Limerick Businesses Closed

Aidric

I thought it would be an interesting exercise to compile a headcount on businesses that have closed since the recession has taken a grip of the City. There are many factors that have lead to the collapse, not least the closure of Dell and it's ancillary plants, the reduced traffic through Shannon, construction folding and high city centre rents. The City centre is now a very desolate place and getting worse. Off the top of my head;

1 Dunnes Sarsfield St
2 Fergusons Pharmacy Thomas St
3 Sasha William St
4 Benneton Sarsfield St
5 Falks Lighting Henry St
6 Topshop Sarsfield St
7 Dunnes O Connell St
8 Empire Music O Connell St (soon to close)
9 Budget Travel Sarsfield St
10 Fuschia Queen Thomas St

That's all I have for the moment off the top of my head. I know there is a shedload down on Patrick St and a few on Cruises St but I can't recall the individual names at the moment.

Insect Overlord

Aidric wrote: »

1 Dunnes Sarsfield St
7 Dunnes O Connell St

I'm fairly sure there were plans to close these anyway, before talk of recession hit the headlines. Maybe because of the new outlet at the Jetland.

mitresize5

Early Learning Centre - Crusies St
Next - Crusies St

Roadend

The early Learning centre and that chocolate shop on Cruises st. There's more but I can't remember the names of the shops

Aidric

Insect Overlord wrote: »

I'm fairly sure there were plans to close these anyway, before talk of recession hit the headlines. Maybe because of the new outlet at the Jetland.

You might be right. I'm just interested in getting a picture on the numbers.

billymitchell

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but I was back in Limerick a couple of weeks ago. WTF happened in the city centre!! Cruises street used to be buzzing in the afternoons at the weekend, but the day I was there, it was like a ghost town! Have the shopping centres(jetland, crescent and new parkway) taken all the business from the city centre?

Berty

Barratts Shoes, Cruises St. My Fiancee was the manager. It closed because the rent was nearly twice that of their more successful store in the crescent. The landlord refused to change the rent so they moved out.

Similar story in the ELC where my friend worked.

Casperbhoy

The Crescent is feeling the pinch too

Chartbusters
Several Clothes shops have been closed too, dont know the names

Kess73

Roadend wrote: »

The early Learning centre and that chocolate shop on Cruises st. There's more but I can't remember the names of the shops

Are Thorntons gone on Cruises street? I was offered a job with them in the Coonagh centre as they were to open a store there, but that centre went to pieces commercially even before it opened, and all the retailers that had units lined up got shafted so all pulled out. And I got a nice letter saying as there was going to be no store, there would be no job there and that I would be kept on file for if it ever got opened, or I could consider a role elsewhere within their chain, which turned out to be in the UK and not much good to me at the time.

Jumpy

Brulee is gone, not sure if it was before or after the recession started though. Just noticed recently.

georgem25

Dorothy Perkins - Cruises St
Evans - Cruises St

phill106

Kielys
Clancy electrical
Sony store
every other coffee shop that opens across from bibi's on denmark street
thorntons is still open
Sasha

Itsdacraic

phill106 wrote: »

Kielys
Clancy electrical
Sony store
every other coffee shop that opens across from bibi's on denmark street
thorntons is still open
Sasha

The same guy has had a place there for over a year and it's still open.

Builderfromhell

New openings on (and just off) Thomas street include;

e-net - internet cafe and computer supplies
Wine shop
Thai angel massage
Laundry place - Foxes Bow
New clothes shop being renovated
Coffee shop beside Sandwich bar - run by Pakistanis
New coffee shop on Little Caherine st.
Polish bakery shop on Gerlad Griffin street.

Casperbhoy

TRIL recruitment went last year

phill106

Itsdacraic wrote: »

The same guy has had a place there for over a year and it's still open.

time flies!
there has been a few there though?


OMG
I cant beleve no one mentioned BEWLEYS!
bring back bewleys!
Crap that was pre recession wasnt it?

