution to the urban character of the area.
The board said concerns relating to noise, vibration, dust and traffic could be satisfactorily mitigated by various measures and claimed the proposed development would have significant, direct, positive effects for the local population.
“Provision of neighbourhood centre facilities will reduce trips from the area to other locations,” it admitted.
IPUT successfully appealed a number of planning conditions imposed by the local authority that sought to deliver the project on a phased basis, which the developer claimed were overly prescriptive.
However, IPUT failed to overturn the condition which required it to construct a link road to Ballyogan Road before any other construction work began. IPUT claimed it was “unreasonable and unnecessary” and could impact on funding and the viability of the project.
It secured some minor concessions in its challenge to the scale of development contributions imposed by the local authority, which totalled almost €13 million.
Hammerson and Irish Life, joint owners of the Swords Pavilions Shopping Centre, have announced that luxury bath, body and home brand, Rituals Cosmetics will be opening its fourth stand-alone store in Ireland at Swords Pavilions, in the heart of North Dublin. Located close to the newly opened Superdry and JD Sports stores the 800 sq ft boutique will open on Wednesday 4th September 2019, enhancing the centre’s premium offer.
Founded in 2000 by Raymond Cloosterman, Rituals Cosmetics is the first brand in the world to combine home and body cosmetics, with an expansive product line including body care, scented candles, fragrance sticks, assorted teas, natural skin care and soulwear.
This latest announcement follows the opening of Swords Pavilions’ new dining quarter earlier this year with American burger chain Five Guys and well-loved pizza brand, Milano having already opened restaurants in the scheme. In July modern Persian kitchen Zaytoon also launched its new format restaurant at the centre.
This will be Rituals’ second stand-alone store opening in Ireland with Hammerson, having signed for a boutique in Dundrum Town Centre which launched in September 2018. The brand also has an outlet store in designer shopping destination, Kildare Village, owned by Hammerson through their partnership with Value Retail.
Simon Betty, Hammerson Director of Retail Ireland, said: “Rituals is a great addition to the brand offer at Swords Pavilions, demonstrating the continued demand from premium brands for high quality retail space in strong consumer catchments such as Swords Pavilions. Lettings such as this are a prime example of our strategy to ensure the centre remains the main retail and leisure destination in North Dublin.”
Rituals UK & Ireland Managing Director, Penny Grivea, said: “We are so excited to be opening another stand-alone store in Dublin at Swords Pavilions, allowing us to introduce the Rituals experience to as many customers as possible. Whether it is enjoying a hand massage at the water island or simply a cup of herbal tea upon arrival, the team can’t wait to help the Pavilions customers slow down and transform daily routines into meaningful rituals. This opening marks an exciting time for the brand, building upon our existing retail presence in Ireland.”
DANISH HOME RETAIL brand JYSK is planning to open 40 Irish stores within the next five years, effectively more than doubling its previous expansion plan for the country.
The 40-year-old Scandi retailer opened its first Irish store in Naas, Co Kildare in April and has since opened in three more locations. Earlier this year, JYSK – which is pronounced “yusk” – said it was planning 15 stores across the Republic.
The company has since revised these plans and said it now aims to open in 40 locations here over the next three to five years, which it says will help its Irish operation generate annual sales of up to €70 million.
To help source potential locations, JYSK – which sells a range of home furnishings and mattresses – is planning to meet with potential landlords at a showcase in Dublin in mid-September after encountering difficulties with its growth plan here.
Poul Erik Larsen, JYSK’s expansion director, said it has been more time-consuming and expensive to open new stores in Ireland compared to other European locations.
“We have noted that in other parts of Europe, we can issue and sign a lease contract within two to four weeks, whereas in Ireland, this is taking up to 16 weeks in some cases,” Larsen said.
“To achieve the volume of stores we want in the Irish market within two to three years, we need to secure a steady flow of new locations and that is something we’re actively pursuing right now.”
THERE has been a widespread welcome for news of a proposed development at Arthur’s Quay in which Marks and Spencer would be the anchor tenant.
Limerick’s Tiernan Properties has signed heads of agreement with the British retail giants to become the anchor tenant for a major €60 million development on the city’s Arthur’s Quay.
Chief executive Michael Tiernan told the Limerick Post that the plans are “at an early stage but we will now hopefully have a discussion with Limerick City and County Council and subject to a successful outcome to those discussions, we will move forward.”
The development will be dependent on other factors, mostly delivery of infrastructure outlined in the Limerick 2030 plan which has already been adopted and acted on by the local authority.
The new development will involve a site currently occupied by the former Limerick Tourism office at Arthur’s Quay, but public amenities in the park itself will not be affected.
The British chain has been linked to various sites in Limerick city and suburbs over several decades, but has no outlet in the area.
The clothing, food and homewares retailer has now agreed to be the main tenant in the proposed 18,580sq m (200,000sq ft) mixed-use development.
Tiernan Properties said there had been “significant interest” from other major brands in the project, which is expected to boost footfall in the centre of Limerick.
The developers said getting a “key target” like Marks & Spencer on board “validates the wider project” and would prove pivotal for Limerick.
“We have a lot of work to do but as this is a development in line with the aims of the 2030 plan, we believe it would support that plan,” Mr Tiernan said.
Limerick Chamber chief executive Dee Ryan said the announcement that the Arthur’s Quay development is to go ahead was another major boost for the city and region.
“This is more great news for Limerick and the wider city region. To have this and the Ryder Cup 2026 announced for Limerick on the same day is incredible. It shows where the city, county and region is headed.”
“This huge injection of private investment in retail is an important signal of market confidence and ongoing work to revitalise Limerick city centre. We are powering ahead in so many respects as we develop a thriving urban experience for people who live in, work and visit Limerick.
“The retail community, in particular, welcome a boost exactly like this to help attract more people from Limerick and neighbouring counties into the city,” she added
Mayor Michael Sheahan said that along with all the other plans for Limerick, the multi-million euro investment by Tiernan Properties would help revitalise the city centre.”
“Confirmation that Marks and Spencer is to be the anchor tenant will see the company open its very first store in the mid-west region. It has been a long time coming and I am delighted that such a sought after retailer is opening a store here,” Mayor Sheahan concluded.
Scandinavian furniture and homeware chain JYSK opened their second Irish store this morning at Drogheda Retail Park as people queued up to get into the new JYSK store which was officially opened at 9.00 am.
Founded in Denmark in 1979, JYSK , (it’s pronounced “Yusk”), is a global retail chain with more than 2,700 stores worldwide selling everything for the home, it has a turnover of €3.6 billion a year and employs some 23,000 people.
The Drogheda JYSK store is the group’s second in Ireland, it opened its first branch in Naas in April and stores are also scheduled to open in Navan later this month and Portlaoise in August.
