Stephen15 wrote: » I know it's not exactly breaking news but I hear House of Fraser could be going into administration. Unless a suitable buyer is found which would likely be either Mike Ashley or Edinburgh Woollen Mills the Chinese company which owns Hamleys recently pulled out If there some kind of survival plan drawn up I could see Dundrum being one of the shops closing down as if the business wants to scale down they would usually close their overseas operations.https://www.irishtimes.com/business/retail-and-services/house-of-fraser-survival-in-doubt-as-rescue-plan-falls-apart-1.3583522
Chinasea wrote: » I hope all the moaners who blame parking charges in Dun Laoghaire start to realise that the downturn in shopping is moreso attributed to online purchases.
Chinasea wrote: » Read the article in post #3301 above which outlines the reasons as to the demise of House of Fraser's demise. Nothing to do with parking whatsoever. Regards Dun Laoghaire's shops; I feel very lucky that I can browse through Charity Shops. I can sip coffee in a fabulous Coffee shop that donates some of its proceeds to leprosy. I can buy fresh turmeric in the Philiopino shop. What about the Gourmet market shop in the middle of Dun Laoghaire. What a lovely diverse unique shop that is that enhances our high street. Look at the fabulous Polish tailors shop beside Penneys. Wake up moaners.
ted1 wrote: » Blaming online shopping is disingenuous as other areas aren’t suffering to the same extent. Indeed Biry Blackrock shopping centres are getting upgraded , as is stillorgan shopping centre which is positively booming there’s rarely ever spaces there
awec wrote: » The biggest issue with Dun Laoghaire is there's nothing in it if we are honest. We go regularly to the market on Sundays, but we never walk around the shops in the town. There is nothing of interest.
tomofson wrote: » From around 2000 to 2010ish there was loads of interesting shops and stuff around Dun Laoghaire, I think people got older and a lot of people moved out so these shops went.
Cyrus wrote: » Dún Laoghaire has the pier and the market on Sunday’s the rest is to be avoided
tomofson wrote: » Its my hometown and it hurts to see it go to the dogs
Aegir wrote: » My wife turns 40 next year and grew up in”the Borough”. She always corrects me when I say Dun Laoghaire is going down hill. She can’t remember a time it was ever “up the hill “.
odyssey06 wrote: » I dont know how much of DL problems are due to parking costs but it should be an easy one to take off the agenda. Validated parking... you spend X in a local shop, have a meal etc your parking is free.
wakka12 wrote: » Personally I think the heart of Dun Laoghaire has simply moved down to the waterfront, by the library,whetherpoons area, the pier and I dont think thats such a bad thing, the restored baths will also solidify this movement even further. The main street is a bit dead though, I think that big ignorant hulking behemoth that is the DLR shopping centre is acting as a kind of dead zone barrier between the old town bit and the waterfront area, it needs to be nuked ASAP, how in gods name was it ever built, it is excessive in scale in the extreme, I guarantee you if it was replaced with some nice high density mixed use apartments with some ground floor retail the town would breathe a collective sigh of relief and be all the better for it Maybe even rebuild the nice victorian buildings that ugly crap replaced, would help the image of the town as a historic victorian seaside location to visit I was just looking online and this is what the whetherspoons building thing used to look like,a real pity I think, the town would look infinitely better today if it hadnt been replaced Same view todayhttps://www.google.com/maps/@53.294449,-6.1337408,3a,90y,172.38h,84.93t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sGBCGPLr8tzL_kUFQJ_RZMg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 Its actually tragic how **** 20th C architecture was and how many of the worlds beautiful cities and towns it absolutely destroyed, just adds insult to injury that the beautiful church on marine road burnt down as well
Larbre34 wrote: » I grew up in Dun Laoghaire, am in my mid-40s and now after time away have my office at the back of the town. That gives me a decent perspective on some of the changes that have happened over the years, quite apart from my work in town planning consultancy. I think some of the simplistic comment you see on here and on a couple of Facebook groups are just that, simplistic. If you want a bit of an explanation as to why the town is where it is, consider the following... - The retail heart has moved away from Dun Laoghaire, no denying that, but it is not because of parking charges or business rates. Really you say? When I was a kid, DL was the supermarket and fresh food destination for 5 miles around, in a time when money was very tight and options limited. It was the focus of many bus routes when the DART was only catching on. On weekdays it was busy, on weekends it was black. Parents (mainly women working in the home, without a second car) brought their kids to Dominican Primary and Secondary schools, to CBS Eblana Ave and to Pres brothers in Glasthule and the Senior Colleges (Techs). Most days they would spend a few pence in the town and that meant footfall. They got uniforms and school supplies every summer and Christmas was well catered for, so seasonal trade was in rude health. In turn, the cafés and draperies were busy and that meant numbers of staff in the area with their own money to spend around the place. These days, that custom is gone because all the schools bar Dominican primary is gone. Ironically Bloomfields centre rose where Domican secondary was demolished. A daft equation in many ways. Of course at the same time, house prices crept up and the population aged hugely. Online is the new place for school supplies, along with many other products too. In my opinion, the Councillors of old Dun Laoghaire borough and subsequent DLR Dun Laoghaire ward were always massively conservative and hesitant, so when opportunities came, they were snapped up by Dundrum, Sandyford and the like. Along with the M50 opening up the wider suburbs, this further bled away that customer with the disposable income. At the same time, the ferries left, largely because of traffic access limitations. Retail rents did not move with the times in DL, mainly because so much of the main street and shopping centre, property is owned by a few large entities and pension funds (including Dunnes and Coltard) who could afford to sit of these properties as appreciating assets. Im not sure many local people recognise that factor. As for parking charges, you always hear the drum being banged by the few local interests of it killing the town, but the fact is the very same regime exists in the busy Dalkey and Blackrock, but in Dun Laoghaire's case it was actually demanded by many local businesses and residents who on weekdays simply couldnt source parking at their homes or for their customers as every street became the DART carpark. Now, at least, residents are returning to the town centre in new build apartments and larger houses in places like Adelaide Street and Clarinda Park where former office conversions and flats are returning to single large dwellings. This is a good thing for the life blood of the town. Apart from that, I know of many small IT driven companies moving into nooks and crannies around the town having being priced out of the mental City Centre scene. Also too, the Harbour Innovation Campus has been just been approved for the old HSS terminal, driven by guys who know the sector and with a DART and bus hub on their doorsteps. 1,000 new jobs there is not a fanciful target with the City short on space and high on price. The one big nut to crack is the rental cost of retail properties (and personally Id demolish the shopping centre and put 500 mixed apartments there 2 mins from the DART with light retail at street level to add to the 24 hour life of the town). The world is changing fast, Dun Laoghaire has been left somewhat behind, but in my experience its far from dead and it has massive positives to propel it into a new existence of next generation residents, business food and services, co-ordinated by sensible and practical planning and community input. The tools are there.
wakka12 wrote: » I was just looking online and this is what the whetherspoons building thing used to look like,a real pity I think, the town would look infinitely better today if it hadnt been replaced.
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