Businesses/Shops opening in Cork city/suburbs.

undertaker fan 88

Where you hear that it's opening there?? I work in Starbucks and this is news to me

mire

undertaker fan 88 wrote: »

Where you hear that it's opening there?? I work in Starbucks and this is news to me

It's probably because the building doesn't have planning permission for a cafe use and one would have to assume that only Starbucks would Deliberately flout the laws of the land When it comes to opening new businesses in the city.

Dbu

bizz213 wrote: »

Starbucks opening on Southmall/parliment bridge where old Java Juice bar is. Across 2 buildings by looks of it. Possibly upstairs as well

This fact or a rumour? Have genuine reason for asking

bizz213

I believe it to be Fact. 2 different people from different environments confirmed for me today. A Builder & An auctioneer. Both involved in it.

Also if you look at it they are giving it an exposed look at the moment, red brick outside etc, and inside the seem to be opening up with access to an upstairs area too.

Dbu

bizz213 wrote: »

I believe it to be Fact. 2 different people from different environments confirmed for me today. A Builder & An auctioneer. Both involved in it.

Also if you look at it they are giving it an exposed look at the moment, red brick outside etc, and inside the seem to be opening up with access to an upstairs area too.

Cheers, thank you

ongarboy

TrustedApple wrote: »

bizz213 wrote: »

Starbucks opening on Southmall/parliment bridge where old Java Juice bar is. Across 2 buildings by looks of it. Possibly upstairs as well

Stop after they are told to close down on Patrick's st will they ever give up ?.

Apparently Caffe Nero have been refused permission by the council to open on Patrick Street also in a unit on the north side of Patrick Street because the council want to attract more "high end" retailers.  Are they waiting for Gucci or Armani to come to Cork?? They'll be waiting!.  I agree there shouldn't be an abundance of one type of retailer on Cork's premier street (proliferation of mobile phone shops and Spar/Centra shops almost destroyed Grafton St in Dublin) but if it means long vacant units continue to remain vacant for years to come, I'd rather a coffee shop that gives an ambience (outdoor seating/late opening etc).

DylanGLC

It is clearly popular so I have no problem with one opening there. I don't go to Starbucks but a lot of people cleary must or else they wouldn't be opening so many. That area also badly needed new life, especially that building

KCAccidental

DylanGLC wrote: »

It is clearly popular so I have no problem with one opening there. I don't go to Starbucks but a lot of people cleary must or else they wouldn't be opening so many. That area also badly needed new life, especially that building

Problem is Starbucks can afford to play the long game against independent Cafes. It's why they open so many outlets in a small area. Oversaturate the market to pressure the competition and then close the superfluous branches when they have destroyed the competition.

"There have been other, more brazen ways in which Starbucks has used its size and deep pockets to its competitive advantage. Until the practice began creating controversy a few years back, Starbucks' real-estate strategy was to stake out a popular independent cafn a well-trafficked, funky location and simply poach the lease from under it."



"A Comforting Third Place" is the phrase Starbucks uses to promote itself in its newsletters and evangelical annual reports. This is not just another non-space like Wal-Mart or McDonalds, it's an intimate nook where sophisticated people can share "coffee... community... camaraderie... connection."

Everything about New Age chains like Starbucks is designed to assure us that they are a different breed from the strip-mall franchises of yesterday. This isn't dreck for the masses, it's intelligent furniture, it's cosmetics as political activism, it's the bookstore as an "old-world library",' it's the coffee shop that wants to stare deep into your eyes and "connect."

But there's a catch. The need for more intimate spaces designed to tempt people to linger may indeed provide a powerful counterpoint to the cavernous big boxes, but these two retail trends are not as far apart as they appear at first. For instance, the mechanics of Starbucks' dizzying expansion during the past thirteen years has more in common with Wal-Mart's plan for global domination than the brand managers at the folksy coffee chain like to admit. Rather than dropping an enormous big box on the edge of town, Starbucks' policy is to drop "clusters" of outlets in urban areas already dotted with cafes and espresso bars. This strategy relies just as heavily on an economy of scale as Wal-Mart's does and the effect on competition is much the same. Since Starbucks is explicit about its desire to enter markets only where it can "become the leading retailer and brand of coffee," the company has concentrated its store-a-day growth in relatively few areas. Instead of opening a few stores in every city in the world, or even in North America, Starbucks waits until it can blitz an entire area and spread, to quote Globe and Mail columnist John Barber, "like head lice through a kindergarten." It's a highly aggressive strategy, and it involves something the company calls "cannibalization."

The idea is to saturate an area with stores until the coffee competition is so fierce that sales drop even in individual Starbucks outlets.

