O'Briens (Parkway) - Where'd it go?

Mr E

Seems to have closed up shop last week. It looked like a refit initially, but the signage came down late last week (never a good sign).

Any idea why? Seemed like it was doing good business (and I preferred it to Esquires)...

Poxyshamrock

suppose it wasnt profitable enough.
Parkway is dying tbh!
Hope it's a refit though!

1huge1

Would seem kind of pointless considering there knocking the place... and im sure all the shops there know that like.

Also noticed golden discs in the crescent is gone (not complaining though because I thought they were overpriced and had a poor collection), always went to virgin megastores when in the crescent because of the much better selection (there using a different store name I noticed)

Sierra Oscar

I noticed that too during the week - although the sign had not come down at that stage.

Parkway seems to be sort of dying...

Is there not an O'Briens Off License opposite the O'Briens Sandwich shop? I wonder if that will stay . . .

Mr E

Noticed Golden Discs alright... so their only limerick shop is out on the Ennis Road, right?

Definitely looks like Virgin / Zavvi killed them off.

bazz26

I think the close vicinity of a Fine Wines and Dunnes Stores off licence may have squeezed them out too. Also unit rental space in the Parkway SC is not cheap from what I am told.

That whole shopping centre is on borrowed time imo. New Parkway Valley will probably be the last nail in the coffen.

ellenmelon

bazz26 wrote: »

I think the close vicinity of a Fine Wines and Dunnes Stores off licence may have squeezed them out too. Also unit rental space in the Parkway SC is not cheap from what I am told.

and the owners of fine wines = parkway owners/directors/whatever you want to call them...surprise surprise!

sioda

Ralph Parkes doesn't own the parkway AFAIK

ellenmelon

sioda wrote: »

Ralph Parkes doesn't own the parkway AFAIK

im pretty sure he does....hence the name of the place. he is one of the people behind the parkway valley development too.and brought H.Norman into ireland too.

sioda

Pretty sure the parkway was about before Parkes got big

Melion

Whats taken GD's place in the Crescent? Havent been out there in about a month

Mr E

Its just closed and vacated. No new tennant yet.

Poxyshamrock

Whats taken GD's place in the Crescent? Havent been out there in about a month

Perfect spot for a starbucks!

1huge1

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Perfect spot for a starbucks!

Oh we can dream

Wonder whats gonna move there,

too small for a clothes shop, doubt another music shop to be honest, wouldnt be so much redecoration etc going on if there was would there

maybe a mobile phone shop (3 being the only one not in the crescent yet...)

John2002

sioda wrote: »

Pretty sure the parkway was about before Parkes got big

I think there was a Parkway hotel there before the SC. Don't quote me on that though!

Kess73

Mr E wrote: »

Noticed Golden Discs alright... so their only limerick shop is out on the Ennis Road, right?

Definitely looks like Virgin / Zavvi killed them off.

Golden Discs was in trouble long before Virgin showed up. They had to sell two of their inner city stores in Dublin to keep going a few years back, much in the way Virgin had to sell the building it owned on Aston Quay in Dublin to get themselves out of a hole a number of years back. Branson then sold The Virgin Megastore chain for the UK and Ireland last September due to it not making money in the way HMV are. It was bought out by some of the directors and rebranded as Zavvi. So Virgin Megastores as a brand does not exist anymore in Ireland or the UK.

The company making major money over the last decade is HMV, who dwarf what Virgin Megastores were, in terms of raw profit, and now that Zavvi is not part of the Virgin chain it is even smaller again in comparison to HMV.

I worked in the Virgin Megastore in Cork for a number of years, and left them just before Xmas. A lot of the cheap prices on dvds and stuff has just been them trying to get rid of the huge overstocks they have, and they are taking a hit on a lot of them as otherwise they would be taking up warehouse space in the UK, as they have no warehouses or head office in Ireland, so all ordering for Ireland is done in London.

bazz26

ellenmelon wrote: »

and the owners of fine wines = parkway owners/directors/whatever you want to call them...surprise surprise!

If so surely they would not have rented the unit to O'Briens in the first place though?

bazz26

Before the Parkway SC you had the Parkway Motel where the old Muligans Bar is located. Roadstone were located right next door, both sites were bought and the Parkway Shopping Centre was built onto the rear of the old hotel.

