Another Shop Closure on LK Main Street

gavmcfad

Was walking down Main St today and noticed a sign on Birthdays Shop that a receiver had been appointed.

K-9

Atlantic Homecare gone in the Retail Park, today as well:

Highland Radio » Atlantic Homecare to close its Letterkenny store with the loss of 18 jobs

That's the toy store and a Euro type shop gone in that Park. Not much left.

cosanostra

Im very surprised at atlantic homecare completely closing they always seemed to be busy any time i was in and it was busy with people buying stuff more importantly unlike other diy stores in the town!

I assume there 10yr lease is up and there not going to renew it but its funny they arent going to downsize it and maybe move down to beside Heiton Buckley their sister company and maybe use some of their large yard!

It looks like Letterkenny retail park no1 is going to be a ghost park lets hope the other 2 dont go the same way or lk will be in big trouble

hairyprincess

Is the Euro type shop gone? I was only in there about 2 weeks ago, it was a brilliant shop.
I guess Homebase didn't help Atlantic Homecare, at least they are giving their staff plently of notice though.
No doubt there will be many more closures by the start of the summer

K-9

hairyprincess wrote: »

Is the Euro type shop gone? I was only in there about 2 weeks ago, it was a brilliant shop.
I guess Homebase didn't help Atlantic Homecare, at least they are giving their staff plently of notice though.
No doubt there will be many more closures by the start of the summer

I thought it was a couple of months back. Maybe not.

CB11

Euroshop(smart value) is still there, they have the same owners as Elverys Sports

tatabubbly

Atlantic homecare closing???

Very very bad sign!

Daegerty

tatabubbly wrote: »

Atlantic homecare closing???

Very very bad sign!

Ah now tbh I always found them overpriced and they would be suffering after the boom now dead quiet with a massive building to pay rent on

annascott

So sad to hear about Birthdays shop. It was really expensive though and almost impossible to park outside. Also Atlantic will be missed. Why doesn't Letterkenny have a toy shop any more? Where do people buy toys now?

inode

So sad to hear about Birthdays shop. It was really expensive though and almost impossible to park outside. Also Atlantic will be missed. Why doesn't Letterkenny have a toy shop any more? Where do people buy toys now?

Toymaster is in Letterkenny shopping centre...unless its closed down since I left

K-9

inode wrote: »

Toymaster is in Letterkenny shopping centre...unless its closed down since I left

It's quite small though. Surprise, Surprise in the SC isn't it?

I suppose Argos is there and I think Tesco do a small range, not sure if Heatons still does.

annascott

sorry, hit the wrong button and sent a half message. There used to be a toy shop above Mr Chippy at the Tesco roundabout, but that has gone too...

Letterkenny is going to end up really terrible for shopping...

Pique

Gallaghers men's clothes shop is closing too. Sale starting on 25th. There'll be nothing but pubs, bookies and chippers on the main st soon!!!

mk2

I hear the wee shop across from dunnes has shut it's doors to,it used to be the express stop.

Lahm

mk2 wrote: »

I hear the wee shop across from dunnes has shut it's doors to,it used to be the express stop.

Yes. Seen it shut there today. Never heard about it at all.

mk2

I also heard that abrakebabra is being gutted out not sure if its closed or being renovated.

jmark

mk2 wrote: »

I also heard that abrakebabra is being gutted out not sure if its closed or being renovated.

Sad if its closing if only for the job loss - although for a kebab you cant beat Spice Guru

Carrickman

mk2 wrote: »

I also heard that abrakebabra is being gutted out not sure if its closed or being renovated.

Could be for renovations as it is there I would say almost 20 years (remember when they open first they had the video juke box?) and is in need a face lift!

UpDonegal

mk2 wrote: »

I also heard that abrakebabra is being gutted out not sure if its closed or being renovated.

It is been renovated, it is re-opening in Mid - April again

kiddums

I saw there at the weekend that classic casuals have closed their shop in the shopping centre. Just the one on the main st now.

cosanostra

kiddums wrote: »

I saw there at the weekend that classic casuals have closed their shop in the shopping centre. Just the one on the main st now.

Did they not have 2 on the main st at one point one on each side of the rd?