In 1993, for instance, when Starbucks had just 275 outlets concentrated in a few U.S. states, per-store sales increased by 19 percent from the previous year. By 1994, store sales growth was only 9 percent, in 1996 it dipped to 7 percent, and in 1997 Starbucks saw only a 5 percent sales growth; in new stores, it was as low as 3 percent. (See Table 6.3, Appendix, page 473).

Understandably, the closer the outlets get to each other, the more they begin to poach or "cannibalize" each other's clientele—even in hyper-caffeinated cities like Seattle and Vancouver people can only suck back so many lattes before they float into the Pacific.

Starbucks' 1995 annual report explains: "As part of its expansion strategy of clustering store in existing markets, Starbucks has experienced a certain level of cannibalization of existing stores by new stores as the store concentration has increased, but management believes such cannibalization has been justified by the incremental sales and return on new store investment." What that means is that while sale were slowing at individual stores, the total sales of all the chain's stores combined continued to rise—doubling, in fact, between 1995 and 1997. Put another way, Starbucks the company was expanding its market while its individual outlets were losing market share, largely to other Starbucks outlets (see Table 6.4, Appendix, page 473).

It also helped Starbucks, no doubt, that its cannibalization strategy preys not only on other Starbucks outlets but equally on its real competitors, independently run coffee shops and restaurants. And, unlike Starbucks, these lone businesses can only profit from one store at a time. The bottom line is that clustering, like big-boxing, is a competitive retail strategy that is only an option for a large chain that can afford to take a beating on individual store in order to reap a larger, long-term branding goal. It also explains why critics usually claim that companies like Starbucks' are preying on small businesses, while the chains themselves deny it, admitting only that they are expanding and creating new markets for their products. Both are true, but the chains' aggressive strategy of market expansion has the added bonus of simultaneously taking out competitors.

No Logo, Naomi Klein

opus

Anyone know what's being built in the carpark off Grattan St? It's been closed for a few months now.

mire

opus wrote: »

Anyone know what's being built in the carpark off Grattan St? It's been closed for a few months now.

It has a planning permission for an extension to the Women's Refuge but as far as I know it is currently being used as a works depot for some of the road works going on in the city centre

Gamb!t

Whats being built near French Connection on St Patrick street ?

who_me

Gamb!t wrote: »

Whats being built near French Connection on St Patrick street ?

The 3 buildings that housed Gloria Jeans, the Body Shop and the building to the West were being merged into one. I don't know if they have tenants yet.

ofcork

I see the old frank clarks building on sharman Crawford st is being demolished too.

satanta99

Smiggle, an Austrialian retailer who say they sell "colourful, fun and fashion-forward stationery" :):D is recruiting for a new Cork store.

http://careers.smiggle.com/smiggle/en/job/642110/retail-store-manager-new-store-coming-soon-cork

freshpopcorn

satanta99 wrote: »

Smiggle, an Austrialian retailer who say they sell "colourful, fun and fashion-forward stationery" :):D is recruiting for a new Cork store.

http://careers.smiggle.com/smiggle/en/job/642110/retail-store-manager-new-store-coming-soon-cork

I think one of these opened in Dundrum earlier in the year. It's a bit like Easons I think.

DylanGLC

satanta99 wrote: »

Smiggle, an Austrialian retailer who say they sell "colourful, fun and fashion-forward stationery" :):D is recruiting for a new Cork store.

http://careers.smiggle.com/smiggle/en/job/642110/retail-store-manager-new-store-coming-soon-cork

I wonder where the two stores will be. I was thinking Mahon Point/Douglas/Blackpool, but maybe one for downtown (like Claire on Patrick's Street) judging off this from an article in the Irish Independent.

"Mr Cheston said that although rents are high at Dundrum Town Centre, it also benefits from high footfall and gives the brand exposure here.

"We're not afraid to pay the rents that go with the best locations,""

satanta99

I'd say one in City Centre and one in either Mahon Point or Wilton.

You would think they would try to capitalise on the back-to-school stationary market and try and be open before the end of August.

TrustedApple

I don't think there is any free units in Mahon Point there all more or less rented out at this moment in time.

Speaking of it I am shocked they have not tryed to get planing to build a few more shops on to it at this stage as I am there every single day and it is a busy shopping centre as all the shops all ways seem to have someone in them buying something.

As it would not be that hard to build on to at all thanks to it being a box you can add in quite a few areas

freshpopcorn

TrustedApple wrote: »

I don't think there is any free units in Mahon Point there all more or less rented out at this moment in time.

I was questioning Mahon as well. I know Newbridge are opening a store. This might be where the credit union was. Apart from that there's the unit where Poco jeans opened. This is only a pop up shop to the best of my knowledge.

satanta99

TrustedApple wrote: »

I don't think there is any free units in Mahon Point there all more or less rented out at this moment in time.

Speaking of it I am shocked they have not tryed to get planing to build a few more shops on to it at this stage as I am there every single day and it is a busy shopping centre as all the shops all ways seem to have someone in them buying something.