I think Parkes was involved in the original development of the Parkway Shopping Centre alright but it has changed hands a few times since then afaik. It's looking very shabby and run down these days. Reminds me of how the Roxboro Shopping Centre was a few years ago.

MarkR

Their wee car is still there though...

ellenmelon

bazz26 wrote: »

I think Parkes was involved in the original development of the Parkway Shopping Centre alright but it has changed hands a few times since then afaik. It's looking very shabby and run down these days. Reminds me of how the Roxboro Shopping Centre was a few years ago.

that sounds more likely..he's now moved onto bigger and better things (he's one of the heads that helped bring harvey norman into ireland.)

Kess73

bazz26 wrote: »

Before the Parkway SC you had the Parkway Motel where the old Muligans Bar is located. Roadstone were located right next door, both sites were bought and the Parkway Shopping Centre was built onto the rear of the old hotel.

I think Parkes was involved in the original development of the Parkway Shopping Centre alright but it has changed hands a few times since then afaik. It's looking very shabby and run down these days. Reminds me of how the Roxboro Shopping Centre was a few years ago.

A few years ago? The Roxboro one looks even worse now. I pulled in there this morning as I needed to get stamps at the Post Office, and all the units at the back have closed down. The newsagent, the cash and carry, the cafe, and cannot remember what the fourth one used to be, all closed up now.

The Parkway SC was in a decent location if money had been spent on modernising it properly, and if decent brand name companies were entised to set up shop there.

1huge1

Kess73 wrote: »

A few years ago? The Roxboro one looks even worse now. I pulled in there this morning as I needed to get stamps at the Post Office, and all the units at the back have closed down. The newsagent, the cash and carry, the cafe, and cannot remember what the fourth one used to be, all closed up now.

The Parkway SC was in a decent location if money had been spent on modernising it properly, and if decent brand name companies were entised to set up shop there.

Well I read a few months back that there knocking the roxboro shopping centre anyway, but I think its going to turn into apartments and the likes

Kess73

1huge1 wrote: »

Well I read a few months back that there knocking the roxboro shopping centre anyway, but I think its going to turn into apartments and the likes

I doubt it as it was announced as staying as a shopping area, albeit a cleaned up one, as part of the regeneration plans for that area.

bazz26

I think the plan was to build a new shopping centre on the old Krups factory site and build appartments/town houses on the site of the Roxboro Shopping Centre.

Kess73

bazz26 wrote: »

I think the plan was to build a new shopping centre on the old Krups factory site and build appartments/town houses on the site of the Roxboro Shopping Centre.

Am pretty sure that was knocked on the head, due to problems with potential traffic flow.

sioda

Kess classic they only notice that after the disaster of Childers Dunnes

bazz26

Kess73 wrote: »

Am pretty sure that was knocked on the head, due to problems with potential traffic flow.

I guess there is a first time for everything. Usually they only realise these things after they have them built.

Kess73

bazz26 wrote: »

I guess there is a first time for everything. Usually they only realise these things after they have them built.

Poxyshamrock

Kess73 wrote: »

I doubt it as it was announced as staying as a shopping area, albeit a cleaned up one, as part of the regeneration plans for that area.

Nope, According to Southside Regeneration thing a new shopping facility will be built in the Galvone industrial estate.

Kess73

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Nope, According to Southside Regeneration thing a new shopping facility will be built in the Galvone industrial estate.

Cheers Poxy, I must have gotten the wrong end of the stick with what I heard about it.

dantes74

i've heard it said recently that the parkway is for the chop and that all the shops there are moving to the new retail park being built next to tk max.
also it was on the cover of the limerick post a few weeks ago that the roxboro sc is being moved down to limerick fc's old pitch

1huge1

dantes74 wrote: »

i've heard it said recently that the parkway is for the chop and that all the shops there are moving to the new retail park being built next to tk max.
also it was on the cover of the limerick post a few weeks ago that the roxboro sc is being moved down to limerick fc's old pitch

Well its certainly true that the parkway is being torn down but as for its tenants moving to the parkway valley shopping centre (the one beside TK MAXX) I dont know.

bazz26

I passed by the Parkway SC last night and O'Brien's was open again.

Poxyshamrock

Are you referring to O'Briens Off License?

bazz26

Poxyshamrock wrote: »

Are you referring to O'Briens Off License?

Yeah my mistake, I assumed the OP was talking about the Off License not the sandwich place.