Itsdacraic

phill106 wrote: »

time flies!
there has been a few there though?

I don't think so. I think it was a clothes shop or something before that?

goingpostal

That sandwich shop that was across from the chicken hut on roches st. I walked past it the other day and it was closed. Those girls sure knew how to fill a sandwich.

Berty

phill106 wrote: »

I cant beleve no one mentioned BEWLEYS!
bring back bewleys!
Crap that was pre recession wasnt it?

Remember in their last dying days the used to open until 4am. That was madness!

Mr E

Bewleys closed at least 10 years ago. I don't think you can count it as a victim of the recession.

sioda

Kielys and the Sony Centre are the same owner IIRC

bullets

Heirlooms in the Crescent SC closed Monday had final stock sale on Sunday.

Adams Kids clothing store is up in the air at the moment too.

Banta in Raheen has no activity apart from a few office staff going to the building each day.

Spar in Ballycummin village closed recently.


~B

Aidric

bullets wrote: »

Heirlooms in the Crescent SC closed Monday had final stock sale on Sunday.

I think their Cruises St branch is closing as well.

Funkstard

Depressing reading. Add this litany to how the city is visually decaying...not good.

Aidric

Japan on Cruises St also.

Pushtrak

Mr E in Arthurs Quay closed down, too. I got someone a gift from there, but for the most part, people would just look at what they had rather than buying anything in there.

boomerang

Davern & Bell art gallery/shop on Thomas Street
Danes' Bakery on the corner of Wickham Street and William Street
Kranks Corner (renamed Chicken King I think? Gone anyways.)
O' Brien's sandwich bar on William Street (reopened as an independent eaterie)
Fries With That - chipper up by the Cornmarket
Dr Acupuncture and Herbs beside Leonards on O' Connell Street
Fergusons chemist on O' Connell Street - stayed open under new ownership?
Executive Travel on Roches Street - now under new ownership
Internet cafe above Xtravision on Thomas Street
Empire Music - hanging in there by a thread

FutureGuy

Pushtrak wrote: »

Mr E in Arthurs Quay closed down, too. I got someone a gift from there, but for the most part, people would just look at what they had rather than buying anything in there.

Everytime I went in there, I found the staff were about as unfriendly as you could get. There was no attempt at customer interaction, and rarely got as much as a nod from the guy behind the counter. I actually asked if I could get a product in, and I felt like it was a major hassle to help.

If they were more approachable, they may have gotten more business.

FutureGuy

boomerang wrote: »

Davern & Bell art gallery/shop on Thomas Street
Danes' Bakery on the corner of Wickham Street and William Street
O' Brien's sandwich bar on William Street (reopened as an independent eaterie)

Danes bakery is now next door, and are still going afaik.

That sandwich bar is now back to being an OBriens!

Pushtrak

FutureGuy wrote: »

Everytime I went in there, I found the staff were about as unfriendly as you could get.

Ha, yeah, that definitely is the truth. Oh, that brings to mind an example of the exact opposite. Hollywood Empire. Any time I went in there, the owner was always sound. Talked about movies and music. Its a pity he had to close down. A friend of mine saw him in town one day and apparently he was trying to get a new store going. Haven't heard anything on it since then.

1892

boomerang wrote: »

Davern & Bell art gallery/shop on Thomas Street
Danes' Bakery on the corner of Wickham Street and William Street
Kranks Corner (renamed Chicken King I think? Gone anyways.)
O' Brien's sandwich bar on William Street (reopened as an independent eaterie)
Fries With That - chipper up by the Cornmarket
Dr Acupuncture and Herbs beside Leonards on O' Connell Street
Fergusons chemist on O' Connell Street - stayed open under new ownership?
Executive Travel on Roches Street - now under new ownership
Internet cafe above Xtravision on Thomas Street
Empire Music - hanging in there by a thread

Think the bakery on the corner of William Street thats gone was called the Bakers Kitchen - Dane is still open up the road

jbkenn

Mr E wrote: »

Bewleys closed at least 10 years ago. I don't think you can count it as a victim of the recession.

