Dunnes Stores is to reopen the distinctive redbrick building it occupies at 19 South Great George's Street, next to the George's Street Arcade, as a grocery outlet, after being closed for almost a decade. Dunnes Stores holds the 5,000 sq ft store on a long lease, but has not traded there for some time; the changing fashions in the display windows were the only signs of ground floor use from the outside. Neighbouring traders view the unit, as it looks now, as a negative influence on the street, and are encouraged by signs of the shop's redevelopment.
A neighbouring trader says the street desperately needs a big anchor name to attract pedestrian traffic. The closure of the store for such a long time had impeded business growth in the area.
Dublin Corporation has granted planning permission for a new single-storey shop frontage and the instalment of an ATM machine. The building adjoins the old Victorian Castle Market, which along with the entire block of redbrick buildings, has protected status limiting the development that can take place. The upper floors are in use as offices and there are also a number of apartments in adjoining buildings.
Number 19 has seen occasional use over the past few years. Dunnes Stores is the long-term tenant of the building, which is owned by Joe Layden, who also owns the George's Street Arcade next door and the new Epicurean Food Hall on Middle Abbey Street. Tower Records was a tenant in this unit for a short term in 1995, and the store has also seen use as a Christmas shop in the years since it ceased operating as a supermarket.
The decision by Dunnes Stores to reopen in South Great George's Street comes following the rapid growth in the population of the city centre and the difficulty in finding good trading locations for supermarkets in the area. Some of the streets between Grafton Street and South Great George's Street have undergone a revival recently, with many specialised and trendy retailers moving in.
Dunnes Stores has three grocery stores in the city centre: St Stephen's Green, North Earl Street and Henry Street. The North Earl Street supermarket is closed for refurbishments at present and will not reopen until next year, leaving just two stores in the city centre. The grocery department on Henry Street is probably next in line to go under the hoardings.
The Henry Street area is well served by supermarkets, with a large Tesco store in the Jervis Centre, a large Marks & Spencer Food Hall on Mary Street/Liffey Street, a Roches Stores/SuperValu store on Henry Street, a Dunnes Stores off Henry Street and an Aldi discount grocery store at the back of the ILAC Centre.
The Grafton Street area has a much higher ratio of fashion retailers. Marks & Spencer on Grafton Street and Dunnes Stores in the basement of the St Stephen's Green Centre are the only two supermarkets here.
Dunnes Stores fashion and household departments have been revamped recently and both areas have experienced a higher profile among consumers as well as increased turnover. New stores have mostly opened in and out of city centre locations, where the Irish-owned chain is still considered a valuable anchor tenant for new shopping centres.
The company is also concentrating on the UK retail market and is due to open a new outlet in Glasgow within weeks.
