The giant catalogue retailer Argos is to become one of the anchor tenants of the St Stephen's Green shopping centre in Dublin. The company is to occupy the former Roches Stores premises which has 10,000 sq ft on the first floor and a mezzanine of 3,500 sq ft. It will be paying a rent of £260,000 (€330,200) under a new 25-year lease with a five-yearly rent review. Roches had been paying a rent of £200,000 (€254,000) until it sold its leasehold interest last year to the owners of the centre.

The arrival of Argos is expected to boost business at the rear of the centre following its recent takeover by Irish Life. Fintan Tierney of Lambert Smith Hampton acted for Argos, which already has 13 outlets in the Republic, and Stephen Murray of Jones Lang LaSalle advised the owners of the centre.