THE OMNI shopping centre in north Dublin is set to broaden its appeal further with several new retail units replacing the former Homebase centre.

The dedicated owners, the McKeon and Kennedy families, have welcomed this opportunity to build on the success of the fashion mall by providing additional shops which will enhance the retail mix.

Work is already under way on a 3,500sq m (37,674sq ft) extension and is due to be completed next spring.

One of the new units has already been pre-booked by catalogue trader Argos who will be paying a rent of €314,000 for a unit of 1,476sq m (15,888sq ft) from March next.

Agent George Ross of Jones Lang LaSalle is launching a marketing campaign to attract top class tenants for two two-storey shops of 1,000sq m (10,764sq ft) which are expected to rent at €320,000 and €227,000. They will be located alongside Argos.

"The availability of these two units will greatly strengthen the retail mix and comes after the successful opening of the fashion mall in recent years," said Ross.

Other recent lettings include Kentucky Fried Chicken who moved into an external unit of 344sq m (3,703sq ft), Florisimo florists, Sweet Express and Gino's Ice Cream Bar.

The Omni Centre, half way between the city and Dublin Airport, serves a densely populated area where more than 280,000 residents are within a 15-minute drive.

The centre also appeals to many of the 10,000 students from DCU and people from Beaumont Hospital who are within easy walking distance.

The centre has an average weekly footfall of 130,000, thanks largely to the strong appeal of Penneys, Tesco and New Look.

Omni is also one of the leading leisure centres on the northern end of the city centre, having the second largest cinema complex in Dublin with 11 screens and seating for more than 2,200 people. There are more than 1,200 car-parking spaces on site.