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Who remembers Roches Stores?

Andy From Sligo

I knew roches stores went ages ago - but surprised it closed way back in 2007. good store that. Had to travel to Galway to go shop there , because there wasnt one in Sligo (now there's a surprise) anyone else on here used to like that store?

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iamwhoiam

GrumpyMe wrote: »

Fond memories of watching the populace attempting to us those newfangled moving stairs... in the Henry Street flagship store
https://comeheretome.com/2012/03/07/the-roches-stores-escalators/

God I had forgotten all about it till now , my nan was with my sister and fell on the escalator in Henry St . She fell forwards and came all the way down face first . Luckily a storeman stopped it at the last minute .

miketheDIYman

Yes Roches Store's staff had a friendly attitude and were always keen to assist - this worked from Management down the line

Drake66

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I knew roches stores went ages ago - but surprised it closed way back in 2007. good store that. Had to travel to Galway to go shop there , because there wasnt one in Sligo (now there's a surprise) anyone else on here used to like that store?

I used to work in the one in Henry Street during college. I loved it. The staff were great : it was like a big family. I avoid going into the Debenhams there now. It will never be on the level that Roche's was at service-wise. It is now just another soleless British style high Street shop.

Stephen15

I remember the one in Blackrock used to have a Supervalu attached and then that got replaced with a Marks and Spencer's food section.

Atoms for Peace

AFAik the Roche's still own the buildings but have leased them to debhanbums.

New Home

I bought stuff in Roches that I haven't been able to find anywhere else since then. They looked like shops your great aunt would go to, but I miss them.

Andy From Sligo

New Home wrote: »

I bought stuff in Roches that I haven't been able to find anywhere else since then. They looked like shops your great aunt would go to, but I miss them.

yep i used to like finding stuff you wouldnt find anywhere else - i wonder what they would be like these days if they had carried on trading.

in a way the story reminds me of woolworths in the UK, you could get a range of different items you couldnt get anywhere else in there too and they also ceased trading in 2007 too - blamed on the bubble bursting (we called it the Celtic Tiger in Ireland, not sure what nickname they had in the UK for that time)

twowheelsonly

Ubbquittious wrote: »

Yep. Founded by a Killavullen man I do believe, frittered away the proceeds on wimmin and dhrink

Lol... His son, Stanley, ran the Cork businesses for years and was an absolute gentleman, widely respected by everyone including his staff. Met him a few times through my own job at the time and he was one of those fellas that if you didn't know him you'd presume him to be an ordinary Joe Soap. No airs and graces at all. He passed away about 10 years ago.

He married a Dutch (or German ??) lady called Heidi and I remember being told the story of how it led to a court case as her first husband sued him, basically for stealing her away from him !! Can't remember the details of it now but by all accounts it was a huge story at the time.

BuboBubo

Visited the one in City Square Waterford umpteen times before Debenhams arrived.

Bought many pairs of Levis there back in the 90's.

Andy From Sligo

memory is foggy , im just trying to think all what items they sold:

Homeware stuff

Electrical stuff

Clothes

Kitchen bakeware and that

toys?

cannot think now what else - good shop though

New Home

Clothes, garden, hardware, kitchen stuff, shoes, hair accessories, "jewellery", make-up... you mention it, they had it.

AMKC

I do remember it yes. Loved the one on Henry Street in Dublin. I was also in the one in Waterford or Wexford one of them citys. That's where I started collecting Micro Machines. Anyone remember them? Choose the wrong ones do. Still have them somewhere. Must have spent 50 Irish pounds collecting the ones from this certain huge franchise. Wish I had of bought the ones from the other Franchise first do and it might have gotten bigger. The other franchise could have waited. As it was they stopped making the ones I had not bought not long after it. Bought some years later from E-Bay.

Gadgetman496

Atoms for Peace wrote: »

AFAik the Roche's still own the buildings but have leased them to debhanbums.

Correct.

Retailer Roches Stores, founded in Cork in the early 1900s, has announced plans to sell its nationwide chain of shops to the British high street giant Debenhams.

It took six years to rebuild the Roches Stores premises on Saint Patrick’s Street after it was destroyed during the burning of Cork city in December 1920. The small furniture shop founded by William Roche went on to become one of the countries best known chain-stores with 11 shops trading throughout the country.

