Business in Ennis

badger86

Does anyone there have any ideas as a business/service that is missing in Ennis at the present time?

For example, a number of people have expressed their frustrations to me that they had big problems locating particular music CD's over Xmas. A number of people agree that it is lacking a Good Music Shop that covers all interests. However, given the size of the town and it's proximity to Shopping Centres in Limerick etc, perhaps there isnt the market or demand for such a business

What other businesses do people think are lacking in Ennis. Perhaps a different type of food/Take away shop. Ennis is drowning in all the Fast Food Outlets, whether it be McDonalds, Supermacs, Enzo's, Hillbilly's, Subway, Friar Tuck's. I could go on all night. Any ideas people?

Lady Chatterton

To be honest, I feel the days of the "music shop" are well and truly over. Most people just purchase downloads these days, Tesco sell the Top 20 hits at a discounted price and almost everything else can be bought online from the likes of Play.com or Amazon.

Lady Chatterton

I was just thinking about your question a little more and I feel that there is definitely an opening for another Undertaker in Ennis. At present there are only two Undertakers in Ennis - Kennedy's in the Market and Daly's in Francis Street. There is more than enough business for another Undertaker.

Carazy

MrsD007 wrote: »

I was just thinking about your question a little more and I feel that there is definitely an opening for another Undertaker in Ennis. At present there are only two Undertakers in Ennis - Kennedy's in the Market and Daly's in Francis Street. There is more than enough business for another Undertaker.

I wouldn't think so much the undertaking side but if you were to set one up, embalmers are in short supply in the county, Linnanes only people I know to do it. so that would be an option to go with.

I'd give you my business!!!! Boards.ie discount :D

Oh how this thread has suddenly changed from a varying fast food outlet to this already

Lady Chatterton

Carazy wrote: »

I wouldn't think so much the undertaking side but if you were to set one up, embalmers are in short supply in the county, Linnanes only people I know to do it. so that would be an option to go with.

I'd give you my business!!!! Boards.ie discount :D

Oh how this thread has suddenly changed from a varying fast food outlet to this already

LOL :D:D

At least we are thinking outside the box anyway :pac::pac::pac:

Insect Overlord

MrsD007 wrote: »

thinking outside the box

Undertakers and embalmers think about what's inside the box though. :pac:

Lady Chatterton

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Undertakers and embalmers think about what's inside the box though. :pac:

Very true, I can safely say that Undertaking is one profession I couldn't work in, it is would be so morbid and depressing.

MyKeyG

badger86 wrote: »

For example, a number of people have expressed their frustrations to me that they had big problems locating particular music CD's over Xmas. A number of people agree that it is lacking a Good Music Shop that covers all interests. However, given the size of the town and it's proximity to Shopping Centres in Limerick etc, perhaps there isnt the market or demand for such a business

When The Record Rack is doing more business as a 'diddly-idle-dee' shop then I think the days of of the CD are well and truly over in Ennis. iTunes killed the CD and it's only a matter of time until bricks and mortar DVD rental establishments go the way of the dodo as well. Compared to music and film, gaming download isn't quite as popular but it's only a matter of time before we say thanks but no thanks to the likes of Gamestop as well.

I honestly think a decent IT shop with competitive prices would do decent business in Ennis. The one near the Clare Champion is very small. Your only options are electrical goods stores which feature the sale of IT equipment as opposed to specialising in them. Ennis Electrical, O'Flaherty's are the only suppliers and even then their staff have only the basic knowledge. Don't get me wrong it doesn't have to be the size of PC World in Limerick but something reasonable would be good not to talk of the fact that if something goes wrong with a product you don't have to drive all the way back into Limerick.

angelfire9

MyKeyG wrote: »

I honestly think a decent IT shop with competitive prices would do decent business in Ennis. The one near the Clare Champion is very small. Your only options are electrical goods stores which feature the sale of IT equipment as opposed to specialising in them. Ennis Electrical, O'Flaherty's are the only suppliers and even then their staff have only the basic knowledge. Don't get me wrong it doesn't have to be the size of PC World in Limerick but something reasonable would be good not to talk of the fact that if something goes wrong with a product you don't have to drive all the way back into Limerick.