As it would not be that hard to build on to at all thanks to it being a box you can add in quite a few areas

The current Metropolitan Cork Joint Retail strategy stipulates that no further significant expansion of comparison floorspace in Mahon is envisaged over the lifetime of the strategy

http://www.corkcitydevelopmentplan.ie/images/Downloads/Metropolitan_Cork_Joint_Retail_Strategy_2015.pdf

Any expansion at Mahon Point will more than likely be mixed use, in an attempt to re-inforce the role it plays as a district centre.

The ultimate aim of the Joint Retail Strategy is to keep the City Centre as the tier 1 retail location and ensure that retail development outside the core is split more evenly between the north and south side of the city.

DylanGLC

Starbucks is taking the building on the corner of South Mall and Parliament Street, right? I ask because it has been painted blue and I always thought they aimed for brown, block, green and cream colours. I also thought that someone had already been arranged for the newly amalgamated building on Patrick's Street but new stickers have gone up on the window saying it is available to let

opus

The site has been cleared for the new student flats across from the tennis village, took the photo on a bit of a run last night.

Speaking of student flats, the building on the old petrol station site on Western Road is flying up, if only the event centre moved as quickly (or at all!).

who_me

Story on the Echo about a new development on the South Mall. Looks pretty nice I have to say! Very surprised to see it can house 450 employees; I guess the site must wrap around to the back, there's a large yard/car park behind that block.

No idea if any tenants yet lined up.

DylanGLC

who_me wrote: »

Looks pretty nice I have to say! Very surprised to see it can house 450 employees; I guess the site must wrap around to the back, there's a large yard/car park behind that block.

It does And I agree, it does look good! Nice to see some development on that street.

opus wrote: »

The site has been cleared for the new student flats across from the tennis village, took the photo on a bit of a run last night.

Speaking of student flats, the building on the old petrol station site on Western Road is flying up, if only the event centre moved as quickly (or at all!).

Is that [URL="http://www.eveningecho.ie/corknews/More-student-apartments-granted-permission-on-Coca-cola-site-f492843e-9b2e-4660-9dc8-f2fb09e24814-ds]"]this[/URL]?

GavRedKing

opus wrote: »

The site has been cleared for the new student flats across from the tennis village, took the photo on a bit of a run last night.

Speaking of student flats, the building on the old petrol station site on Western Road is flying up, if only the event centre moved as quickly (or at all!).

There is houses by where that picture was taken right? I think thats the start/end of the walk that cuts through the back of CIT.

Nice area.

opus

DylanGLC wrote: »

Is that [URL="http://www.eveningecho.ie/corknews/More-student-apartments-granted-permission-on-Coca-cola-site-f492843e-9b2e-4660-9dc8-f2fb09e24814-ds]"]this[/URL]?

No it's across the road from the tennis village on Model Farm road.

GavRedKing wrote: »

There is houses by where that picture was taken right? I think thats the start/end of the walk that cuts through the back of CIT.

Nice area.

Yup it's called Rossbrook afair, often take in that path on a run.

beer enigma

TrustedApple wrote: »

I don't think there is any free units in Mahon Point there all more or less rented out at this moment in time.

Speaking of it I am shocked they have not tryed to get planing to build a few more shops on to it at this stage as I am there every single day and it is a busy shopping centre as all the shops all ways seem to have someone in them buying something.

As it would not be that hard to build on to at all thanks to it being a box you can add in quite a few areas

Two free units at Mahon Point at the moment, one downstairs which used to be the old GAME store & one upstairs which was the old St Michael's Credit Union.

TrustedApple

The old gamestop unit is Newbridge sliver opening soon

So only a really tiny unit left there now in the old credit union place.


I work next to it and go there every day and I think there is proof and a need for a few more units there

bizz213

bizz213 wrote: »

I believe it to be Fact. 2 different people from different environments confirmed for me today. A Builder & An auctioneer. Both involved in it.

i heard today from 2 other people it is Costa not Starbucks going into South Mall/Parliment Bridge Corner. One said he heard it. the other said he heard it and that thy had pulled out of deal already. so dunno what the truth is tbh.

JupiterKid

Mahon Point has created traffic chaos in the surrounding areas and has added to the woes on the South Ring Road. It is a very good quality suburban and indeed regional shopping centre but further expansion should be resisted. It needs better public transport links.

If Cork city centre is to continue to thrive, it should remain the primary shopping location. This makes sense as it has the best public transport links and has a variety of other land uses such as offices, restaurants, hotels and housing.

If you want to see what unbridled development of suburban shopping centres has done to a city, just take a look at Limerick. Its core has suffered a huge loss of retail. Do we want an American style hollowed out "doughnut city" with clogged suburban roads and central area in its death throes?