A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Blanchardstown centre signs up tenants for retail park extension
Lifestyle Sports and 53 Degrees North are the latest tenants to sign up for the new extension to the Blanchardstown centre in west Dublin. The two traders will join TK Maxx which will have its largest Irish store, occupying half the 10,000sq m (107,639sq ft) of space in the retail park extension. Lifestyle will have 2,050sq m (22,066sq ft) - also its largest in Ireland - while 53 Degrees North will open a unit of 1,780sq m (19,160sq ft). Only one shop of 700sq m (7,535sq ft) is available through joint agents HWBC and Jones Lang LaSalle.
TK Maxx will be relocating in Blanchardstown from its existing store of 2,000sq m (21,528sq ft). A replacement tenant, Home Store & More, has already signed for this unit.
The Blanchardstown centre, with 120,000sq m (1,291,668sq ft) of retail and leisure space on a site of 100 acres, was named the 2006 "Crest Irish Shopping Centre of the Year".
Hamleys for new Belfast centre
London toy specialist Hamleys is to take a concession unit in the House of Fraser store which is to anchor the new Victoria Square shopping centre in Belfast that is due to open next March. Hamleys has signed an agreement to rent a number of 557sq m (5,995sq ft) concessions in stores operated by House of Fraser. A spokeswoman could not say if the agreement covered the store in Dundrum shopping centre.
Fairview investment for €2.2m
An interesting commercial investment has come on the market at Fairview village in Dublin 3 with an asking price of €2.2 million. Number 10 Fairview Village has a ground floor retail unit, a separate medical centre and two overhead floors rented by a beautician and accessed separately from Fairview Avenue Lower. The overall floor area is 285.5sq m (3,073sq ft), including a ground floor area of 139.4sq m (1,500sq ft). Full vacant possession will be available in three years time.
In the meantime, the building is producing a rental income of €65,000 and, according to selling agent Savills HOK, there is the option of bringing in a further €36,000 if it was decided to lease the retail unit.
Fairview is one of Dublin's busiest suburbs, surrounded by a vast middle class population. The suburb has also benefited greatly from its proximity to Eastpoint Business Park. Number 10 Fairview Village is close to the Bank of Ireland, O'Donoghue Solicitors and Smyth's bar.
Wicklow quayside site for €3m
The Phillips Partnership is seeking €3 million for a mixed-use site at South Quay in Wicklow town which is for sale by private treaty. The high profile site of 0.06 of a hectare (0.15 of an acre) fronts onto the quayside and is occupied by Kearns Kitchens.
A feasibility study by Theo Phelan Design suggests that it is likely to be redeveloped for a mix of shops at street level with offices on the first floor and apartments overhead. The site is adjacent to Main Street and is reached through Salt House Lane.
Waterford residential site of 11.5 acres sells for €7.5 million
A site of 11.5 acres on the outskirts of Waterford city at Newrath/Ballyrobin has been sold at auction for €7.5 million, a long way ahead of its AMV of €6.25 million. Joint selling agents HWBC and Purcell Properties say it is a record price for housing land in the area. The site has planning permission for 99 houses and a crèche. It is located opposite Waterford Golf Club and it was knocked down to a local builder after outbidding four others. Ronan Downing of HWBC said that, while new homes sales had slowed down in the first three months, the lively bidding at the auction underlined the continuing confidence in the market going forward.
Boots opens fifth Cork outlet at Mahon Point shopping centre
Boots has opened its fifth Cork outlet at Mahon Point shopping centre. The UK multiple will be paying a rent of around €500,000 for a unit of 534sq m (5,747sq ft) on the ground floor opposite Easons and close to Debenhams. Mervyn Ellis of HWBC advised Boots which now has 43 stores in this State. Savills HOK represented Mahon Point which opened over a year ago and has a retail spread of 22,225sq m (239,228sq ft). The centre also has a 13-screen Omniplex Cinema.
Ready-to-go sites at Carlow country club for €4.5 million
Cathal Kelly of Savills HOK is suggesting a guide price of €4.5 million for two ready-to-go residential sites in the grounds of Mount Wolsley hotel, spa and country club at Tullow, Co Carlow, which are for sale by private treaty.
The sites extend to 1.18 hectares (2.92 acres) and are to be sold in either one or two lots. One, with 1.36 acres, has full planning permission for five detached homes with floor areas of 279sq m (3,003sq ft). The second site of 1.56 acres has permission for 30 executive apartments and two duplex units of 98-124sq m (1,055-1,335sq ft).
Mount Wolsley, just south of Tullow village and 64kms from Dublin, has been developed since 1996 and, apart from the 143-bed hotel and all its facilities, there is also an 18-hole golf course.
Former Davis Gallery on Capel Street for €1.75 million
DTZ Sherry FitzGerald is reporting strong interest in the former Davis Gallery at 11 Capel Street, Dublin 1, which is for sale by private treaty. It is located in an area which is undergoing major urban renewal. The building has a floor area of 314sq m (3,380sq ft), including 87sq m (936sq ft) at ground floor level. The guide price is €1.75 million and not as incorrectly stated in last week's supplement.
€2.25m for Kilkenny site
Kilkenny agent Sherry FitzGerald McCreevy is quoting an AMV of €2.25 million for a redevelopment site at Pudding Lane in Kilkenny city. It is only 50 metres off High Street. The property includes a restaurant built by the Mulhall family in 1979 and a large site behind it. The building has a floor area of 560sq m (6,028sq ft) and a frontage of 17 metres onto Pudding Lane.