From the ashes of Bewley's rose http://www.carambola.ie/

boomerang

Sorry - oops on the Danes - what I meant is the Baker's Kitchen.

munstergirl

22,000 + unemployed in limerick city have no money to spend!
Don't know how many unemployed in mid-west region but they have no money to spend either.
If every shop in limerick city was filled with half decent shops (give them 0 rates or tax incentives, it would help reduce our unemployment + get people back spending.
Plus if you were to open a shop in city centre, 1st thing your € would be spent on is security guards,
I would say we need at least 2 gardai on every shopping street, so retailers don't need to employ so many security staff.

Stan the man

Today, closed shop "Prémaman", yesterday "Car Zone" - Jetland Ennis Rd

In 2009: "Golden Disc", "Dr.China", "Sasha".

Kess73

Stan the man wrote: »

Today, closed shop "Prémaman", yesterday "Car Zone" - Jetland Ennis Rd

In 2009: "Golden Disc", "Dr.China", "Sasha".

That's a big chunk of what was in that centre gone. What is left out there now? Dunnes, the pharmacy, Jean scene, elvery sports, Carrig Donn and a few coffee shops?

Builderfromhell

New clothes shop opened on Gerlad Griffing st. a few weeks ago.
New clothes shop soon to open on Thomas street.
Cafe, bar or retaraunt nearly ready to open beside the Locke bar.
Flannery's on catehrine street being extended.
Coffee shop beside Gleeson's on Catherine street being renovated.

Stan the man

Kess73 wrote: »

That's a big chunk of what was in that centre gone. What is left out there now? Dunnes, the pharmacy, Jean scene, elvery sports, Carrig Donn and a few coffee shops?

Yes. Pharmacy, "Elvery", "Carrig", "Hallmark", "The Jean Scenne" -> The Josef Shop (now;)), "Costa", Dunnes, BB'S.

Half empty. We'll see what happens. If something changes, I will surely write.

Scarlett68

This makes for car crash reading........ and things are unlikely to change any time soon it seems. Oooh Im depressed now; alcohol methinks !!:(

thomond2006

IIRC the bookshops in the Parkway and Castletroy are both closed.

Kess73

thomond2006 wrote: »

IIRC the bookshops in the Parkway and Castletroy are both closed.

Did the one in the Crescent Shopping centre stay open? It is owned by the same people as the one in the Parkway.

Wetbench4

Is Clancy's electrical on o connell street still open?
Pat keoghs also closed.
24Hr Dunnes on Childers road, no longer 24hour.
O Briens sandwiches in the parkway also closed.

Kess73

Wetbench4 wrote: »

Is Clancy's electrical on o connell street still open?

Clancy's stopped trading in the city centre months ago. They have a store out beside the Parkway roundabout now. It is the building that Kielys used to be in.

Platform Web

New coffee shop on corner of Roches St and Catherine St.

Platform Web

Wetbench4 wrote: »

Is Clancy's electrical on o connell street still open?
Pat keoghs also closed.
24Hr Dunnes on Childers road, no longer 24hour.
O Briens sandwiches in the parkway also closed.

Are all O Briens everywere gone? They were in big trouble centrally I think

JD Dublin

Folks I'm from Limerick orginally now living in Dublin ( handier to get to Croke Park for the All Irelands doncha know ), and I have to say I used to be astounded at the new retail outliets opening up in Limerick. There are the equivalent new towns all round the outskirts of Limerick e.g. Annacotty, Newtown, etc. Annacotty was a crook in the road when I was a chap ( long time ago ), and now look at it. It was inevitable that there would be a scaling back because there was a madness in the sheer number of shops opening up.

It would be better if some of the out-of-town centres were bulldozed ( which will happen believe me ).

I live in South Dublin, and even in the wealthiest part of the country, there are shops closing due to falls in business and high rents. There had to be a shakeout.

