Stores Closing in Sligo **mod warning post #720**

whatswhat wrote: »

It was too small and cramped. Dealz might have effected them too, its a far bigger, nicer shop selling much the same things and some cheaper I found. I always had a good look around the old Mary's but had no interest in the tiny one.

Yeah, they're closed. Dealz saw them off

The Body shop closed with a loss of 4 jobs, and The Velvet Room with a loss of almost 40.

Bad week for Sligo.

http://oceanfm.ie/2015/04/30/sligo-hit-by-further-job-losses-as-two-businesses-in-the-town-close/

I was in Carrick last week, I didn't see any empty retail units, but I did see Sligo people up doing their shopping, "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption".

redarmyblues wrote: »

I was in Carrick last week, I didn't see any empty retail units, but I did see Sligo people up doing their shopping, "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption".

You should look a bit more next time! There's loads of empty retail spaces in Carrick if you look beyond the centre of the town.
Unless you live nearer a town like Carrick there's no reason to travel there to do the weekly shopping. People will travel to other towns occasionally in order to check out special purchases they intend to make, ie ladies fashionwear.
I don't think it's a surprise to many that those two businesses closed today.

Could you explain your "quotation" please?

Vlove wrote: »

The body shop was really an expensive shop, I've been there once in my life and I haven't seen life in it at all, only the girls who work there! Got a small face cream tube for €14. So not really suprised at the announcement to be honest.

The velvet is a suprising since it did do well!

They claimed the cost of the public liability insurance was too much, so they've closed up. Someone will take it on though. Yer man from 5th on teeling has a few places in town now, he might take it on

Buford T Justice wrote: »

Someone will take it on though. Yer man from 5th on teeling has a few places in town now, he might take it on

They've taken on the former Bella Vista in Strandhill afaik, it's being refurbished at present, assume they're aiming for a June bank holiday opening..http://www.facebook.com/TheDraftHouse

red sean wrote: »

Which equates to 'we didn't have enough punters paying in to cover our overheads let alone make a profit'
Maybe they should have stood back earlier and tried to find out what was wrong.

Not necessarily, it was mentioned that there is no Irish companies offering public liability insurance and the UK companies jacked up the prices, which means they may have been profitable, but that's no longer the case with the new insurance costs.

red sean wrote: »

Then all nightclubs are likely to close? Or just the unprofitable ones?
It still comes down to punters through the door in large enough numbers to cover costs and make a profit.
However, it's still strange no Irish Co's do PL ins for clubs.

Fair point but not knowing how the PL insurance market works I'd wonder if particular premises/sizes/capacity means different charges, I'd wonder would theirs be a lot higher than Toffs or the like for example, might explain things.

rizzodun wrote: »

Not necessarily, it was mentioned that there is no Irish companies offering public liability insurance and the UK companies jacked up the prices, which means they may have been profitable, but that's no longer the case with the new insurance costs.

red sean wrote: »

Then all nightclubs are likely to close? Or just the unprofitable ones?
It still comes down to punters through the door in large enough numbers to cover costs and make a profit.
However, it's still strange no Irish Co's do PL ins for clubs.

Rubbish. I work In this area. Plenty in the Irish market doing PL Insurance. They'll open again under another umbrella. Either that, or they're looking for a scapegoat.


Re previous post too why on earth would M&S come to Sligo. It's ruined. We are a town on the way to the gutter. Thanks to all those crowd in the chamber, as long as they are still breathing we will never ever grow while they look after their vested interests.

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

Something I'm sure everyone had an idea that Sligo was in pretty bad shape, the figures point it out as the worst in the country. It's only going to get worse too with the fallout over the whole Lisadell debacle. I completely agree with the owners of the estate that the people involved should have to foot the bill instead of the easy departure they got with quite generous and completely undeserved payoffs/pensions.



https://www.geodirectory.ie/Home/Media/Continued-Decrease-In-Occupied-Commercial-Premises.aspx

Not sure what Lissadell has to do with it, Sligo developed a retail park, but wouldn't let businesses set up in it, two big shopping centres and were on for a third, without even planning how people would be able to get in or move about the town, bad planning and decisions everywhere. To think if the bust had been 3-4 years later we would've been stuck with another white elephant!

Henlars67 wrote: »

The internet cafe in Stephen St is closed. Are there any internet cafes left in Sligo now?

Do think so, apart from the library where you have to be a member. They has to have internet access for members in the Westward centre as well as far as I can remember but I don't know if that's gone now as well.

Sligo, death by a thousand cuts, here are some of them.

1. Failure to retain period shop fronts(like Westport and Kilkenny) think Bellews, Wood and Iron, Johnstons, O Connor Brothers, Lyons on Hyde Bridge.
Consequence the town centre built environment is a disaster

2. Failure to build a by pass(like every other Irish town and city) from Carraroe to Yeats Heights which world have acted as a ring road for local traffic and kept non local traffic out of town centre.
Consequence town divided in two, traffic not much better, Sligo looks awful to anybody driving through. buildings of merit demolished, local community extinguished.

3.Failure to build a relief road along the quays from the town to said bypass, which would have opened up the area along the quays contiguous with the town centre for large scale retail, ie supermarkets.
which leads to.

4. Out of town locations, ie Cranmore Road and Cleveragh zoned as town centre.
Consequence hemorrhage of money and footfall from town centre.

5. Planning, more housing built in surrounding rural areas than Sligo.
Consequence, proliferation of supermarkets in local villages and depopulation of urban area.

6. Rockwood Parade, developers allowed to erect buildings of sub standard design on the dictum of anything is better than nothing.
Consequence, last golden opportunity for urban renewal thrown away.

7.The future - Last remaining urban asset, the Riverside to vandalised by the imposition of a bridge of outstanding ugliness.
Consequence, some people make money, town centre relocates to the area mentioned in item 4 Cairns hill to be sliced in half by an access road.

Bebo stunnah wrote: »

I was on about future vacancy. The current rate of empty units is nearly all down to the decisions made by the council for zoning, which the chamber of commerce had a huge influence on. In fact I'd be willing to blame the chamber for about 90% of the empty units. It's not a surprise to see (I think) nearly all of the premises owned by the then chamber members still trading. The infrastructure was a disaster; an inner relief road? I don't know any other large town in the country that had one built, bar Dundalk. But that town was bypassed with the M1. So it's not even comparable to Sligo.

I would say it wont be long before you start to see the effects from this, but since I wrote my first comment on the matter all day parking went from €2.50 to €3, so it has already started. You might have noticed it under the guise of "Free Sunday parking". Hourly rates are going to go up too, I'm sure. Businesses are going to be squeezed for it too with rates. I can't see a lot of them deciding it's worth sticking round in a fairly average sized town.

We're coming from two sides of the same coin in that case, because I agree, but even if they hadn't lost their ass on the gamble that was Lissadell Sligo would still be in this mess.

To add to that, Lissadell have opened 8km of biking trails, with a further 12km to come, plans for soccer pitches and a BMX track, proof indeed the council should've stayed well out of something they had no business in, the new owners have been true to their promise of developing the estate.

The Gateway Bar on Lord Edward street is 40,500 pa in rent - crazy, crazy high rents.

Sure of course businesses will close with these rents.

I agree wholeheartedly those rents are extortionate.
Those premises were bought/built in the expensive era that was the 'celtic tiger' years. So, owners are trying to claw back their mad borrowings/investment at the expense of the tenant and ultimately, the customer.
Sligo is certainly not alone is this quagmire, it's another legacy of our then unregulated banking system.
Thanks FF!