There is one on the Quinn Road
www.btech.ie

(not associated with them but used to deal with these guys years ago when I worked in a company that supplied them)

MyKeyG

angelfire9 wrote: »

There is one on the Quinn Road
www.btech.ie

(not associated with them but used to deal with these guys years ago when I worked in a company that supplied them)

Ah right I saw the sign and assumed they were an IT company like software developers or something. Ya live an learn!!!

CptSternn

MyKeyG wrote: »

Ah right I saw the sign and assumed they were an IT company like software developers or something. Ya live an learn!!!

I would steer clear of them. Two people I know dropped in computers that came back worse off than when they went in.

angelfire9

CptSternn wrote: »

I would steer clear of them. Two people I know dropped in computers that came back worse off than when they went in.

Boot Systems in Kevin Barry Avenue are probably the best bet for computer repairs in Ennis
(they are expensive though)
B-tech I have no experience in repairs but they do sell some nice stuff (new)

mel.b

A really nice luggage / bag shop that has everything from kids backpacks to purses, wallets, briefcases, handbags and then luggage.

I wanted to buy a new purse before Christmas and had no idea where to go to have a look at a good range.

The luggage shop in my home town in Australia (similar if a bit smaller than Ennis) is fantastic. You go in looking for a purse or wallet and they will pull out 20 different ones for you to look at. Plus every size and colour of luggage you could want.

CptSternn

They should just get it over with and put in an Argos so we don't have to drive to Limerick.

Then again, they are slowly making everything they sell available for home delivery so we might not need one of them in town anyhow.

It's may sound odd to some, but 90% of all non-food purchases I have made in the past few years have all been from either PC World, Argos, or one of those DIY stores.

I do however love to sample many of the finer restaurants in Dublin and think there is a market for restaurants in Ennis. The problem is none of the ones that are opening (and closing) so often here are offering original food.

Like a good Mexican restaurant. That would do well. As long as they didn't screw up the food. I have been to a few in Dublin that were heinous. Also a real sub shop. Not this Subway crap, but a proper NY style sub shop with proper subs. Or what about a nice Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar, tempora, and kushiyaki? What about Cuban cuisine? Or Brazilian? Maybe even something a bit more spicy like Jamaican or Ethiopian. It just seems the new restaurants which do open are drab, redundant, and dreadful. There are a few exceptions, but a bit of variety wouldn't hurt anyone sure.

It seems every new one is either:

1. A pizza joint

2. A semi-posh place that has a menu that includes a steak, chicken goujons, a pasta dish, and salmon. They may mix those things up a bit but for the most part that is every restaurant menu in the area. No free thinkers, nothing experimental, just the same menus which have been around since the 70's.

If anyone out there is actually looking to open a restaurant and needs ideas, feel free to message me as I would be happy to point you in a direction which doesn't lead back to the same drab offerings we usually get stuck with.

Jim Martin

CptSternn wrote: »

I would steer clear of them. Two people I know dropped in computers that came back worse off than when they went in.

Same thing happened to me a couple of years ago (had to buy a new PC)!

Palmach

CptSternn wrote: »

They should just get it over with and put in an Argos so we don't have to drive to Limerick.

Argos is tacky cheap and of dubious quality. Ennis is a nice town and should not go down the route of Anglicizing the main streets to so people can save a few pennies.

MyKeyG

Palmach wrote: »

Argos is tacky cheap and of dubious quality. Ennis is a nice town and should not go down the route of Anglicizing the main streets to so people can save a few pennies.

Goodness knows in the current climate we could do without saving a few pennies:rolleyes:

I've never had any trouble with Argos products and where the cheap and tacky is coming from I don't know. Sounds like snobbery tbh.

Insect Overlord

Palmach wrote: »

Argos is tacky cheap and of dubious quality.