Therefore do not despair, reality will dawn at some stage, we're just living through the awful 'oh God is it morning, how many pints did I have last night' feeling after the party that was the Celtic Tiger.

Think back to the time when the only thing open after the pub was the Number One O'Connell Grill for a bag of chips to eat on the walk home - or is that closed too....?

phill106

JD Dublin wrote: »

Folks I'm from Limerick orginally now living in Dublin ( handier to get to Croke Park for the All Irelands doncha know ), and I have to say I used to be astounded at the new retail outliets opening up in Limerick. There are the equivalent new towns all round the outskirts of Limerick e.g. Annacotty, Newtown, etc. Annacotty was a crook in the road when I was a chap ( long time ago ), and now look at it. It was inevitable that there would be a scaling back because there was a madness in the sheer number of shops opening up.

It would be better if some of the out-of-town centres were bulldozed ( which will happen believe me ).

I live in South Dublin, and even in the wealthiest part of the country, there are shops closing due to falls in business and high rents. There had to be a shakeout.

Therefore do not despair, reality will dawn at some stage, we're just living through the awful 'oh God is it morning, how many pints did I have last night' feeling after the party that was the Celtic Tiger.

Think back to the time when the only thing open after the pub was the Number One O'Connell Grill for a bag of chips to eat on the walk home - or is that closed too....?

Still there, but never open late that i have seen!

xsiborg

fish/aquarium shop on mallow street moved out to castletroy shopping centre, he used have a great selection in there, nowadays i go to the pet shop in fox's bow, not as good a selection and some really nice tropical fish but i really dont want to go all the way out to castletroy unless im buying a €50 fish!

a lot of the shops (were they bought by developers?) at the top of the town where they were going to build that "opera" shopping centre that never went ahead were moved or closed down. the banner is still up for it anyway?

Kess73

xsiborg wrote: »

fish/aquarium shop on mallow street moved out to castletroy shopping centre, he used have a great selection in there, nowadays i go to the pet shop in fox's bow, not as good a selection and some really nice tropical fish but i really dont want to go all the way out to castletroy unless im buying a €50 fish!

That is Kevin who was on Cecil street that you are talking about. The rates and rent for his old place were crazy, especially as it was a smaller celler with no street frontage.

He has lost a lot of business by moving, but if he had stayed the higher rent/rates would have closed him anyway I reckon. Hope I am wrong though as he is a good bloke who has worked hard to grow his business. Used to go to his old place a lot, but like yourself I go to the lads in Paws N' Claws now because it is handier for me to go to for smaller purchases as I would rarely be out around the Castletroy shopping centre, plus they are sound lads there too.

xsiborg

Kess73 wrote: »

That is Kevin who was on Cecil street that you are talking about.

thats the guy, always get those two streets mixed up, took me long enough to tell the difference between thomas street and william street!:eek: (no sense of direction! )

Kess73 wrote: »

Hope I am wrong though as he is a good bloke who has worked hard to grow his business.

i hope so too, must take a trip out sunday to see his new place, i'll google map before i go!

Kess73 wrote: »

Used to go to his old place a lot, but like yourself I go to the lads in Paws N' Claws now because it is handier for me to go to for smaller purchases as I would rarely be out around the Castletroy shopping centre, plus they are sound lads there too.

they are too, i just hope they don't go now too or im rightly fecked, i dont think i'd be too keen to order my fish online, the delivery times can be a killer! :rolleyes:

Aidric

xsiborg wrote: »

fish/aquarium shop on mallow street moved out to castletroy shopping centre, he used have a great selection in there, nowadays i go to the pet shop in fox's bow, not as good a selection and some really nice tropical fish but i really dont want to go all the way out to castletroy unless im buying a €50 fish!

Ya, a very helpful guy that owns that place. I was out to his new place in Castletroy a few weeks ago. The new shop is a beautiful unit and way bigger and better stocked than the old shop. Hope it goes well for him.