A little of topic but related it must be terrible for the businesses in lk that are struggling to pay the bank and tax etc to see their competition who didn't and who have ended up in receivership now being run by the banks.
We all know a large group of hotels pubs in nightclubs in letterkenny that is controlled by the bank and is now competing against other businesses and making them struggle are we just going to end up with letterkenny being owned by banks

Pique

cosanostra wrote: »

A little of topic but related it must be terrible for the businesses in lk Ireland that are struggling to pay the bank and tax etc to see their competition who didn't and who have ended up in receivership now being run by the banks.

Fixed your post.

stephendevlin

TK MAXX and Marks and Sparks are rumoured to be going but claims have been dismissed by staff.

Carpet Right have escaped closure as the store is performing well compared to others in the country

Michael Gallaghers - going
Birthdays - Gone
Convenience store across from Dunnes (apparantly over rent) - Gone
Unique in the shopping centre - gone
Classic Casuals (did have 2 shops on the main street) - Downsized.
Atlantic Homecare - Going

I can see more being added to this list over the next couple of months.

Sad really as this was the fastest growing town in Europe and is now decreasing just as quick.

stephendevlin

Forgot some

Kellys Sales and Service - Gone
Letterkenny 4 X 4 - Closing
the bridal suite - Rumoured to be closing

Pique

stephendevlin wrote: »

Convenience store across from Dunnes (apparantly over rent) - Gone

That place looked open(ish) this morning as I passed. The shutters were half down but a woman was stooping down to get in.
Hope it's temporary, as I always liked that shop. Nicest staff of all the newsagents IMO.

stephendevlin

Pique wrote: »

That place looked open(ish) this morning as I passed. The shutters were half down but a woman was stooping down to get in.
Hope it's temporary, as I always liked that shop. Nicest staff of all the newsagents IMO.

Previous person closed the shop over rent.

I was over there earlier myself. Someone else is going to be resuming the business. Give it a week and it will be back open. Not all staff will be taken back on board (too many).

stephendevlin

Pique wrote: »

The shutters were half down but a woman was stooping down to get in..

Cleaner!:D

stephendevlin

stephendevlin wrote: »

Forgot some

Kellys Sales and Service - Gone
Letterkenny 4 X 4 - Closing
the bridal suite - Rumoured to be closing

Who are Kellys Sales and Service ?

homer simpson

salonfire wrote: »

Who are Kellys Sales and Service ?

I assume he means, Tony Kelly cars, not Kelly Sales & service (the toyota garage) because they are still going strong!

md23040

stephendevlin wrote: »

Sad really as this was the fastest growing town in Europe and is now decreasing just as quick.

There are a number of towns in Ireland claiming to be the fastest growing in Europe (from 2002 forward) and all are urban myths. Letterkenny from 2002 to 2006 grew by 15.5% to an urban area of 18,500 whilst other towns during the same period like Swords grew by 25% (33,000) and Navan by 28% (25,000). Between 2002 to date, the floorspace in Letterkenny grew much more than this and the contraction now is only natural consequence of a supply and demand rebalance.

In Germany there are hard fast rules about the amount of retail floor space allowed per 1000 population with a strong anti-competition laws and this creates sustainability.

Also unfortunately Derry will continue to be the main retail destination since the cost of doing business there is much cheaper, the catchment area is much larger (300,000 catchment), there is larger critical mass and much less red tape.

Also anecdotally, two weeks ago took my daughters Vintage dress into a dry cleaners in Letterkenny and it was €23 (took it back), went to Derry same £9.90. No wonder business is being drained daily and until rents, red tape cut etc, it will sadly continue.

For the record AFAIK according to EuroStat either Swindon or Inverness are the fastest growing towns/cities.

K-9

md23040 wrote: »

There are a number of towns in Ireland claiming to be the fastest growing in Europe (from 2002 forward) and all are urban myths. Letterkenny from 2002 to 2006 grew by 15.5% to an urban area of 18,500 whilst other towns during the same period like Swords grew by 25% (33,000) and Navan by 28% (25,000). Between 2002 to date, the floorspace in Letterkenny grew much more than this and the contraction now is only natural consequence of a supply and demand rebalance.

In Germany there are hard fast rules about the amount of retail floor space allowed per 1000 population with a strong anti-competition laws and this creates sustainability.

Also unfortunately Derry will continue to be the main retail destination since the cost of doing business there is much cheaper, the catchment area is much larger (300,000 catchment), there is larger critical mass and much less red tape.