Wut? Most of what they sell is also sold in plenty of other shops. How can the items be okay in some shops, but cheap and tacky in another?

Carazy

Palmach wrote: »

Argos is tacky cheap and of dubious quality. Ennis is a nice town and should not go down the route of Anglicizing the main streets to so people can save a few pennies.

I would be of the same opinion on most (not all) of their items too. Buy cheap buy twice.

MyKeyG

Carazy wrote: »

I would be of the same opinion on most (not all) of their items too. Buy cheap buy twice.

So basically what you're saying is that the products they buy buy from Sony, Apple, Microsoft, Adidas, Nike, LG, Phillips etc are all somehow less quality than the products these same companies ship to other businesses? Of course there are cheaper branded items in the mix too but if you don't want to buy them you don't have to.

With all due respect this is pretty poor reasoning not to have an Argos.

Balagan

Palmach wrote: »

Argos is tacky cheap and of dubious quality. Ennis is a nice town and should not go down the route of Anglicizing the main streets to so people can save a few pennies.

Maybe they should keep the town centre as a museum, with 'Irish' shops aimed at supplying people for whom saving money is not a concern. Why would anyone want to go into Limerick or Galway to Argos or other 'Anglicized' stores and get more of a choice at very significantly less prices when they could stay in Ennis and pay way over the odds for everything? Why on earth would they want to save money to pay for heating and petrol and mortgage or rent and their children's education fees and medical bills when they could be spending it in Ennis in order to keep the town 'nice' and not 'Anglicized'?

You seem to be living in a bubble and good luck to you and long may it last but please try to understand that the bubble has burst for very many people. There are very good and standard brands at Argos on which many people save money, myself included, and there are also the cheaper end of things. For a lot of people now, the cheaper end of the Argos stock, while 'dubious' and 'tacky' to you, mean that they can still afford the wardrobe or the desk or the bed for the growing childs' room or the new suite of furniture. They could certainly not afford even the lowest end prices in Ennis shops for those items and their only way of getting similar in Ennis would be to keep a keen eye out at the Cancer Support Shop or the Clarecare Charity Shop or, from time to time, some items at Lidls.

Think on before you start pouring scorn on the reality of other people's lives. Some of us have so given up on Ennis for shopping for anything other than very basics and count ourselves lucky that we can still make it into Limerick or up to Galway to get what we need and still save some much-needed money. It seems out of the question that we will have the like of an Argos or a decent Tesco in Ennis as long as the business interests of the town shout louder and in the right places at the right time and us poor eejits let them.

MyKeyG

Balagan wrote: »

Some of us have so given up on Ennis for shopping for anything other than very basics and count ourselves lucky that we can still make it into Limerick or up to Galway to get what we need and still save some much-needed money. It seems out of the question that we will have the like of an Argos or a decent Tesco in Ennis as long as the business interests of the town shout louder and in the right places at the right time and us poor eejits let them.

You make a very good point. Since the bubble burst I've always sensed this undercurrent in Clare and in particular Ennis that we're responsible for keeping businesses alive by spending more rather than local businesses initiating a principle of competitive pricing. 'Buy local it may cost more but you're supporting your community' seems to be the call. I'm a bit tired of having my loyalty held to ransom just because Ennis won't take the initiative and you have people talking nonsense about Anglicized.

I think a lot of people could take a leaf out of the book of businesses like Centra and such who boast supermarket prices. They realise that people aren't going to do their shop there out of convenience anymore but will go to Dunnes and Tesco for the lower prices. They've met the customer in the middle. I just wish other businesses followed suit.

CptSternn

It's kinda rich people saying we need to support the local shops, yet the local shop owners continue to ignore the calls to pedestrianise the streets. We are told shops are right, customers are wrong, and when it comes to the fact the shops are failing we are supposed to pay more because it's somehow our fault and not attributable to the fact they obviously can't run their own businesses properly.

It is truly a messed up system that needs to be sorted.

kollegeknight

I think we are better off without the likes of argos and a big Tesco. The OH and I shop when we can in Ennis (when we have gifts to buy, Ennis does get first chance) but the parking/traffic is just too much hassle.