In a deal worth €29 million, the company will continue to own its properties in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Tralee, Galway and Waterford, leasing them back to Debenhams. Howevever 90 jobs will be lost and the remaining 2000 employees will transfer to the new owners. Linda Tanham of Mandate Trade Union says

Source:

Andy From Sligo

haha just found this online:

11 memories you'll have if you ever shopped in Roches Stores

Chaos Tourist

Andy From Sligo wrote: »

I knew roches stores went ages ago - but surprised it closed way back in 2007. good store that. Had to travel to Galway to go shop there , because there wasnt one in Sligo (now there's a surprise) anyone else on here used to like that store?

No I wasn't familiar with it. Was it good? Are you still pining for Roches Stores Galway after a decade?

Was it your pick-up point to score some Mary Jane --a little bit of ganja for the weekend?;)

Aglomerado

The O'Connell Street Limerick one was our Mecca. There used to be a nice nativity scene on the stairs at Christmas, I always remember that. School uniforms & electrical goods were always got there!
Plus the seats inside the front doors where old folk from the country waiting for the Saturday bus back to East Clare would congregate; would always bump into several neighbours there.

Rubberchikken

Who doesnt remember it. It was a great shop. Way better than the replacement - debenhams.
Still, life is all about change so i dont give the past too much thought.

super_furry

I used to work in Roches Tallaght on the night pack back when I was still in college. Was a great place to work for and they really looked after their staff well. Had a friend doing the exact sameness job in Dunnes at the time and he hated it. Five to nine or seven to 11pm stacking shelves, and overtime if it ever went over that with staff nights once a month. Was sad to see them go when they did.

jaxxx

F*ck off, only 11 years ago? If I had to have put money on it, I would have said at least 20.

somefeen

The way everyone thinks it shut long before 2007 kinda says it must have been in decline for a long time.
I still hear people in Cork call debenhams Roche's though

fatknacker

Switzers was where it was at.

Snowseer

iamwhoiam wrote: »

God I had forgotten all about it till now , my nan was with my sister and fell on the escalator in Henry St . She fell forwards and came all the way down face first . Luckily a storeman stopped it at the last minute .

I pushed the big red button that made the escalators stop one time. My aunt told me later that she saw a blonde girl who looked just like me pushing it. Got away with it - mwuahhahaha.

colm_mcm

Just remembered they had a restaurant called Ziggys, a jumbo sausage and chips was considered exotic in those days.

JoeA3

People (well maybe just me?!) still refer to the one in Galway as Roches - i.e. I’ll meet you outside Roches or I parked in Roches. If someone asked me where Debanhams is I’d have to think for a minute.

Much like Brown Thomas is still Moons...

Getting old....

badtoro

I still call it Roaches stores car park in Galway, remember before there was a multi storey there too.

RacoonQueen

bee06 wrote: »

Roches was the best! Whatever you needed they had it. I’m surprised it only closed 11 years ago. Seems like longer.

jaxxx wrote: »

F*ck off, only 11 years ago? If I had to have put money on it, I would have said at least 20.

Has to be longer than 11 years ago. Pretty sure Debenhams was here in my teens? I'm so confused, everything I'm googling is from 2006/2007. The whole of the internet is WRONG.

We used to meet mu aunt and cousin outside Roches every Saturday for the weekly being dragged around town rubbish.

Wasn't Debenhams already in the Jervis centre by then? And moved to the Henry street store? Maybe thats why I'm confused as I'm sure Debenhams is in Ireland longer than 11 years?

New Home

Yes, they were in Jervis and then took over the other place.

Billy86

PandaPoo wrote: »

Roches in Nutgrove was my local. Up the big escalator

Mr. feckin' B's now... up the big escalator to see all the little delinquents instead! I think it's only Dunnes & Penny's of the shops from when I was a kid still there, seeing Golden Discs gone was a sad day indeed.

Actually the key cutter fella beside Golden Discs is still there, so there's that.

Billy86

Conservatory wrote: »

In fairness times were tough before we had all the tourists and foreign students to rob.

It's just not like the old days.

mondeo

My mother use to bring me there in the 90s to buy some extra cheap runners and track suits. £4 got you a full tracksuit in the early 90s.