Also anecdotally, two weeks ago took my daughters Vintage dress into a dry cleaners in Letterkenny and it was €23 (took it back), went to Derry same £9.90. No wonder business is being drained daily and until rents, red tape cut etc, it will sadly continue.

For the record AFAIK according to EuroStat either Swindon or Inverness are the fastest growing towns/cities.

I think that statistic seemed to grow legs around the mid to late 90's.

I can remember it been questioned atm, could well have been one of things that somebody printed or said and it grew wings.

North_West_Art

When I moved to Letterkenny in 1989, a lecturer at the RTC told us that Xtravision had just decided to open in town because it had this fastest growing town in Western Europe status. There possibly is some truth to it as older people in the family remember when Ramelton was considered more significant than Letterkenny back in the 30's and 40's.. anyone ever hear this?
Not meaning to drag this thread off topic, are there any new businesses opening in Letterkenny?

theblueirish

I done a bit of research into this for a work project about three years ago, at the time Letterkenny was fourth with Rotterdam being the fastest, Can't remember where I got the info from, sorry.

Theblueirish

K-9

North_West_Art wrote: »

When I moved to Letterkenny in 1989, a lecturer at the RTC told us that Xtravision had just decided to open in town because it had this fastest growing town in Western Europe status. There possibly is some truth to it as older people in the family remember when Ramelton was considered more significant than Letterkenny back in the 30's and 40's.. anyone ever hear this?
Not meaning to drag this thread off topic, are there any new businesses opening in Letterkenny?

Surprisingly a few restaurants opened, Italian out by the Dry Arch and one in the McGinley building but that replaced another one.

The discount stores and Aldi and Lidl seem to be doing well. Everybody wants value. And Penneys of course!

md23040

K-9 wrote: »

Surprisingly a few restaurants opened, Italian out by the Dry Arch and one in the McGinley building but that replaced another one.

The discount stores and Aldi and Lidl seem to be doing well. Everybody wants value. And Penneys of course!

La Fantasia by the Dry Arch is there for the last 3 years, the food is nice but pretty expensive. It was €74 for mains for 2 adults and 2 kids with one drink each a couple of weeks ago.

For a view of Letterkenny six years ago try this thread. Even then at the start of the boom, many posters had reservations of where it all was going. I wonder of those mentioned how many are in Nama.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=305529

By the way the fastest growing town in Ireland in 2000's with 15,000+ population was Balbriggan at 51% and the fastest growing town in top 100 towns/settlements was Lusk 119%. Letterkenny was always a spinned urban myth.

Edit Add/on

theblueirish wrote: »

I done a bit of research into this for a work project about three years ago, at the time Letterkenny was fourth with Rotterdam being the fastest, Can't remember where I got the info from, sorry.Theblueirish

I do not want to take this off topic and this will be my last post on the matter but Rotterdam has a population of 2.1m city and urban area of 6.1m whilst Letterkenny has 15,062 in town and 17,023 urban according to 2006 census. What sort of project were you doing because that's apples and oranges. However IMO Letterkenny planners allowed too much retail space and the local government coffers benefitted hugely and now as a result there are so businesses struggling, chasing too few customers.

Finally Letterkenny has always been strongly dependent on cross-border trade and the present four years of high €uro rates to Sterling has been a massive problem.

cosanostra

stephendevlin wrote: »

TK MAXX and Marks and Sparks are rumoured to be going but claims have been dismissed by staff.

Don't think this will happen untill their lease is up which will either be 5, 10 or 15 years left hense why atlantic homecare are closing lease up in june and wont sign a new 10yr lease but rumours of TKMAXX closing have been going around since they opened!

caprirs3100

Pique wrote: »

Gallaghers men's clothes shop is closing too. Sale starting on 25th. There'll be nothing but pubs, bookies and chippers on the main st soon!!!

I have to agree with Pique.The town has totally changed. I never thought I would see the day that Michael Gallagher would even think of closing down his shop. The Main street has seen a lot of changes of the past thirty years. Some good but some completley mad. The road surface now is the worst it has ever been.No need for speed ramps as it is dire at the moment. Its even imposible to park outside any of the shops from Gallaghers Hotel tothe Market square. It will soon be a walking region that nobody could be bothered walking...

muffler

We were running off topic with the last few posts which were about parking so I moved them to here

Can we just stick to discussing the shop closures please.

Cheers.