The place could do with a re-look at how things are done. maybe bring in a professional to look at it.

As said before, the cost of parking and access into parking areas is a bit mental. The market and the place at the back of denis morans is mental at times.

angelfire9

I don't know I reckon a Tesco slightly out of town (like at Mickey Lynch's site) would do well and god knows Tesco in town is in DIRE shape

I'd love if Argos went out to the Quin Road Business Park it would really wake the place up out there, there are lots of units but i'd say the rent is horrendous

Lady Chatterton

angelfire9 wrote: »

I don't know I reckon a Tesco slightly out of town (like at Mickey Lynch's site) would do well and god knows Tesco in town is in DIRE shape

I'd love if Argos went out to the Quin Road Business Park it would really wake the place up out there, there are lots of units but i'd say the rent is horrendous

I do most of my shopping in Nenagh and I can see the negative affect a massive Tesco Extra has had on the town. In the last year lots of businesses have gone to the wall, the only place that seems to be thriving is Tesco. I'd hate to see Ennis go down the same road.

I think Tesco in Ennis is a dive but it has one major plus and that is its staff. The manager, Brendan Kelly and some of the staff have been working there since I was a child, the best thing about Tesco Ennis is definitely their staff.

As for Argos, they have three stores in Limerick so I doubt they will open one in Ennis.

CptSternn

MrsD007 wrote: »

I do most of my shopping in Nenagh and I can see the negative affect a massive Tesco Extra has had on the town. In the last year lots of businesses have gone to the wall, the only place that seems to be thriving is Tesco. I'd hate to see Ennis go down the same road.

You have to be careful not to confuse two issues. Were those businesses closing down anyway? Like we see currently in Ennis, lots of businesses are closing. If a new large Tesco was to open, some people might incorrectly claim the business closure was because of the new Tesco, when the reality is these businesses would be closing regardless.

Fries-With-That

Hi,

I live in Nenagh, I personally can't point my finger at one business that has closed in Nenagh because of Tescos arrival.

You may argue that O'Connors shopping centre and Mulqueens supermarket closed because of Tesco but to be honest they on the slippery slope for a number of years.

I can't think of another outlet that has closed that can be directly attributed to the arrival of Tesco in Nenagh.

O'Connors changed their business model a number of years ago, where they went from opening and directly managing outlets within their complex to subletting or selling units to other business people and losing control of their customers.At one stage O Connors shopping centre had one of every other shop in Nenagh at their Complex.

Grocery,Boutique,Butcher, Bakery,Menswear,Childrens Wear,Paint and Wallpaper,Light Hardware,Gift Shop Restaurant,Public House,Newsagent etc O'Connors was a one stop shop for everyone.

Example, O Connors sold Lidl the site for their shop,allowing a discount retailer to open in your back yard hardly makes good business sense.

Mulqueens Supermarket suffered mainly due to location and lack of proper parking.(the changing of half the street on which they were located to a one way system didn't do them any favours.

Tescos are and will remain a fact of life in todays Ireland and Irish business will have to change if its to compete.

Town centre locations have more to offer in my opinion but local councils/chambers of commerce will have to realise people are not going to pay silly prices for parking when you can drive to an out of town centre location and pick up the items you want without a further price being added to your bill.

If councils in this country decided to remove pay parking you'd see life being breathed back into the main streets of towns.

Lady Chatterton

CptSternn wrote: »

You have to be careful not to confuse two issues. Were those businesses closing down anyway? Like we see currently in Ennis, lots of businesses are closing. If a new large Tesco was to open, some people might incorrectly claim the business closure was because of the new Tesco, when the reality is these businesses would be closing regardless.

That is a fair point, definitely some would have closed anyway but most of Nenagh's commercial activity seems to centre around Tesco. The store is massive and sells all most everything. It is incredibly difficult for small retailers to compete with them. When you look at Tesco Extra stores, they sell Gardening Products, Books, DVDs, CDs, Games, Toys, Phones, Paint, Clothes, Computers, TVs etc...

Fries-With-That wrote: »

I live in Nenagh, I personally can't point my finger at one business that has closed in Nenagh because of Tescos arrival.

I was thinking about Murphy's Supervalu, O'Connors Shopping Centre and Mulqueens. Even Dunnes Stores seem much quieter since the arrival of Tesco. However, Dunnes have a better clothing section than Tesco which I'd say helps. I was really sorry to see Murphy's Supervalu close down I used to do most of my shopping there, it was a lovely store, wth lots of local produce and the staff were friendly.

Fries-With-That

MrsD007 wrote: »

I was thinking about Murphy's Supervalu, O'Connors Shopping Centre and Mulqueens. Even Dunnes Stores seem much quieter since the arrival of Tesco. However, Dunnes have a better clothing section than Tesco which I'd say helps. I was really sorry to see Murphy's Supervalu close down I used to do most of my shopping there, it was a lovely store, wth lots of local produce and the staff were friendly.

Murphys opened after Tesco and the real reason they closed was that it was a poorly managed business in a developement that was chopped and changed so much by the developer that a store the size of Murphys was never going to succeed.

Murphys opened in what was supposed to be an suburban village development on the edge of a market town. The development on paper featured a multiscreen cinema, an hotel, a bowling alley 500+ houses and numerous apartments and a town park to compliment the existing dark road walk.

No Multiscreen, No Hotel, and No Bowling alley and a tiny fraction of the houses and apartments have been built.

Murphys should have insisted on some compensation clause before they purchased the unit, akin to if the development as planned changes to such an extent that it renders a supermarket untenable etc etc.

I mentioned poorly managed above sad but true, join a queue at the checkout with a few items and then try to buy cigarettes only to be told we no longer sell cigarettes at these checkouts you have to go and join the queue at the customer service counter.

Only one checkout in operation at the busiest times.

Ask a staff member if they have a certain item in stock because they change the layout of the shelves to be told no we don't sell that anymore its discontinued, and then find several packs yourself on a different aisle.

There were several items that people used to shop for in Supervalu that you can't get in the other shops in Nenagh, so we now either travel to Supervalu in Killaloe or Portumna.

You also have to question the logic of opening a Supervalu at that location when people from town would have to drive past Dunnes and Centra to spend their few bob.

I think its a shame it closed, but business is business and if you can't compete you close.

People in retailing need to realise its not about the biggest the brightest and the most bang for your buck what most people want from a retailer is proper customer service and if you're getting this you don't mind if an item is a few cents more.

Lady Chatterton

Fries-With-That wrote: »

Murphys opened in what was supposed to be an suburban village development on the edge of a market town. The development on paper featured a multiscreen cinema, an hotel, a bowling alley 500+ houses and numerous apartments and a town park to compliment the existing dark road walk.

No Multiscreen, No Hotel, and No Bowling alley and a tiny fraction of the houses and apartments have been built.

Murphys should have insisted on some compensation clause before they purchased the unit, akin to if the development as planned changes to such an extent that it renders a supermarket untenable etc etc.

There were several items that people used to shop for in Supervalu that you can't get in the other shops in Nenagh, so we now either travel to Supervalu in Killaloe or Portumna.

You also have to question the logic of opening a Supervalu at that location when people from town would have to drive past Dunnes and Centra to spend their few bob.

I think its a shame it closed, but business is business and if you can't compete you close.

People in retailing need to realise its not about the biggest the brightest and the most bang for your buck what most people want from a retailer is proper customer service and if you're getting this you don't mind if an item is a few cents more.

I agree with you on the Springfort Retail Park, it is a disappointing development. I believe there was some talk about ALDI going in there at one stage but it never happened. It's funny, Supervalu Killaloe is on my doorstep but I always preferred going to Murphy's, there is no pleasing us, far away hills are greener and all that I really liked being able to take my five year old to "Jump N Gyms" next door to Murphy's and then do my shopping afterwards, it was very convenient (and it was on the right side of town for me).